Did you know that anyone can represent your brand? From your team to your patrons, each person that interacts with your organization has the potential to be an ambassador for you.
As a driven and compassionate entrepreneur, owner, or organization leader, you went into business to help others. Providing service is important to you and you know that you would not be in business without your community. You probably want to know why some people go out of their way to promote their favorite brands and you want to learn how to inspire others to become an advocate for your organization.
Think about your ideal brand ambassador.
You might be picturing someone who tells their friends about your organization, leaves positive reviews, or refers new people. What if you could learn to think, act, and communicate to inspire that person for your organization?
Here are a few steps to creating your ideal brand ambassador through outreach so that you can thrive and make a big impact.
First, connect your values to the community. In a 2016 Neilson survey 50% of participants said that a “brand with a community commitment was a purchasing driver.” There are many ways to connect with the community through outreach and corporate philanthropy. It shows generosity and a commitment to seeing the community succeed. You could just find the closest food bank or donation center, but without a strategy your contribution will be generous, but the result of connecting to your values may miss the mark. People may still not know your values. Every action we take in our company starts with a decision. What are your business decisions based on? When you know your values, they can guide your company to establishing meaningful outreach opportunities and messages that connect to your community on a deeper level.
When you begin to connect your values to the community you will begin to build relationships with people who want an emotional connection with your company. Give them that opportunity. Maya Angelou wrote that “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Often when a customer has positive experiences with your organization, they are motivated to speak positively of you. By connecting these experiences with your values and a community commitment, people become more dedicated to your company. With loyal connections people may not care about better products or prices because they believe in the work that your organization does and it feels good to connect with your values. When these people talk about your organization genuinely it can be 50% more influential than an average customer.
Here is the exciting part...YOU have power to make a difference and have a big impact on your local community! When you know your values, not only customers that will form deeper relationships. A team connected to the purpose of your business are more likely to stay connected and engaged. It is for this reason and more that businesses that engage in community outreach and corporate philanthropy typically raise 5x more than traditional fundraising efforts. Having a good communications plan to tell the story about the good your business does will attract recognition to your company and raise awareness of the causes you support, multiplying your impact.
Think about your ideal brand ambassador again.
You still might be picturing someone who tells their friends about your company, leaves positive reviews, or refers new customers. But now consider how that person is connected to your values through your outreach in the local community and generosity of your tight-knit team. What is that relationship like? How are they a part of your impact?
The service you offer others often isn’t about what you do or how you do it, but why you do it. When you connect your values to the community, build relationships, and make an impact through outreach, you cultivate your brand identity around a greater purpose. You attract like-hearted people who want to make a difference. And opportunities that you never expected find you.
Curio412 is an impact management consultancy that helps nonprofits and businesses align organizational objectives with philanthropic goals so that you can improve your bottom line, build relationships, and scale meaningful impact.