Reach out to your community to improve your visibility.
Tis the season for bright lights, shiny packages, and great food—but it’s also a season that’s primarily about friends, family, and community.
Businesses always succeed the most when they have strong ties within their community. These can help increase brand awareness, inspire promotional opportunities, and boost your reputation through word-of-mouth.
So how can you improve your ties with other local businesses and strengthen your presence in the community?
Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
1 Donate. There are several ways you can get involved by giving to organizations in your community. Your company can provide pro bono services, or your team can volunteer as extra manpower at local events—which has the added bonus of putting in quality time with your neighbors. You can also participate on councils or join a local board, especially with a company that’s relevant to the mission of your own brand. If you’re short on time, or a prolonged commitment isn’t the kind of involvement that makes sense for your team right now, you can also give money to nonprofits or programs or projects that are integral to the community, or affiliated with or supported by businesses that you’d like to connect with.
2 Connect. It’s a marketing truth that people build stronger relationships when they’re informed by genuine emotional connections. Getting involved with community programs that people feel strongly about is a great way to connect with them on a more personal level. (It’s also going to be the most rewarding way for you to take part often and meaningfully, too!) You can look into educational and family programs, as well as health and social programs—or whatever happens to speak to you or make sense with your area of business.
3 Advertise. Onsite promotions are invaluable. They create meaningful and memorable associations to a certain place, and they can be seen repeatedly to create ongoing awareness. Brick-and-mortar companies with a strong physical presence who might be able to give you space to put up promotions and offers or otherwise showcase your logo or brand can be valuable allies. In exchange for their visual real estate, you can trade equally valuable consulting, partnerships, services, or simply also showcase their brand and logo on your materials, website, or in your office if there’s a comparable location (like a lobby, for example) that makes sense to offer in exchange for something like a retail checkout counter, community board, restaurant lounge, etc.
Of course, not all businesses are alike—and the more specific your strategy, the better. Mad 4 Marketing can help you come up with a customized plan to build ties and elevate your profile in your community.
Simply reach out to put this marketing resolution into action as you kick off your new year!]]>