Can Your Small Business Use Social Media to Change the World?

Posted: Mar 10, 2013
Author: WordJack Media

It’s not all about the money.

Businesses across the country are making a difference in the world, promoting their philanthropic acts through social media and other web marketing, and improving their public image as a result. For example, after Hurricane Sandy, the Red Cross launched a texting campaign to support donations and raised $5 million. Many brands also banned together in early December to support awareness on World AIDS Day. A few years ago, Mashable highlighted several examples of these social good campaigns.

Even if your small business doesn’t have the reach or means to raise millions for good causes, you can still make a difference, and current and potential customers will take notice. Here are a few ideas for how your small business can do some “social good” in the world, both online and offline:

1. Offer products or services for free to those in need- If a local family’s roof is blown off by a tornado, maybe you can fix it without charging them for labor. Or if you own a restaurant, donate food to hungry families on Thanksgiving. Toms shoes gives one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.
2. Give back- Hold a drive for the local food bank, do a sub-for-Santa project, or host an event for a non-profit organization. Advertise your events on Facebook and Twitter.
3. Establish a company foundation- Consider donating a portion of your profits to the charity or cause of your choice. This is a great opportunity for link sharing—you can post a link to the charity on a landing page on your website, and the charity can reciprocate.
4. Make donations in exchange for support- You could offer to make a contribution to a local charity for every “like” you receive on Facebook or for every person who blogs about your efforts to help a worthy cause. We used this strategy for Wayne’s Plumbing Repair in Charlotte with great success – they agreed to donate to a local charity its customers cared about and got a lot of buzz around their brand in the process. It’s a perfect opportunity to improve the reach for your web marketing and boost your reputation at the same time.

Has your company made any efforts to contribute to the “social good”? Tell us about it in the comments below.