Your Small Business and Social Responsibility

In a previous post, we discussed how to craft an elevator pitch for your business or even for yourself. The key is to come up with a simple but powerful way to describe what problem you solve and how that can really make a difference. In this post, we will talk about some more marketing ideas that can help your small business shine.

The first is to highlight the social impact and responsibility of your company. One survey found that 55% of global online consumers across 60 countries were willing to pay more for products and services offered by companies committed to positive social and environmental impact.

As a small business, you may not think that you are poised to compete with bigger companies when it comes to sustainable practices or changing the world, but really, that is not all that social responsibility is about. As a small business, you are actually better situated to really own that message of social responsibility because you have a trait that bigger companies often lack, which is authenticity. As a small business, you can leverage your smaller size by highlighting the positive impact that you generate even with fewer people.

Social responsibility isn’t something that only big companies with big ideals can achieve. No, social responsibility is something that bigger companies have to remind themselves about, it is a part of the entrepreneurial spirit of doing something differently for the better and remembering the people that make it all possible in the process.

You can start by looking at things your business is already doing. Are you locally owned and operated? Tell people. Are you following sustainable business practices and partnering with other businesses that do the same? Tell people. Do you use local sources for your products or make your final products in Colorado? Tell people. Even if you are not currently following some of these practices, be sure that you announce it if you do make such a change.

Consumers are more conscious about the purchasing decisions they are making. As we talked about in another post about being a customer of your own business, consumers are likely to research their purchasing decisions online. Consumers therefore want more information about what they are buying, so why not tell them? Informational costs are low when it comes to your website and social media pages, so tell them about the good things your business is doing and they will likely be more interested.

Alternatively, if your business is not following some of those practices, that does not mean you don’t have great characteristics about your small business that you should market. For example, if your business is more service-oriented, you can try telling the stories of yourself, your employees, and also your clients. You can tell them about charities and other community projects that you, your employees, and your business all help to support. When people develop a personal connection with the people of a particular business, they are more likely to keep going back and tell other people about it. This is why great customer and client service can be so effective.

Are you or employees of your business involved with any charities? Tell people about it, and see if you can get more employees and partners with your business to get on board too. Overall, this will be something both good for others and for your business, and that is what social responsibility marketing is all about.

If you need legal help for you business, then don’t hesitate to reach out and contact the Law Office of E.C. Lewis, P.C., home of your Denver Business Attorney, Elizabeth Lewis, at 720-258-6647 or email her at elizabeth.lewis@eclewis.com.

Real Estate Services for Business Owners

Elizabeth Lewis provides the following real estate law services to small and medium sized business owners in Denver and throughout Colorado:

• Commercial real estate purchases
• Legal review of commercial real estate leases
• Protecting your assets