Research shows that businesses that are community-focused and working to give back to the world perform better than those who don’t. Whether you’re a startup business or established, the world of digital marketing has given all businesses a unique opportunity to be part of a global marketplace. This means more competition but a bigger customer base, too.
If you’re shooting for success, you’ll want to consider how much time you’re spending on messaging and charitable actions that give back. If you’re a business leader, CEO, or considering starting a business, read on for ways you can make a difference in the world.
Philanthropic Gifting and Sponsorship
For Manick Bhan, CTO of LinkGraph, there’s more to the workday than being an SEO strategist and running a company. Manick, like many other successful entrepreneurs, has taken what he is passionate about and used his resources to make a difference in the world. In making monthly donations to animal activism groups, he’s finding ways to use his platform and positioning to effect change.
While this business idea isn’t new, many successful business leaders like Manick are taking a percentage of their profits to give back to the community that supports them. Opportunities for an SEO agency might be different from those for a local restaurant or grocery store. That doesn’t mean that philanthropy and sponsorships can’t be done in every industry.
Donation of Goods and Services
In the middle of a global pandemic, there are even more opportunities for making a difference in the bigger community. If you own a restaurant, you could consider donating leftover foods to the homeless or local shelters. Something as simple as offering up nearly expired foods you can’t use could make the difference between a child going hungry or not.
Perhaps you run a business that specializes in marketing on social media. For you, a great way to help out could be donating services to businesses that are going that extra step to help people. In teaming up with business owners who volunteer in food pantries and more, you’d be helping them continue to succeed too.
Take a mental inventory of the goods and services available to you as part of your regular business. What could you gift to the community? Making a difference doesn’t mean you need to make direct cash payments or donate a part of your profits. Instead, you could do something as simple as donating the things you can’t use or simply your time and skills. All of it will add up to one big difference in the world around you.
Advocacy Work and Platforms
We’ve all heard the expression about being the change we hope to see in the world. One way for businesses to accomplish this is to become involved with advocacy groups that align with their own mission statements. Maybe you’re a small business owner of a vegan health store. You could partner with a non-profit organization working on animal rights activism or climate change issues. In making these alliances and collaboration, you’ll not only expand your customer base but give yourself and that advocacy group a bigger platform. This will tie your brand to amazing things and lead to happy customers who are like-minded and passionate about supporting both you and your mission in return.
At the end of the day, no company operates on its own. Every business happens in a bigger world. Whether online or in a local community, business owners can’t avoid being part of the world and being connected in one way or another. In fact, without those connections, businesses would never get off the ground. The next time you look at your overall business plan or mission statement, consider how you could help to make the world a better place. You’ll thank yourself for it later. Your community will too.
