Did you know? An Incyte whitepaper states that nearly 30% of consumers rely on community recommendations when purchasing products or services.
That is why building relationships with communities, or community relations, is important for businesses. However, unfortunately, many businesses still implement it only halfway.
Are you interested in maximizing community relations? Let’s discuss it here.
Community events can be held alongside the celebration of special occasions. For example, what Buttonscarves did when celebrating its anniversary, which coincided with the month of Ramadan.[/caption]
Through activities like this, companies can generally increase brand visibility and become more widely recognized. However, more importantly, companies can also build strong relationships with local communities.
This is what is expected to support long-term business performance.
Community relations events can be carried out by targeting potential customers. For example, what JNE did by focusing on school-aged children.[/caption]
Moreover, when such events are covered by the media, the exposure gained becomes even greater reaching audiences who are not directly involved in the community relations activities.
Social activities usually foster consumer sympathy toward a business’s vision.[/caption]
It's also possible for loyal customers to come from outside the community, especially those who admire and trust your positive vision. They may also be encouraged to become loyal customers because they want to continue supporting the community relations activities you carry out.
Collaborating with blogger communities can be one way to double the amount of media coverage. This is because bloggers will naturally turn your event into content. In addition, you also gain exposure from mainstream media coverage.[/caption]
What is Community Relations?
As the name suggests, community relations are activities carried out by public relations teams to build mutually beneficial relationships with communities or local society. Examples of community relations can vary widely, such as organizing social charity activities, building public facilities with company branding, sponsoring community events, and more. [caption id="attachment_1865" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Community events can be held alongside the celebration of special occasions. For example, what Buttonscarves did when celebrating its anniversary, which coincided with the month of Ramadan.[/caption]
Through activities like this, companies can generally increase brand visibility and become more widely recognized. However, more importantly, companies can also build strong relationships with local communities.
This is what is expected to support long-term business performance.
The Role of Community Relations for Business
Here are other reasons why businesses need to implement a community relations strategy:1. Improving business reputation
As mentioned earlier, a company’s reputation is built through genuine relationships with the community. In addition, carrying out community relations shows that the company’s performance and internal operations are in good condition, especially in the eyes of people who are not directly affected by the company’s activities.2. Increasing brand awareness
Community relations activities usually feature company logos and campaign visuals. This naturally expands brand exposure to community members who may not be familiar with the brand. [caption id="attachment_1868" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Community relations events can be carried out by targeting potential customers. For example, what JNE did by focusing on school-aged children.[/caption]
Moreover, when such events are covered by the media, the exposure gained becomes even greater reaching audiences who are not directly involved in the community relations activities.
3. Building a loyal customer base
Running community relations shows that a business is not just an ordinary business. It is driven by the motivation to build and support the surrounding community. Ultimately, this increases the chances of your business gaining loyal customers from within the community. [caption id="attachment_1866" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Social activities usually foster consumer sympathy toward a business’s vision.[/caption]
It's also possible for loyal customers to come from outside the community, especially those who admire and trust your positive vision. They may also be encouraged to become loyal customers because they want to continue supporting the community relations activities you carry out.
Tips for Building a Community Relations Strategy
In principle, community relations is about creating mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and communities. However, you still need the right strategy to maximize business benefits.1. Use the company’s vision, mission, and values as a reference
In general, any social activity can be used to build community relations. However, if you want a stronger impact, ensure that the activities you create align with your company’s vision, mission, and values. Why is this important? Because it allows the community not only to recognize your brand name, but also to understand why your business exists and the positive values behind it. From there, a closer relationship can be built more easily. In addition, community relations activities that align with company principles usually do not require excessive resources.2. Choose the right community
To maximize results, try to select communities that match your target customers. This increases the opportunity to turn them into loyal customers in the future. With good collaboration, you can introduce your products in a more organic way without pressure, making it feel natural. From there, a mutually beneficial relationship is formed between your business and the community members. Fortunately, you don’t need to struggle to find suitable communities. With the growth of social media and blogs, online communities are easier to access. Moreover, you can gain more exposure and coverage from these communities when organizing events. [caption id="attachment_1867" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Collaborating with blogger communities can be one way to double the amount of media coverage. This is because bloggers will naturally turn your event into content. In addition, you also gain exposure from mainstream media coverage.[/caption]
