We try and think about more than just the Gardens Are business. We focus on community, specifically the health of the environment and the people in it. We feel a strong responsibility to improve and sustain our community. However, we’ve never taken the opportunity to “promote” our own good works.
But after meeting with our SCORE advisers, we may be seeing a shift in thought about the philanthropy aspect of my business. We discussed many ways our philanthropy could be used in our marketing and how our target audience may want to know that we actively support organizations that they trust and support as well.
Our next step is to find examples of how companies share information about their community works and how they position their good deeds in their marketing efforts. I hope we can also find a way to incorporate our company values: honesty, quality and community. These are important to me and the future of my business.
Have you incorporated a philanthropy aspect in your business? How did you go about it, and how did you share that news? I’m interested to hear from other small business owners about their experience.
Hi Donald,
There is a fantastic report out about cause marketing, Citizens Engage that can give you some good insight about what consumers are looking for in corporate philanthropic efforts.
In terms of small business, I publish on my homepage which organizations my business supports and then periodically run a fundraiser that I e-blast out to my list.
In the end though, consumers are looking for a high quality product or service that meets their need. Philanthropic giving can be a great way to get more press to introduce your company and the need you fill to new customers.
Oh forgot to post the link to the report: http://www.edelman.com/insights/special/GoodPurpose2010globalPPT_WEBversion.pdf
Amy