BBB Business Tip: Ways Your Business Can Impact the Community
Milwaukee, Wis. – During trying times, it’s important to focus on the things you can control. You can’t dictate what’s happening around you, but you can control how you react. Now is the time to react with empathy, kindness, and ingenuity within your community.
The current health crisis is affecting everyone. Some harder than others, but no one is an exception. As a business, you have the resources available and the means to take action and impact your community. And when your business spreads empathy, you’ll gain sympathy – which can help keep your business open.
The following are ways your business can give back and stand out:
Provide Needed Materials
If your business has the resources to provide materials, such as masks or cleaning supplies, contact your local hospitals, shelters, etc. and offer to donate. Maybe your business can adjust its production efforts by making needed materials, like protective wear or hand sanitizer.
Communicate Health & Safety Measures
Openly communicate with your employees and customers all the efforts (see suggestions in the next section) you are taking to ensure their safety and well-being. Communicating that your employees and consumers are your priority demonstrates that your business cares and is an asset to the community. Take advantage of the increase in phone and computer usage by using social media platforms and email marketing to communicate with your customers. To better understand how your business can help, ask what your employees and customers need during this time.
By doing all you can to keep your employees, you are demonstrating your commitment to the community. Your business creates jobs for the community, keeping the local workforce and economy working.
Adapt Your Business
Communicate to your employees and costumers that you are adapting your business model and encouraging consumers to continue buying. Adapt by providing a delivery, take-out, drive-thru, or curbside option. You can use social media and video technology to do virtual shopping tours through your store or offer virtual one-on-one appointments.
Encourage Customer Support
Encourage consumers to continue shopping by turning your business website into an E-commerce landing page or think about developing one. Use social media to create an online retail experience and generate awareness through social media ads. Offer customers the ability to buy gift cards and gift certificates to use later. Encourage clients to skip receiving a refund and instead opt for a “rain check.” Commit to future projects now and provide a schedule of services. Ask consumers to leave reviews on your BBB Business Profile or other online review platforms.
Offer Goods & Services
Your business can offer its goods and services as a charitable resource. Help feed first responders by providing meals or offering discounts on food. Create free online or printable activities for kids to help parents struggling to find balance while working from home. Offer your business’s driving or delivery services to other businesses that need help with supply chain demand.
Spread Positivity
With the health crisis constantly changing, the news providing continuous updates, and stress levels at an all time high, a well-received and easy action to take is to spread positivity. Highlight the “bright spots” happening with your business and in your community. Share heartwarming stories of staff, community members, or efforts your business is taking to help. Take to social media to show a more “human side” to your business by recognizing your amazing employees or show a behind the scenes of your business’s daily workings with the people who make it all possible.
Monetary Donations
If your company does not have the materials or manpower to provide any of the above (and you are able) you can still help by making a monetary donation. Research the different non-profits, relief organizations, medical centers, and emergency departments in your community. Don’t feel like your business is helpless. By offering financial aid, you’re providing others a platform for action. For more information on COVID-19 and its effect on charities, read BBB’s Special Report: COVID-19 and the Charitable Sector.
There won’t always be an international crisis or natural disaster affecting your community, but there is always the opportunity to react with empathy and offer help. When your business shows that it cares and is committed to your community, the members of the community will return the kindness.
For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2018, people turned to BBB more than 173 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.4 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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