Cause Related Marketing: How Local Businesses Support Their Communities
by Diane Thieke, Good Company Social Media Strategist
‘Tis the season of giving and the time of year for cause related marketing campaigns to really ramp up and get noticed. For local companies, however, cause related campaigns are an integral part of community outreach that has no beginning and no end as they are aimed at building authentic connections and supporting what really matters, locally.
Local companies that dive in and help to solve local problems build long-lasting ties to members of the community and in return earn long-lasting loyalty. It’s what separates them from global and national brands because local business can build authentic “neighborly” relationships, locally, in a way that top-down organizations can find difficult to achieve.
One great example of local expertise in community engagement is BankAnnapolis, an Annapolis, Maryland, local bank. BankAnnapolis has built strong neighborhood ties by focusing on participation and support of local events and activities. These connective actions have helped this local bank build social capital with the people in their market and build stronger ties with “Main Street.”
In fact, BankAnnapolis recently hosted two holiday gift tree campaigns – the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree and Queen Anne’s County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Adopt a Bear for the Holidays programs – that resulted in dozens of gifts for local needy children. This kind of activity explains why BankAnnapolis has recently been recognized for its excellence in financial services and strong community involvement, setting it apart from the bigger banks in the area. Among the accolades:
- Corporate Philanthropist of the Year by the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County;
- Outstanding business achievement in Financial Services awarded by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce for the bank’s commitment to innovative products and services that best fit the needs of the community.
Building authentic local relationships is an art, and local companies have the edge because they too are “local” and understand community dynamics in a way that larger brands sometimes struggle with.
The strategy can work for larger brands as long as there is a local agent or employee who can help them truly solve problems and engage at a local level, and build loyalty at the grass roots.
So, put on your Santa hats, National Brands, and host a toy drive for the local homeless shelter, or bake some cookies for the principal of the local Title One school. Build those one-to-one connections and your customers will really show it with their loyalty.
