Doing Well by Doing Good
Community involvement is one of the most successful and enduring marketing strategies for small businesses. When you identify your business with local causes that your target audience cares about, you win their loyalty and set your business apart from competitors. Your business will build a positive reputation and gain invaluable public relations and marketing exposure when your business name is associated with local events and causes.
Doing good for your community will not only help your business to flourish, it’s also an authentic way for your business to make a difference. There are many opportunities to do good for your community and do well for your business. Some opportunities may even offer a way to engage your employees in a team-building activity and make giving back to the community part of your business culture.
To help amplify your association with a local cause, it helps to build a relationship with the group and participate in recurring events or activities. A one-time donation or activity isn’t enough to make your efforts visible and memorable to the community. As you look for ways your business might get involved in your community, consider whether there is a cause or organization that is a good fit for your business or related to what you do. Your expertise might be of great benefit to them.
Here are a few ideas to explore in your community.
- Sponsor a local youth sports team
- Contribute funds to community events, and other celebrations
- Volunteer to help a community-based organization
- Be active in your local chamber of commerce
- Speak about your job at your local high school’s career day
- If you have a meeting space you can open to the public, host an annual event in your place of business, space and safety permitting
- Provide a learning experience for a scout troop
- Join your community’s Fourth of July parade
- Participate in a community clean-up day
- Offer to give back a percentage of sales on a specific date to a cause- Serve as a board member for a local organization
- Make a commitment to buy local and promote your support of local usinesses
- Sponsor a portion of your local government’s holiday decoration or outdoor beautification programs – they often acknowledge sponsors on signs or in newsletters
The bottom line on community involvement is that it’s a win-win situation for your business and your community. If you’re not practicing this proven marketing strategy yet, it’s time to give it a try.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk: