Does your small business play an active role in your community? If not, you may be missing out on a valuable opportunity to connect with more clients. In this episode, Jon Aidukonis and Gene Marks, along with INGroup Creative co-founder and owner Jeannette Dardenne, discuss how community engagement can help small business owners build a supportive network and increase their brand awareness.

Executive Summary

0:46 —Today's Topic: Why is Community Engagement Important for My Small Business?

1:41 —Community engagement enables you to build relationships not only with potential customers, but also with other business owners who could help you raise your brand awareness.

3:26 —When building a community outreach plan, the focus always needs to be on how your business can serve the members of your community; otherwise, it comes across as just another marketing ploy.

4:25 —While it's important to play an active role in your community, don't limit your engagement to just your area; be sure to reach out to other nearby towns

5:03 —Playing an active role in your community allows you to develop strategic partnerships with likeminded business owners who would be willing to collaborate and cross-market with your small business.

7:56 —If you decide to support a local charity, make sure that it's something that you have a genuine connection with and fits into your brand's story.

9:39 —Don't join an organization simply for networking purposes; you need to be invested as an active member as well.

12:17 —Small business owners should actively be encouraging their employees to get involved with local charities. This not only boosts staff morale, but it reflects positively on your small business.

14:57 —Not all community engagement has to be on a large scale. For business owners with time constraints, personal visits to other local establishments will also suffice.

Links

• INGroup Creative
• Habitat for Humanity
• YMCA
• The American Red Cross

Transcript

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Jon: Hello everybody. And welcome back to another episode of Small Biz Ahead, the small business podcast presented by The Hartford. This is Jon Aidukonis. I am joined today by my cohost, Gene Marks. How's it going, Gene?

Gene: I am doing fine. It is going well. That was me rustling the papers, trying to get all my questions in order for Jeannette. But I'm going to turn it back over to you because I know you've got some burning things on your mind.

Jon: I couldn't even hear, you're telling on yourself today.