The Marketing Benefits of Investing In Your Community
September 17th, 2009by Megan Anderson
Ideal Computer Systems, Inc.
We’ve all seen them: the small print shop that is sponsoring this summer’s Little League team, the bakery that donated bread and muffins for the town’s Walk for Breast Cancer, or the record shop that puts on free concerts every weekend for local teens.
As a small business owner, you’re in a unique position to really give back to the community you live in. Sure it feels great to do something good for your town. But can it pay off?
The good news here is that yes, it can, in several different ways. If you go about it the right way.
One of the greatest benefits to being involved with your community is that people will start to recognize your business. And in their minds, your business name will be tied directly in with the good feeling of charity. The two concepts, your business and goodwill, are directly linked. When it comes to name recognition and customer loyalty, this is a very good thing.
Another benefit to investing in your community is the sense of satisfaction you get from doing it. You can’t measure the feeling of giving back in dollars and cents, but it’s amazing the boost it can give not only to you, but to your employees as well.
Many large companies, like Google and Tom’s of Maine, give their employees one paid day per month to volunteer however they like. This is a huge perk in those companies, and the employees say it’s a big morale booster.
If you want to make sure your customers know about your involvement then make sure you advertise it. If you send out a monthly newsletter, then showcase what you did and include plenty of pictures.
Another way you can highlight your efforts is to call your local paper. For example, many businesses will donate a portion of their sales for a month to a local charity, and newspapers love to run these features. This is free publicity for your business.
If you become involved in a larger event, then make sure your business name is displayed as prominently as possible. Invest in banners and t-shirts, and have plenty of brochures on hand to pass out to people.
Community involvement is a great way to give back, feel great about what you’re doing, and get some publicity for your business in the bargain. And don’t forget, most of the time you can write off your expenses as a tax deduction.
—————————————————————
Megan … (resource box with any free or special offer).
Business Management Software Solutions
www.idealcomputersystems.com
—————————————————————
