May 10, 2018 - Service Autopilot

FACT: Having a great reputation leads to more sales.

If people like you, they talk about you.

And if they say good things about you, word of mouth spreads and you have a ton of appointments scheduled over time.

But having a great reputation means more than just good Yelp, Facebook, and Google reviews and ensuring that you have quality employees.

What you may have neglected to work on is your relationship reputation.

What do we mean by that? It’s the relationships you have with your community and your employees.

Why Do 90% of Americans Prefer Companies that Engage with Their Community?

Because people are more likely to trust and show loyalty towards companies that actively work to make a difference in their community.

Consumers tend to feel better when they give money to a brand that’s doing more than just providing a product or service to them.

Once you’ve won people’s trust and loyalty, you have to maintain those great relationships.

Keeping your community and employees happy = keeping your rep positive.

Navigating the Employee - Community Relationship Cycle

The more you nurture a relationship, the better it becomes.

When you take care of your community and engage your employees, all participants genuinely become happier folks. Happier employees lead to better work, and a grateful community leads to a better reputation for your company.

In the long run, your awesome reputation leads to more sales.

Let’s take a look at how this works…

Increase Your Community Involvement to Impact Your Reputation

A good portion - 40% - of your reputation is often based on how willing you are to take responsibility on your company’s social impact within the community.

Keeping your company name in good standing with your community allows you to...

Help your community
Keep your name out there in a positive way
Show everyone that you’re a great company to work for

And when employees are actively involved in community outreach, it can lead to a deeper commitment and connection to their work.

So how DO you go about creating a community outreach program?

11 Community Projects that Will Boost Your Reputation

Use Your Skills to Showcase Your Work

Cut lawns/clean houses for senior citizens and veterans: Talk about a rewarding job! Know a few Vets who could use assistance? If not, check out your local DAV chapter.
Landscape or clean offices for charitable organizations: Donate your time and skills to spruce up a local charity’s facility, especially the grounds outside a food pantry, shelter, or youth organization.
Mulch playgrounds for parks or offer to sanitize toys for daycares: Have some extra bags of mulch laying around? Reach out to your Parks & Rec center, schools, or daycares. Chances are they could use it for their playgrounds.

Let Them See Your Name… Over and Over Again

Little League t-shirts: Sponsor a Little League or Soccer team. Teams print your business name and logo on their team shirts.
Ads in Church bulletins: If your local church passes out newsletters at every service, there’s usually a place for community ads. Consider placing an ad. You’ll not only get your name read by your community, but also help your church in the process.
Local baseball field: Is there a minor league baseball team in your area? Think about putting up a billboard around the outfield. Most stadiums have spots for local businesses. You’ll be seen by attendees while supporting your local athletes.

Win More with Hard-working High Schoolers

Scholarships: Team up with high schools in your area to form a program that allows you to hire students, then put a percentage of their wages into a scholarship fund for them. See how EDU Lawn put this idea into action!
Résumé/Interview experience: Show high schoolers what it takes to land a great job. Work with the school’s guidance counselors to do “mock interviews” with the kids. Take them through your application and interview process.

Keep Employees Feeling Good About You

Relay for Life: Encourage a team to walk under your company’s name.
Food Drives and Toys for Tots: Encourage employees to help others during the holiday season.
Give your employees PTO for volunteer work: Volunteer work not only reflects well on your company, but it makes your employees feel GREAT about themselves… and their employer.

Workplace community outreach often improves employee productivity, company pride, gratitude towards employers, and an overall increase in ethical behavior.

After all, 75% of employees who volunteer through work feel better about their employer!

Happy Community + Happy Employees = Healthier Business!

Showing you’re an awesome place to work improves your reputation within the community, brings in better employees, and motivates your current team.

Your community outreach eventually leads to more sales and less headaches trying to get better online reviews. Once your clients see how amazing you are, they’ll be happy to leave you a glowing review.