Tag Archives: philanthropy

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A New Year’s Resolution for 2023—Be Visible

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A New Year will soon welcome us and with its arrival you will reach a naturally occurring turning point, or inflection point, as thought leaders like to say. A New Year is one way that the universe gives you a nudge that can inspire a beneficial reset personally or professionally.

It may be your custom fo create a short list of resolutions, goals to set you on a path that leads to a successful and rewarding year. Maybe you prefer to think of the process as giving yourself a fresh start at the top of the year—whatever! This year, I respectfully recommend that you plan to rev up your PR strategies. It’s crucial that you establish yourself at top of mind amongst those who are likely to become customers for your services or products by showcasing your EAT qualities—Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, still prized by Google. As well, aim to promote your dependability, authenticity and relability, all in service of building loyalty to our brand and stimulating customer retention and referrals. Here are five good promotional ideas for you in 2023.

Attend conferences

One of the best ways to meet professional colleagues and also grow your skill set and perhaps even find a client or a referral partner is to attend conferences. They can be quite energizing and inspiring and leave you buzzing with good ideas on how to do business with more intention and finesse. Conferences allow you to network with other business owners, Freelancer colleagues and traditionally employed executives and can open the door to lucrative new business.

Join, or at least occasionally visit, your local Chamber of Commerce or other professional organizations in your town. Find out, then get involved. One of the best ways to become known in the community is to be actively involved with the people and the commerce that make the town run.

Give talks

Freelancers market the skill set(s) that define their business and for that reason, you’re naturally positioned to take on public speaking. Along with teaching, there is no better way to showcase your expertise than to get yourself in front of an audience of colleagues and peers. As you attend conferences, make inquiries about speaking opportunities. Organizers routinely seek out those who can deliver a topic that will interest their members. When you join a neighborhood business or professional association, you’ll improve your chance to receive an invitation to speak. Furthermore, seek out webinar and podcast organizers are also in search of guest speakers.

BTW, speaking opportunities are more than delivering a keynote address. Introducing a speaking, moderating a panel, or appearing on a panel are also great opportunities for public speaking. Regarding potential venues, contact local libraries and other nonprofit organizations about talking to their members. Libraries, especially, have added career development information to their programming. What business topic can you address? Start outlining a 30-45 minute talk now and then go to work on the Power Points.

Community involvement

Your current and prospective customers will find you more relatable and authentic when you demonstrate your corporate social responsibility through your involvement in local philanthropy. Potential causes can be as varied as a Christmas tree lighting in early December to a 10K road race that raises money for math tutoring services for financially disadvantaged children.

PR campaigns

If you’re going to teach and give talks, then you’ll need to build an audience. News of your upcoming appearance is the perfect excuse to send a press release to your neighborhood paper. Read a few issues and familiarize yourself with the names of reporters, especially the business reporters. Find out how often the paper is published— neighborhood papers are usually free and published weekly. Once you get the particulars worked out, call the editor or business reporter and introduce yourself. Confirm who should receive your press release.

Furthermore, make it your business to learn all the free online listings services. The Patch is a great free listing service that’s available in many communities in America, both small towns and big cities. Finally, if you can muster an advertising budget, buy a business card size ad to run for two (or more) weeks simultaneously with the story featured in your press release and/or online listing, to amplify the impact of your story. Talk to the paper’s ad rep to see what types of deals you can get for advertising (within your budget) to stay in the public’s eye.

The above strategy also applies when you participate in a community charity event, or should you nominated for a business award. Kick your PR campaign into gear and savor the flattering publicity that flows to you and your business.

Promotional items

One of the best ways to get people interested in what you have to offer is to give something away. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your product, though it certainly can be. Giveaways can be an effective way to get people through the door of a physical store or to visit your website.

Consider giving away inexpensive but useful items that feature your company logo —-note pads, pens, magnets, tote bags and mugs, for example. Those items are popular and will keep your name visible. Whatever you give away, know that consumers recognize your goodwill and may reward you with more business. Are there local fundraisers that are looking for sponsors or door prizes? Find out how to get involved with these functions and get your products and your name in front of a prospective customers.

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: © Kyodo News June 1, 2019. Yumi Ishikawa, writer, actress and founder of Japan’s #KuToo movement. The social media hashtag references the Japanese words for shoes, “kutsu,” and pain, “kutsuu,” with a nod to the #MeToo movement.

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Growing Good: Philanthropy Grows Your Network, Your Skills and Your Business

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Are you looking for another option to add to your ongoing marketing and branding campaign, one that is neither content nor traditional marketing and yet has the potential to greatly enhance your professional network, increase your opportunities to acquire new clients and referrals and even allow you to enhance your skill set?  Add philanthropy to your marketing campaign, as expressed by volunteerism, corporate social responsibility, sponsorships and donations and watch your sales grow!

Corporate social responsibility is now considered a best practice and there is a growing expectation that business and civic leaders, in particular, will “give back” and make a contribution to their community.

When Freelance consultants and leaders of for-profit organizations large and small, participate in philanthropy, it is a carefully evaluated business decision that’s part of a long-term personal branding and marketing campaign.  Just because your payroll is small doesn’t mean that philanthropy will not deliver significant ROI to your brand and business.  The selection of an organization to support will be strategic.

The first guideline is that you affiliate with organizations that have a mission you can support.  Second, the organization should operate and be headquartered locally, to support your objective of  having an impact among the movers and shakers in your business community, people who could become your customers or referral sources.

Third, if possible, aim to lend your pro bono support to an organization that somehow is connected to your product or service, or will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise or strengthen skills you’d like to build.  Volunteering can provide avenues for professional development, as you take part in projects and committee work that allow you to stretch and acquire additional competencies.

For example, if your financial management skills are weak, merely listening to finance reports and discussions around them at board meetings can be instructive.  Finance Committees even at small not-for-profits are often headed by very astute professionals.

Getting started

Becoming a sponsor of a local charity event, from the Boy Scouts to an educational or skills development center, is an effective, possibly low-cost and minimal commitment method to get an inside look at an organization that interests you.   A business card size ad in a fundraising event program book is a useful entrée and might cost as little as $200.  Your ad will not hurt your marketing strategy and will be tax-deductible, as well.

Alternatively, you can take the sweat-equity route and volunteer your time and labor as an event day helper at a fundraising program.  This strategy will allow you to attend the event and observe how the leadership interacts with its largest and most devout supporters.  A board or event committee member will be appointed to supervise the volunteers, so  you will be able to meet an insider and ask a few questions, along with getting a sense of the working style of the leaders (a very important consideration, BTW).

Speaking of sweat, you might decide to run, walk, bike, swim, or play golf or tennis in an athletic event sponsored by your chosen not-for-profit and ask friends and colleagues to sponsor you and help you donate to the organization.  All gifts will be tax-deductible. Plus, you’ll have lots of networking opportunities and a good time.

Finally, if you can muster a larger philanthropy budget, you can simply call the organization, express your interest in its mission and ask to visit and take a tour.  The Executive Director or another senior-level staff or board member will be happy to oblige.  You may be recruited on the spot to join a committee, as a pathway to an invitation to join the Board.  Be advised that there may be an expected annual donation of perhaps $500 or more.

Build relationships

Your experiences in charity event participation or sponsorships, or in board or committee service, will over time bring you into contact with many people.  Meeting C-Suite professionals during your volunteer activities breaks down barriers and has the potential to facilitate building relationships with VIPs who will see you in action as you perform board or committee work.

If you need a well-placed reference, it will likely be granted and  you may receive a referral or two as well, which would help your client list.  You might even get so lucky as to find a well-connected sponsor who will champion you and your work and help you to grow your business (or career).

Publicize your philanthropy

Let current and prospective customers know about your philanthropic activities.  In your curriculum vitae, bio, website and LinkedIn page, make note of your philanthropy, especially if you’ve joined a board or become an annual sponsor of, or participant at, a charitable event.  In a 2013 study Cone Communications, a Boston-based PR and marketing firm and Echo Global Logistics, a provider of transportation and supply chain management systems headquartered in Chicago, found that 82% of B2B and B2C purchasers preferred to do business with organizations that practiced corporate social responsibility and 91% of responders said they would switch brands to one that supports a good cause, given similar price and quality.

I leave you with this: Luke Weil, founder of Andina Acquisition, which invests in companies in the Andean region of South America, encourages us to give without expecting anything in return. Your generosity and selflessness generate good Karma and positive energy and the spiritual benefits will do wonders for your psyche.  Pay it forward.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Woman Giving Alms (date unknown, private collection), by Janos Thorma (Hungary, 1870 – 1937)