The community you serve is growing and that is great. Your business has been doing well but you find yourself losing touch with the new residents. Perhaps it is time to get more involved in your community.
Pre-Covid, communities would host multiple events throughout the year. These events could coincide with holidays, be celebrations related to a specific person or date, an opportunity for businesses to showcase themselves or perhaps festivals celebrating music or the time of year.
With Covid restrictions lifted community events are taking place again. This is a great opportunity for you as there are plenty of options to help you put your name and face out there for the new residents to see.
If you have the time, being a part of the planning committee can help you to establish yourself as an important community member. If you find yourself not wanting to be a decision-maker, that is alright, there are many other options, you can provide financial support or sponsorship, have a booth or table at the event to be able to do some face-to-face networking with potential clients or, if you find the inclination, you can organize an activity or performance for the event that would allow the community to see you providing a positive impact.
Every time you scroll through your Facebook feed, I am sure that at some point you come across a post made on a community group. Social media community groups are an ever-expanding territory with plenty of opportunities. Every community has multiple groups; Buy, Sell and trade groups, new resident groups, community event groups, religious groups, school groups, local business groups and so much more. When it comes to posting on these groups, most of them have restrictions such as, no business posts or only on certain days. This is okay, we can work with that. Instead of posting a listing, or telling people to contact you, start asking questions. “What does everyone think about the way this housing market is going?” or “Do people think it is a good time to buy/sell right now?” These sorts of open-ended questions will spark a conversation that will not only provide you with an opportunity to give insight but also allow you to see what people are thinking about regarding the real estate market.
Volunteering is a great way to get involved and is useful when talking about who you are. People like to see that they are working with individuals that care about the community. Local shelters and food banks are generally always in search of more help and support. Community clean-ups as well and fundraisers are a fantastic way to get to know the community better and provide you with the opportunities to network with more potential clients.If you are feeling ambitious you can also try becoming a part of the community through the business development boards, local chamber of commerce, or perhaps taking on a political endeavour in order to show how much you care about the well-being of the community you serve.
Being involved in the community is going to create recognition. The only way that your business is going to grow is with effective marketing. Recognition is marketing. Get involved, be a part of the community and business will come.
