Community Support: Being Involved is Good For Business

Reach out and offer community support. Getting your community through rough times creates trust and reliability that is hard to match in any other avenue. Sensitivity and compassion become part of your public image and your brand. If you are involved in a charity event or part of a collaboration to raise awareness, include the information on your websites and social media. It is part of your company’s mission and increases brand awareness for you within your own industry.

Charity Events Increase Recognition

Promoting your business through donations and charity events creates an image that is easily recognized throughout the community. Whether you are donating construction materials, time, or equipment to rebuild a home or upgrade a public center, it is you and your company that stands out. This is branding you and your business as a committed member of the community.

Your neighbors and associates will see how dedicated you are to the community, and when they have a problem, you’ll be the first one they think of. Building this commitment takes time, but you can involve your business by contacting the local Better Business Bureau and town councils for contact information. Adding a section for community involvement to your website will also help you get information on upcoming events and activities.

Involvement Shows Your Community Support

Increase company-wide involvement by donating to local sports programs and educational events that raise money for the students in your community. Add the information to your social media and encourage employee donations that you pledge to meet. Activities like this create interest because they get free advertising in many local media outlets.

Once your company or business becomes involved in local events, the community links your business to the activities it has helped fund. That puts you in front of a whole new network of professionals as well as future customers. They already understand your mission and value your opinion. They have seen the services your offer and the lengths you’ll go. It’s a huge step in creating a relationship with your community.

Get the Scoop on Raising Awareness

Reporters like to get the scoop on situations like this because they keep their communities informed, and this offers them a chance to become part of the action. So, reach out to a local newspaper and give them the specifics on an upcoming event. They may want to include an article about how your business became involved. A few minutes spent for a good cause can mean hundreds of dollars in free advertising.

Your company can help raise awareness by contacting local radio stations and TV networks. They often have time slots set aside strictly for local charity events that help create interest in the upcoming festivities, and will also inform the community about the businesses catering the work creating a source of free advertising for you, your business, and your employees.

Remember, It’s Not Just Business

Business growth and recognition are necessary to keep your company running. Donating time, money, and materials put your brand out there for others to see. Once they recognize you as a dependable, reliable source of information and services, they will think of you first. Why? They remember the work and the commitment to the community, and it creates a sense of pride and trust. Customers use this emotion when making decisions, and it can help to build your industry recognition.

The critical component to all of this is to do something, anything. Encourage family members, employees, and current customers to spread the word and join you at the next charity event. It displays a commitment and dedication to your business, your neighbors, and your community as a whole.

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