2520Livingston-355.jpg /%

By Geoff Livingston 2010-11-29 09:13:23 UTC

Geoff Livingston co-founded Zoetica to focus on cause-related work, and released an award-winning book on new media, Now is Gone. in 2007.

With the holiday shopping season upon us, it’s common to see companies and causes use these days as an opportunity to mix in a little social good and entice buyers to choose their products and services. Here’s a look at five holiday cause marketing campaigns that use social media to win buyers and do good at the same time.

Have you come across an inspiring social good campaign in the course of your holiday shopping? Share the details in the comments section.

1. American Express Opens Small Business Saturday

American Express launched its Small Business Saturday campaign a little more than two weeks ago, and the program has already gone viral and become a mainstream media sensation. The effort seeks to encourage Americans to purchase from small businesses the Saturday after Black Friday. Small Business Saturday is primarily a Facebook effort integrated with a media push that included a launch with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The effort seeks to extend Small Business Saturday beyond the American Express initiative.

The effort primarily culminates on Facebook. It needed to be grassroots, said Leslie Berland, director at American Express. If someone registers their American Express card on Facebook and spends $25 at a small business on Small Business Saturday, they get $25 back.

A social good aspect of the campaign had American Express matching every Fan Page Like up to 500,000 (the page is expected to surpass 1 million this week) with a $1 donation to Girls, Inc. to foster female entrepreneurship. In addition, Facebook partnered with American Express to give 10,000 small business owners $100 worth of social advertising to help promote their businesses, with design help included. Fans can provide social shout-outs on Twitter or Facebook to their favorite small business via the fan page, too. Finally, there was a Twitter contest via promoted tweets that offered giveaways of $100.

This campaign is a great example of a company figuring out how to reach out to the open community around it, said Maddie Grant. co-author of Open Community and partner at the social media strategy consulting firm SocialFish.  It understands where the community interacts online; it provides value in the form of advertising collateral to small businesses to help them grow, and it helps foster the next generation of entrepreneurs through its Gift to Girls program. Efforts like these are crucial to support an entrepreneurial age.

2. Support Green Gift Monday

With a more traditional social media effort, the Nature Conservancy has launched a Green Gift Monday effort on its blog and social media properties. The effort encourages consumers to purchase environmentally friendly products on Cyber Monday. The Nature Conservancy will be highlighting gift guides, including two from Treehugger and the American Red Cross .

Our goal with Green Gift Monday is to have people give gifts that actually make a difference. Donating to a charity, purchasing energy-efficient products, giving an experience rather than physical gifts — these type of gifts get lost in the holiday shuffle, said Amy Ganderson. associate director of digital marketing at the Nature Conservancy. We’re trying to bring these responsible options to the forefront.

With a 100% social effort, the Nature Conservancy has a harder road to hoe than American Express. Creativity and excitement with social tactics need to drive momentum and attention.

In addition to highlighting great tips to make the holidays a little greener, the Nature Conservancy is making heavy pushes on Twitter (hashtag #GGM2010) and Facebook. To engage online stakeholders, the Nature Conservancy is asking people to submit their tips and tricks to make the holidays greener. In addition, they are asking bloggers and interested parties to participate by spreading the word through their social channels, with a heavy focus on action on Cyber Monday.

Nature Conservancy adds a critical element to its Green Gift Monday movement that’s missing from other Cyber Monday / Buy Nothing Day themes: Participation, said Andy Sternberg. an online marketing strategist whose work includes several campaigns with Live Earth. Providing a platform for people to suggest small ways to be more ‘green’ this holiday season could have a big influence on consumers’ environmental consciousness regarding purchasing decisions year round.

3. Yahoo Seeds Good

Yahoo launched its How Good Grows program last week. The effort seeks to create a ripple of kindness around the world. To start the ripple, Yahoo is providing seed money in the amount of $100 to 400 internal and external influencers as encouragement to do a kind act.

Kindness deliverers can choose to update their status on Yahoo, Facebook, and Twitter to inspire their social networks to join in. Influencers will be given kindness cards to hand out. To date, the 400 influencers have inspired a total of 1,100+ acts. It’s hard to tell how much money has been matched from the Good Grows site, but if matching acts are the goal, Yahoo has already achieved greater than 250% return on investment — a very good indicator that the program is working at this early stage.

It is our hope that these influencers will update their online status to inspire their vast social networks to join them and see how big of a ripple of kindness they can create starting with just one simple act, said Connie Chan. manager of Yahoo for Good. Each status is assigned a unique URL, so as others click on their status or do a kind act as a result, their ripple will grow.

What I like best about Yahoo is the creative way in which they’re using the concept of networked amplification to leverage a ripple effect that both helps social good as well as their business objectives, said Beth Kanter. author of The Networked Nonprofit .  It is done in a way that spreads kindness, not cause fatigue. I’d love to see a study that uses social network analysis techniques and have them share their learning and insights about leveraging a networked approach.

Disclosure: Beth is one of my business partners at Zoetica.

4. The Online Red Kettle Goes Mobile

The Salvation Army is engaging in its fifth Online Red Kettle. an effort that traditionally allows individuals and organizations to host their own “virtual” red kettle on their personal or company website to help raise money for the Christmas campaign. The new twist is the addition of a mobile texting donation capability throughout the United States. Red Kettlers can text Give to 85944 to make a $10 donation to the Salvation Army.

The mobile effort is also complemented by a robust new iPhone application. Given the traditional storefront kettle campaign most people recognize, these new sets of features give the Salvation Army an interesting extension to going out and helping the cause.

Interested parties can manage their grassroots effort from their iPhone. The app includes such functions as tracking personal fundraising progress, sending e-mails to friends for support and uploading photos to their central page.

This year’s campaign will feature simplified integration to blogs, Facebook Pages. as well as a new iPhone application, said Jennifer Byrd, national public relations director of the Salvation Army. Last year, nearly $2 million was raised through the Online Red Kettle program to support the overall Christmas campaign; this year, the overall fundraising goal is $3 million.

The Online Red Kettle virtual fundraising event for the Salvation Army is a great example of how non-profits need to be nimble and adapt their traditional fundraising models across multiple channels, said Allyson Kapin. editor of the Frogloop blog. However, while taking advantage of multiple channels is important, it’s also just as critical to make sure you are using or building tools backed with a solid strategy. I’m particularly interested in seeing how the Online Red Kettle iPhone application is going to enhance the donor/user experience.

5. Choose Haiti Sells Bracelets

Much has been said about Haiti not receiving earthquake aid. Interested parties can go direct and make a difference for the island nation. Choose Haiti creates H.E.L.P. Bracelets made by Haitians to fundraise for charity. This holiday season it is gearing up for a big online push via Twitter and Facebook and its event websites to promote for holiday gifting season.

Choose Haiti plans to unveil a Facebook application at that time. The app will demonstrate how purchasing the bracelets directly affects Haitian job creation. In addition, for every person who uploads a photo to the Choose Haiti Facebook Page. the organization will provide a blanket to the homeless in Haiti.

Kevin Bacon’s charitable effort SixDegrees will also support Choose Haiti this holiday season. In a recent Time article. Bacon said, If a person can spend a few dollars on a bracelet and know that they helped someone get off their feet, that’s a really cool idea. And a powerful one.

The Facebook tie-in with H.E.L.P. Bracelets deepens the donors’ connection with Haiti, said Joe Waters, the director of cause marketing at Boston Medical Center and blogger at Selfishgiving.com. The app connects the bracelet to the challenges of the Haitian world, and how the donor has made a difference. Additionally, it’s a tool for ongoing engagement and giving.

More Social Good Resources from Mashable: