When it comes to connecting marketing with social responsibility, one of the latest trends in marketing, it’s imperative that a business embody the values of the cause it’s supporting. “The more your brand stands for those values, the more likely you’ll be to attract like-minded customers,” asserts Roger Sametz, president of Sametz Blackstone Associates, a strategic communications consulting firm located in Boston. Here are five other smart ways to get customers to champion your cause-related-marketing efforts:

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1. Get social. Facebook allows you to create a community focused on your specific cause. “Not only are such groups easy to create and inexpensive, but they also make it easy to spread the word to family and friends,” says Patrick Schwerdtfeger, author of Webify Your Business: Internet Marketing Secrets for the Self-Employed.

2. Offer customary discounts. Elisa Tucci Contemporary Art in New York built the support of worthy causes into its business model. Five percent of every sale goes directly to charities that “help to heal and inspire disadvantaged children through art,” says co-owner Joan Daidone.

3. Show your creativity. As part of an effort to collect 10,000 dimes over a 10-month period to celebrate her company’s 10th anniversary, Pauline Bartel, president of Bartel Communications in Waterford, N.Y., donned a sparkly silver top hat and asked attendees at a regional Women’s Business Council meeting to donate their spare change. All money raised from the campaign was donated to Girls Incorporated.

4. Spread the word. In every communication, from press releases and invitations to lectures and art fair announcements, Elisa Tucci Contemporary Art reinforces the connection between collecting art for personal enrichment and supporting arts education.

5. Involve employees. Create opportunities for your employees to participate in your cause. They’ll share their enthusiasm with customers and seek support from their family and friends.

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