How Supporting the Community can Help Your Small Business
Supporting your community makes your neighborhood a better place to live. It can also have a positive halo effect on your business. In this article, we’ve included some of the many ways that supporting the community can benefit your small businesses.
Community events are great networking opportunities.
By collaborating with local organizations, you can meet new people and introduce them to your business. Plus, when they have a good experience at one of your events, they’re more likely to come back for future occasions.
You can also meet potential customers by partnering with a local charity or not-for-profit. Supporting local charities lets potential customers know how much you care about the community. Many times you’ll get free exposure for your business from these events! Additionally, customers learn about you from events or at places they might not have seen you otherwise.
Community Sponsorship Helps Your Business SEO
Small businesses may not have the marketing money to spend thousands on paid ads. Still, there are some other ways to boost your visibility online. One way that can help your SEO is community sponsorship!
Every year for Garage Sale Day in our neighborhood, I get super excited and look forward to donating – I love giving back. And my small business heart melts when I see people come into the store and mention our donation as their reason for coming in.
I always tell my kids that it is essential to give back and give to the community. It’s a win-win situation for everyone in the community. Your business receives publicity, your company supports a good cause, AND the people who took advantage of your donation are now potential customers or return visitors. So it does work on all levels.
Not only do you get a feel-good effect from helping others, but that goodwill has a reciprocating effect on your small business online. For example, when your business name or website appears in your neighborhood’s newsletter, your website traffic may improve as people research your business. Any increase in traffic or backlinks to your website ultimately causes Google and other search engines to favor your website in overall rankings for keywords related to your business.
If you write a blog for your website, you might receive exposure for your blog content and improved engagement across your website. If you’re running a blog or an e-commerce store, that’s a big win for your business. The more eyes that browse your content, the more likely you are to convert that potential customer to a paying customer.
Community Support Improves Employee Retention and Hiring
Community Sponsorship helps your staff feel happier and more dedicated to the place they work, which can lead to a higher quality of work—your whole team benefits by interacting and helping new people in their community. For new employees and younger workers, it teaches valuable life skills, too. It improves the overall brand perception of your company internally. It gives employees a better sense of your values and company mission.
It has the potential to make your company more appealing to Millennials and Gen Z workers. These workers tend to support and stay with companies that align with their values and morals.
Community sponsorship doesn’t have to come from the top
Small business owners can impact the local community. Still, small business owners should also encourage their employees to follow their example and volunteer. It shapes the perception of a better work environment.
Business News Daily notes that a 89% of employees think companies that support volunteer activities offer a better working environment. Also, 70% surveyed think volunteer activities boost employee morale.
It’s a Good Thing.
If these aren’t enough reasons to get involved, consider this: Your company’s contribution might change someone’s entire perspective on what your company’s mission and services are. Better yet, impact their life. The next time you’re looking for an opportunity to reach new potential customers, consider how goodwill can also benefit your small business. Grow your business and help others at the same time.
At Cooperata, we have numerous organizations that are dear to us. We support our local YMCA ministries, the WordPress Foundation, and Girls Who Code, to name a few. Some are just straight-out goodwill charities, and some benefit us as a company.
If you’d like to brainstorm on ways your small business could benefit from strategic sponsorships and make the world a better place, feel free to reach out to the staff at Cooperata. We can help you get started.
