Community Relations: How to Leverage It for Business Growth

Did you know? A whitepaper by Incyte mentions that nearly 30% of consumers rely on community recommendations when purchasing products or services.

That’s why building good relationships with the community, or community relations, is essential for businesses. Unfortunately, many businesses still implement it only half-heartedly. Are you interested in fully embracing community relations? Let’s explore it further here.

What is Community Relations?

As the name suggests, community relations refers to activities conducted by public relations teams to foster mutually beneficial relationships with local communities or the public.

Examples of community relations activities can vary widely from organizing social programs, building public facilities with the company’s logo, sponsoring community events, and more.

Through such activities, companies can boost their brand visibility and become more well-known. But more importantly, they develop strong connections with local communities, which can help improve business performance in the long run.

The Role of Community Relations in Business

Here are some reasons why businesses should implement a community relations strategy:

1. Enhances Business Reputation

As mentioned earlier, a company’s reputation is built through genuine relationships with communities.

Additionally, implementing community relations shows that the business’s performance and internal health are in good standing especially in the eyes of people who may not be directly impacted by the company’s activities.

2. Increases Brand Awareness

Community relations events often showcase the company’s logo and campaign videos, which naturally extend brand exposure to members of the community who may not yet know the brand.

Moreover, when these events are covered by media outlets, the exposure increases further, reaching an audience beyond those directly involved in the community relations activities.

3. Builds a Loyal Customer Base

Companies that engage in community relations demonstrate that they are more than just profit-driven. They show a commitment to building and supporting the community.

This increases the likelihood of gaining loyal customers from the community. Even customers outside the community, who admire and trust the company’s good intentions, may feel inclined to support the business as a way to sustain these positive efforts.

Tips for Building a Community Relations Strategy

The essence of community relations lies in creating mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and communities. However, the right strategy is crucial to maximize the business benefits.

1. Align Activities with the Company’s Vision, Mission, and Values

While any social activity can help foster community relations, those that align with the company’s vision, mission, and values yield a more positive impact.
Why? Because this ensures the community not only recognizes the brand name but also understands the motivation behind the business and the positive values it upholds. This fosters a closer bond between the community and the company.
Additionally, community relations efforts that reflect the company’s principles are usually more sustainable and don’t consume excessive resources.

2. Choose the Right Community

To optimize results, choose communities that align with your target consumers. This opens opportunities to convert them into loyal customers over time.
With good collaboration, you can introduce products organically, without appearing forceful, creating a natural and mutually beneficial relationship.
Fortunately, finding the right community has become easier with the rise of social media and blogs. Online communities not only offer easier access but also provide broader media exposure for your events.

3. Identify the Community’s Needs

Ensure the relationship is not one-sided by understanding the community’s issues and needs. This will foster stronger and more sustainable relationships.
It’s also a great opportunity for in-depth research. You can gain insights into what the community cares about and what they expect in the future.
This information can help you develop new products or provide better offers tailored to the needs and preferences of the community members.

Ready to Implement a Community Relations Strategy?

At first glance, community relations may seem like a complex strategy, especially when comparing your efforts with those of large, well-known companies. However, even businesses that are just starting can implement community relations effectively.

One way is by collaborating with blogger communities that align with your business niche.

Blogger communities typically consist of individuals who are experts and have a good reputation in specific topics such as food, technology, travel, finance, parenting, and more.

Partnering with them is a strategic way to boost your business’s reputation. If you have the resources to organize events with them, it’s not just bloggers who will spread the word media outlets are likely to get involved as well.