Civic Marketing

I consider myself pretty civic-minded. Since I don't have a lot of discretionary funds to dole out to worthy causes, I instead have given countless hours of my time. As a business owner you should align yourself with a complimentary worthy cause. In the process you not only help others in the community but you can garner publicity for your business.

There are many worthy causes to choose from. The problem might be how to pick just one. In their book, Off-the Wall Marketing Ideas, Nancy Michaels and Debbi Karpowicz have a great section on creating a civic marketing plan. When deciding what type of organization to align your business with, again, think complimentary. Here are a few suggestions from the book:

• Family-oriented businesses can support youth sports or literacy campaigns.
• Food-oriented businesses can support food banks or shelters.
• Businesses that appeal to women, like beauty parlors, can support shelters or spousal abuse programs.
• Pet stores or other animal-themed businesses can support animal shelters and rescue organizations.
• An accounting firm can volunteer to offer free tax return assistance.
• Clothing stores can support agencies like Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

And so on. No matter what type of business you run, there is a worthy cause you can support.