Collaborative Post¦ No matter the size, every company needs to constantly think of ways to stay relevant and drive growth. Growth ensures that the company will succeed, whereas staying static and doing nothing can be an indicator of bad health in the business model. When you are thinking of ways to build up your brand, why not develop strategies to help you engage with the local community. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in, whether you are predominately online or not, community engagements give you great PR moments and can help with word-of-mouth growth. Everyone uses the internet, including the people next door, and who knows, they may well be your best potential customer. So, let’s think of ways you can boost your brand in the local community:
Sponsor a Local Event or Organisation
Sponsorship is a fantastic opportunity to get your brand out there in the local community. Perhaps you could sponsor a sporting event, like the local kids’ football team or something. You can then have your name up on banners. You will also get your name in the newspaper too, as well as various blogs and press releases. Have a look at sponsorship and see where this avenue can take you.
Host an Event
You could host a general event where members of the local community can come and discuss all matters that interest them about the local community. You could learn a lot about what matters and what doesn’t in your area. This is valuable information when it comes to targeting marketing material in the local area, as you understand better what motivates people. You could also host an event that is showcasing the product or service you have to offer. It could be like a see behind the scenes day, where you can show everything how something gets created. This is a way to show you are kid-friendly too. It doesn’t have to be like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but you get the point. It is also a great PR opportunity to get some great photos on your social media pages. Take a look at the Community engagement platform for more ideas about engaging the community.
Participate in Local Events
This is a great way to get you and your company’s name out there. Every community has many events all over the year. You should get an event manifesto and find out where and when they are going to be taking place. Why not contact the organisers and offer to host a talk for the events, or maybe there is scope for you to have a little stall there. You could showcase some of the fun aspects of your business and give away some branded items to make people remember your company name and your brand, popular choices are stationary or wristbands, such as the ones found here https://www.sleekwristbands.com/silicone-wristbands/. When you start looking into it you will find many opportunities you get your name out there.
Have an Apprenticeship Program
Being able to teach the next generation the craft of your business is a great idea. Not all kids want to go to Uni, so you will be giving local parents options for the kids by having this.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative.