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In today’s world, there is a lot of ‘noise’ with media, social media, fundraisers, events, and more. Finding a way for your brand to stand out can be challenging, but there are ways to do that while supporting your local community.  As your potential customers and clients seek the services or products your business provides, they rely heavily on emotions and information from trusted sources. Supporting non-profit organizations is often considered a trusted source for many due to people’s passion for the missions of their preferred non-profit. If your business can promote or support a non-profit organization that aligns with your company values, you get your brand in front of a unique audience. Here are some highlights of the value of this collaboration:

Brand Advertising Dollars – Consumers are inundated with messages from many places, and finding the best place to spend your company’s advertising dollars can be tricky. With TV, radio, social media, the internet, newspapers, magazines, and more, it can be challenging to find the best source if you have limited funds. If you know of a non-profit that aligns with your brand’s core values and mission, it makes sense to take some of those ‘advertising’ dollars and sponsor an event or project for that agency. This means your business is getting exposure while also providing funds to help further the mission and success of the non-profit you are supporting.

Reaching Your Target Audience – The supporters and volunteers for the non-profit would likely also be the type of consumer in your preferred target audience. Your brand support highlights the alignment these consumers could have with your business and what it provides. If they see that a product or service brand is supporting something they believe in, then it increases the chances they would support your business if they need said product or service. It is seen as supporting a local small business at that point and an extended investment in a non-profit they value.

Community Investment – With the current generation of consumers, there is a significant push to see more support of the local community and small businesses. Therefore, those in your target audience want to align themselves and their needs with brands that support the communities in which they operate. Involvement and support of non-profit organizations in your local community show that you are not just looking to make sales but want to ensure that the local environment helps everyone and paves the path for future generations to succeed.

Personal Investment and Support – It is important to show that your brand supports a non-profit. Still, it is just as important for you as a leader to support these initiatives and even encourage your team to support an agency they are passionate about. This could mean you and your team volunteer to serve on a non-profit’s Board of Directors or Committee. In these roles, you often work with other professionals who run or work with businesses that would be great for collaboration or referral. This allows you to work ‘in the trenches” with other like-minded professionals who see your hard work, ethics, and dedication. That builds trust and credibility for you and your business.  In the future, if they, or someone they know, need your product or services, you would likely come to mind before any others.

In the end, success comes from relationships. Consumers value credibility, ethics, and trust as they spend their hard-earned dollars on products or services. If you have questions on how to take your brand to the next level with non-profit support, contact me today for more information.

Business owners and entrepreneurs usually have their eyes on the success of their operations and revenue, and sometimes, a crisis is not on their radar. How a business handles a situation can be a ‘make or break’ scenario for future growth and success. Ideally, having a public relations (PR) professional on staff or available for hire can help mitigate any issues. Still, the budget may not allow that consistent presence with some small businesses and start-ups. There are times when a crisis is unavoidable, and I hope this blog offers some tips and guidance on navigating your business operations and branding after the “storm.”

• If you are a business that employs others, life comes first. Make sure your team and their loved ones are safe. Try to offer any resources or assistance you can to help them recover if needed. This doesn’t have to be monetary; sometimes, just checking in and offering help with cleanup or time off for them to get things in some order is enough.
• If you are a one-person operation, understand the trauma and impact the crisis may have on others. While you may be ready to open your doors for regular business, your audience might not be in the mindset to welcome that. Sharing empathy is vital in times of crisis.
• Once you know your team is safe and have started reopening your operations, designate a spokesperson for your organization. This will allow your target audience to understand where information is coming from and offer consistency.
• Designate your communication channel. There can be more than one, and some examples include your website, emails, or social media profiles. By sharing the same messages in several places, you give greater access to information to your audience. Some people may only check your website, while others may look for emails or scan social media. Once you commit to one or more of these channels, you must consistently use them.
• Communicate clearly and concisely about your operations and any resources you may have available. This includes to your existing clients/customers and anything that could assist the community in recovery if the crisis impacted a large area.
• Create a messaging schedule. This is especially important if your business offers a vital service that has attracted media attention. News media is less likely to speculate on a situation’s impact if they know they will receive regular updates.
• Be transparent with your audience. Your clients and customers don’t need every minor detail, but it is essential they don’t feel you are hiding something.

Conclusion

Having a public relations professional is not only important during the good times for a business, but they are especially critical during times of crisis or challenge. Whether you have a PR pro on your staff or work with an agency or consultant, having someone guide you through the tough times is vital. Hopefully, having that person in place before any crisis occurs will help a business avoid or minimize the impact that could happen. PR professionals are trained to keep their eyes on the horizon and assist with any impending issues. They monitor trends and possibilities to guide their business or client on a path that avoids the crisis altogether or minimizes the impact.

There are times when a crisis is inevitable. In such situations, the role of your PR professional becomes even more crucial. They are there to guide and assist in the response and reaction to the crisis.

Ideally, every business will have a crisis plan that outlines the process and detailed steps to take should a crisis occur. It should be reviewed annually and updated as necessary since times and trends change year over year.

I would love to assist you with any crisis planning; contact me today for more information!

It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of September 2024. The holidays are just around the corner, and while it is just the beginning of Fall, businesses need to start thinking about marketing and promoting their products and services related to this festive time of year. We always see the big box stores promoting Halloween in the summer months and then quickly putting out the Thanksgiving and Christmas promotions before we even get to October 31.

Planning should be underway if you plan to run any campaigns for service or product deals during the holiday season. Here are some tips to help you prepare a successful campaign for your holiday deals or end-of-year reminders.

• Determine what you plan to promote for the holidays. Will it be a discount on the services you provide? Or will it be lowering prices on products that you sell? Making sure you clearly know what you plan to promote is step one. This includes if you plan to offer a tiered system of promotions as well. For example, will you offer 10% off for two weeks and then increase the discount to 15% for the duration of the promotion?
• Create goals for what these promotions are meant to achieve. Don’t just run a sale or discount because it is the holiday, and other companies will also be doing campaigns. Set a goal for what you want to accomplish, whether bringing in new clients and customers or increasing sales revenue before the end of the year. Know why you are doing the campaign and what you want the end to provide for you and your business.
• Once you know what your campaign will be, create your timeline and your budget. Put pen to paper for this so you have clear direction on the plan. Make sure you include stopping points during your campaign to ensure that the goals you are working towards are on the right track. If they are not, you still have time to adjust.
• By having goals in place, you need to factor in how to measure your success towards those goals. For this, you need a baseline, basically your starting point. You can look at the sales and service numbers or client numbers for the previous month or the previous years during the same time frame. For example, if you sold 100 widgets in the holiday season last year, maybe you set a goal of 125 by the end of the year. Include a few ‘stopping’ points as you run the campaign so you can see if your tactics are working. This could mean that by the end of week two, you hope to have sold 40 widgets, and by the end of week three, you are up to 80, etc. If you are not hitting those set figures, look at your plan and readjust.
• And don’t forget your budget in all of this. Do you plan to advertise your promotion in paid publications or online? Are you printing anything to announce the promotions? Will you hire someone to help with graphics and promotions, or will you even hire an agency to implement the campaign? It is essential to know your budget in advance to determine what you need to make with the promotions to be profitable.

Conclusion

While it doesn’t seem that it is time to prepare your holiday campaigns, I assure you it is. Now is the time to determine your plans and take the steps needed to get the ball rolling. If you plan to have graphics created or hire someone to assist you with the campaign implementation, start those conversations ASAP.

I would love to help you prepare your holiday campaign! Contact me today for more information!