As a local business, your community is a crucial component to your success. With that being said, you can leverage your local community to promote yourself, gain exposure to new customers and establish a good standing in the community. Customers and clients are more inclined to patronize your business if they are aware of your business’s good relationship with the community.
Playing a part doesn’t have to be anything grand. There are some simple ways that your corporation can give back that will go a long way in establishing a good relationship with the community. Here are some tips on how to go about this:
- Stay in the loop
A crucial key to establishing a relationship with your community is to stay informed on what is happening. You can navigate the town’s local Facebook page or website bulletin where residents and council members post about news and upcoming events.
Staying in the loop can even mean striking up small talk with your customers and clients. Making yourself aware of the leaders in your local community can also help. You can contact them to determine how your business can get involved.
- Take advantage of fairs and festivals
Many communities frequently host different fairs and festivals. Getting your business involved is a great way to make a connection between the community and your company.
If you are a business that sells products, this is a great opportunity to set up a booth to display and sell some of your products. If your business does not sell products, you can still set up a booth and hand out free merchandise, hold contests or plan out other means provide exposure of your company to potential customers and clientele.
- Inquire about sports sponsorships
This is another opportunity for every type of business and corporation to connect with the local community. Each year, local youth sports often look for sponsors to aid in funding their respective programs. Sponsoring youth sports will automatically expose your business to a large group of people. Sports sponsorships often involve your company’s logo appearing on the jersey of a youth sports team or on signage that is visible at your local sports complex.
Participating in a sports sponsorship will not only expose you to those in your own community but also to spectators who are visiting your town’s athletic complex and playing your town’s youth sports teams. Sponsoring youth sports is a great approach as you are making connections within and outside your community. Most importantly, it creates a positive attitude that your company cares about the community, especially the children.
- Donate, donate, donate!
This is the easiest, most applicable and one of the most effective ways to demonstrate that your business cares about the community. There are always organizations in your local community that will need donations. This could range from donating money to a local school fundraiser to providing food and beverages for a town event and everything in between.
The best part about this method is that it is customizable to your situation. As a business owner, you can decide what is the best method of donating for your business. No matter what cause in your community you contribute to, you are building your brand with compassion.
Take action
Each of these tips can help you create a good relationship between your corporation and the community while also attracting new people to your business. Positioning your business into an active part of the community can be the difference that encourages customers to choose you over your competitors.
A little goes a long way when giving back locally, so don’t feel that you must involve yourself in every event or fundraiser. Strategically choose where you believe it would be most appropriate and where it would be the most beneficial.
In all, giving back to the community, no matter the extent, is a great gesture, which will ultimately grow the company’s exposure and client base.
