By Pam Clark
Community engagement can take many forms and is a great way to gain higher visibility with people in your customer demographic. This blog offers easy ways to increase your community standing in person and online.
Tap into local seasonal events
Look at seasonal events that your company can engage in. For instance, during the holidays, there are many community activities: festivals, performances, craft fairs, sporting events, and charities where you could have a presence through advertising, sponsoring an event, or raising or donating money. There may be opportunities to have a booth, place an ad in sports or performing arts brochure, a high school yearbook, newsletter, or magazine, or have a photo opportunity when handing over that check to your charity of choice.
Find a cause that resonates with you
Local charities and community programs that resonate with you can tell a story that brings your company down to a personal level. If you or someone on your team is a cancer survivor, you may want to donate to a local cancer charity that is creating an impact in your community. You can tell your story on social media, in person while presenting a check, or in your company newsletter.
Partner with others
When you do a community outreach activity with another company or service organization, you get double the exposure for both organizations. For instance, if your company restores fire damage, you could partner with the local fire department by sponsoring a portable fire extinguisher training program. It’s a “win-win” situation – you get exposure to the services you can perform after a fire, and the fire department gets to help prevent fires by training people how to use fire extinguishers in their homes safely. Look for organizations that actively engage in your community and have a strong online presence.
Engage potential customers through social media
Asking questions is a great way to engage with people online. You can ask questions centered around your type of business or use seasonal events large groups of people participate in each year.
Social media is a powerful way to engage customers. You can use paid social media or go the organic reach route. Ask questions and hold contests. You can give out a hat or t-shirt with your company logo on it to the winner. You can make it a weekly or monthly activity, increasing engagement opportunities.
Activity for engaging your social audience using one topic or event today
Seasonal topic: Halloween
Facebook has 133,365,620 audiences interested in Halloween. If you narrow it down to your geographical region, you will still attract a large audience.
Social media question: What is the best Halloween costume you have ever worn?
Social post ideas: Halloween Costume Contest! Post a picture and win a prize! Share your favorite Halloween Costume With Us! Winners will be announced on Halloween!
Create custom hashtags: #company costume (example #Starfishcostume)
Then on Halloween, announce the winners and post a picture of what they won. (Free advertising when you give away a prize with your company logo.)
Reach out today!
If you need help designing an ad or social media campaign, we can help. Starfish SEO & Marketing is a specialized digital marketing agency that assists small to medium-sized businesses with local SEO, custom video production, and paid social media marketing. If you are interested in finding out more about our products and services, you can reach us at info@starfishseo.com.