Invest in creating a positive company image in the local community to enhance your reputation and increase your client base.
Another incentive for developing an attractive public persona is that you may become eligible for community recognition or grants, which will further impress your customers. A professional organization is less likely to draw negative reactions.
So how do you get started? Here are some ideas:
1. Dress up physical facilities. Keep your property neat and the buildings clean. Cosmetic touches like shutters, landscaping, and signage can help your site become a neighborhood attraction rather than an eyesore. Be sure that on site noise, if any, is kept to a minimum.
2. Encourage employees to look and act their best. Neat workers who are polite to local residents and avoid profanity or gutter talk can make a positive impact on observers. Implement a policy against littering on or near company policy. A simple dress code of factory uniforms or conservative office styles will make a good impression. Remind employees to wear safety equipment as directed. You don't want your company remembered as the site of a horrific industrial accident.
3. Make a donation. Sponsor a community resident for an academic scholarship. Collect funds for a disabled person or a needy family. Organize a recycling program that will keep trash off the streets and win the approval of environmentalists. Endorse a little league team or a marathon contestant. Decorate for major holidays. In giving to others your company will create a favorable image of generosity.
4. Get involved. Urge company employees who live in the area to join community organizations or attend town council meetings. Having a voice in local events keeps the company in the public eye and ensures that your business interests are fairly represented at the municipal level. Loaning company equipment to school or library building projects can bring approving nods from neighborhood onlookers. The business owner may want to attend annual fairs and other events to maintain a public role.
5. Pump advertising and public relations. Send out press releases to keep the public informed of major changes in the organization. Post a Web page to let others see what your company is about. Publish an in-house or client newsletter monthly or quarterly and distribute it to community families that may be interested or who are customers. These communication links can provide helpful information to those who may be concerned that your company's operations are detrimental to the community. Emphasize upbeat news through these media, such as donations, recycling programs, improvements, etc. Add a human touch by including family news about key employees, such as graduations, marriages, births, and deaths. This reminds neighbors that at heart we are all connected.
It is important to create a benevolent presence at the worksite so that employees and your business will be welcome and valued. Don't overlook this opportunity to cultivate local support.
