How Connecting with the Community Can Help Your Business

In the age of social media, online advertising campaigns and relentless notifications, small-business owners can often overlook the real-world connections that play an integral role in the long-term success of their company.

While they don’t offer the instant gratification of a social media reaction, real-world connections over the long run can help your company in a dramatic way. Public appearances, participation in community events and the cultivation of personal relationships can all give your company a competitive advantage.

There are plenty of tried-and-true methods to increase your company’s community outreach and visibility — and they don’t necessarily cost a lot of money.

For example, consider sponsoring or coaching a children’s sports team, teaming up with a nonprofit organization for a fundraiser or renting a popular venue for an evening and inviting all of your clients or neighbors to a private party.

Jacqueline Whitmore, founder of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, which provides executive leadership and business etiquette training, suggests hosting quarterly dinners with six to 12 clients or other business owners, where conversations don’t necessarily have to focus on business. Those connections can pay off down the road in unexpected ways. “Entrepreneurs and business owners are eager to meet and mastermind with smart, like-minded people who are also in search of reciprocal, long-lasting relationships,” she says.

Michelle Christie, an online visibility coach and social media expert who helps clients position their businesses to generate visibility, says volunteering is one of the easiest and most cost-effective community outreach techniques. It’s also a great way to make a meaningful positive impact on your community. “Getting all employees together once a month to do some Saturday morning cleaning in a community park will improve a company’s reputation and the look of the local greenery,” Christie says. “Make some company T-shirts for your employees to wear and you’re all set.”

For more tips on how to strengthen your businesses’ ties to your community, download our ebook, How Small-Town Values Can Transform Networking Skills.

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Keeping your business ahead of the curve means developing strong relationships — and lots of them. From clients and customers to business partners, vendors, employees and more, your list of vital players is ever growing and increasingly harder to handle. With professional gifting tips and industry insights, Cane River Pecan Company is here to help.

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