Business and World Kindness Day
It has been a heck of a year. 2020 has thrown everything at us, and yes, I would say even the kitchen sink! I have noticed in my quarranteam there is an abundance of kindness, neighbors checking on neighbors for instance. Here in Michigan, we were on several months of limited interaction orders. Because of the this, it was to say the least, challenging personally and professionally for the majority.
Businesses may still be struggling. Especially small businesses which normally rely on local customers to support their success. Those businesses that are in a physical location are having to make very “out of the box” decisions regarding how to keep their doors open. Making such a dramatic switch is in some instances is not possible. Think personal care businesses like hairdressers, nail salons, dog groomers.
Community Relations
For a business to survive a three-month shut down, it is almost impossible and being a last-minute mandate, even more so. What makes the difference between a business surviving and one that doesn’t? Community involvement, public relations or simply put, acting kindly towards your clients, customers, and employees. How much your business dedicate time and energy with your local and state communities also plays an important part.
Because today is World Kindness Day, take some time to reflect back on this year and answer the following questions:
- How did my business handle the unexpected shutdown?
- How did my business continue communicating with my customers, community?
- What three things could my business do differently in 2021 to increase my community relations?
Marketing vs Public Relations
We have discussed marketing your business and services but we have not dialed into public relations (PR). Public relations is one of the building blocks to successful marketing and business plans. PR is separate from marketing, but it is not independent of it. Today, I challenge you to identify one act of kindness your business can do before the end of the year. Here’s the clincher, it needs to be zero cost out of pocket. Remember, when your community relationship plan start with kindness, your goodwill will increase and so too will your reputation in your community. All of which is a great foundation to building your business success.