If you are a small business owner struggling to garner the support from the community to which you or your business belongs, ask yourself how you support that community and is your target market aware of your support.

We acknowledge the importance of giving back to the community for major corporations and even individuals. We rarely examine how this is just as important, if not more, for small businesses. We live in an era where consumers are far more aware than they have ever been. They know what they stand for and are willing to use money to support those companies that feed into their priorities and beliefs. Long gone are the days where affordability and accessibility were the top factors in appealing to a community. Today’s consumers have many options. They are not going to support businesses just because they exist. There has to be more. So how do you foster a system of support between your business and your community?

Determine the effect your daily operations has on the community in which you operate. Whether a physical, brick and mortar store or an online endeavor, you should be fully aware of how your business effects its community. What image is it promoting? Does your physical location interfere with or promote community activities? How does your offerings impact the community? Do you have any sort of impact at all, be it positive or negative? Determining your business’ effect upon your community can help you determine how you want to handle going about becoming a positive community impact.

What are concerns your community has that you can help with? This goes beyond selling products/services. This particular point is requiring you to examine and empathize with community concerns sans ideas of profitability. Yes, you want to make money, but addressing community concerns should not be solely contingent upon doing so. That is not to say that you should be giving away your products/services for free. However, it is important to figure out a way to give back and remedy those concerns in a way without exploiting them. This could be funds, time, or even providing a platform to bring awareness. Alignment and allyship are the key factors here.

Let people know about your dedication to the community. Giving back should be more than a photo opportunity or a stunt for good publicity. It should be genuine. However, do not shy away from keeping your target market informed of your efforts. Promoting a coat drive, images of volunteer events, or other tactics that pull back the veil of community involvement are important. Not only does it provide proof of how your business is a positive impact upon your community, but it also amplifies the voice of the cause you are supporting.

If you want the support of the community you belong to, you must make supporting that very community a part of your business’s structure.