How To Work On Your Local Reputation As a Small Business

If you are a small business, whether you work in a shared space or out of your apartment, you are still within a community. The community may be the town you live in or where your office resides in, but wherever you choose your community to be, it’s a good idea to make your mark within the community as well. As small businesses, there are options you can take to not only do your part as a member of the community to give back but also how that piece of good work can come back to help you in your business as well. Beyond simply being present, local goodwill and reputation can get you local links for SEO, reviews, and new customers. Below are ways to increase your local goodwill while also helping your small business growth as well:

Attend events in-person:

Attending an event in-person, whether you are just in attendance speaking about your business or actually setting up a table is a great way to create a positive local reputation. In the eyes of the community, you took time away from your business to be present and meet others within the community you serve. For tangible growth, you may be able to have your business logo set up in both event papers or the event website along with a link just for being in attendance. You also are able to talk about your business with people instead of relying on them to do the research and get an impersonal look at your business behind the computer screen.

Donate money to different local causes:

Although a little less of a personal approach, being a donor or sponsor for an event is just as helpful when creating lasting relationships with organizations, people, and other businesses in your community. Just as you needed money to keep your operations afloat, so do others, so being able to give some of your money to help others can be a great reflection of yourself as a business and local community member. You also may have the ability to be listed as a sponsor or donor, creating another way to link your logo and website to the cause and helping with your own exposure while helping with the organizations as well.

Host your own curated events to help the local community:

What better way to bridge the gap between being a business in the town and being an active member of your community than hosting an event yourself? This is a great way to not only gather people from different businesses, organizations, and communities together, but it is also a great way to create local goodwill. Perhaps, your office has a conference space and you want to host a community event or even if you do not have the space yourself, renting space at a public venue to be able to host a speaking event, charitable event, or networking event with your name attached will create a lot of local goodwill, offers networking abilities, and puts you on the end of promoting a list of different businesses–who will greatly appreciate it. On the flip side, you get the most notoriety for being the host, which can only reflect back positively to your business for both tangible publicity and local link building opportunities. Seeking out ways to help your local community should be reflective of the time and availability you have monetarily to contribute. Do not be deterred if your business cannot donate much, but perhaps you can donate your time and effort instead. All play a vital role in creating a positive local reputation which can benefit your business.