Civic Involvement Benefits Everyone Being involved in civic groups helps your bottom line and the community. By John Landsberg, March 2008
Do you belong to any civic groups? Are you active in your community? Those are two questions I frequently pose to new clients. In most cases, the answer is a somewhat sheepish, �Not really, I spend most of my time focusing on my small business. I just don�t have the time.� That answer is understandable. Big companies can operate differently. Frequently they can simply assign employees to be chamber members or involved in other civic groups. On the other hand, many small business owners sometimes look on civic involvement as something that would be nice to do, but that isn�t vital to the success of their business. They are wrong. Important Networking Opportunities One expert defines marketing as, �Every bit of contact your company has with anyone in the outside world.� That�s a pretty bold and broad statement. And, it�s very true. Civic involvement is not just something businesses should do because it would be nice, rather it�s something they should do if they want to make a positive impact in their communities and also increase their bottom line. It�s mutually beneficial to the community and the business, because it is an important point of contact between a business and the outside world. A recent study showed that doing �authentic corporate citizenship� can positively impact business results and make customers committed to a company and its brand image. A few years ago, I met a guy named Ed O�Connor at an Overland Park Chamber of Commerce meeting. He seemed like a nice guy. He had a small business called PC Partners Computer Service, which repaired computers in homes and businesses. We exchanged business cards. No big thing. However, about a week later my computer had some sort of hard drive heart attack. My feeble attempts to correct the situation made it even worse. In a panic, I called the �Ed� guy I met at the chamber meeting. Face-to-Face Connections Think of this: Did I really know if Ed was a computer expert? Not really. Did I know what his rates were to fix my computer? Again, not really. All I knew about Ed was that he seemed like a nice enough guy. Oh, and my computer was a mess. So, I called Ed that time and he resuscitated my computer (and me). I have called on him many times since then. It turns out Ed O�Connor and PC Partners really are computer experts. I�ve recommended them to panicked friends at least 20 times. To be honest, I really didn�t want to go to the chamber of commerce meeting where I met Ed. I was tired. And truth be told, Ed probably didn�t want to be there either. But we both went and are both glad we did. Ed found a new customer and I found an expert who can save me when I have computer issues. It was a positive outcome for both of us. For most of us, our main customers are right here in our own backyard. Civic involvement takes some effort, but it helps you meet your �neighbors.� The rewards can be new customers and loyal customers who are committed to you and your business. Just ask Ed O�Connor. Or me.
John Landsberg has operated Bottom Line Communications, a Leawood-based marketing communications company (www.bottomlinecom.com) for more than 10 years. He is also an adjunct professor of marketing, mass media, consumer behavior and public relations at Baker University�s School of Professional and Graduate Studies. You can reach him at
[email protected] or (913) 338-5760.
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