Lending a helping hand is something that comes easy to most people. It feels great to do a good deed. But for a business, sometimes the benefits are not so obvious. Just like any other type of marketing or public relations, the “expense” of doing community outreach is almost always returned many times over in exposure and positive influence.
One of the things we pride ourselves on at The Golding Group is finding ways to create win-win situations for our clients. The fastest way to do so that is pair a company and a non-profit to address a need in the community. The charity gets funding or tangible items they need to operate AND the company gets to present a positive public image to consumers.
Last month, we worked with Oklahoma City Twitter celebrity Dan Gordon to mark the milestone of his 100,000th tweet. We scripted the actual happening to benefit a charity, unbeknown to them. We also secured 5 sponsors to raise funds for a “random act of kindness” via social media. In the end, Dan Gordon and the sponsors all benefited from an overwhelmingly positive response to the promotion and the Pets & People Humane Society got a check for $1,000. A win-win for sure which generated a tremendous amount of social media buzz, blog post and website traffic. BONUS: We also doubled the number of Twitter followers of Pets & People.
Also last month, The Journal Record newspaper held their annual Beacon Awards event which celebrates local businesses who give back to the community. We often attend this event with clients making the list. This year, Rococo Restaurant and Fine Wine won the small business category (less than 50 employees) for charitable influence. Rococo owners Bruce Rinehart and Jason Bustamante are well-known for hosting regular charity events, donating food and encouraging employees to get involved. This generous spirit (and really, really good food and service) has created a legion of loyal Rococo fans and patrons. This type of positive image cannot be created with advertising.
In the end, a well-managed community engagement program can be a great business tool that also makes you feel good. A happy and healthy city is a more business friendly environment and people like to do business with someone they think is a “good person”. Not sure how to manage this process? Contact us for more information.
