Com­mu­ni­ty rela­tions is defined by the rela­tion­ship between a com­pa­ny and its prox­i­mal com­mu­ni­ty or com­mu­ni­ties. Exist­ing as a brand with­in a neigh­bor­hood, coun­try or dig­i­tal hang­out is no longer enough to earn a com­pa­ny neigh­bor­hood favor. 

With so many resources avail­able, includ­ing mon­ey and large speak­ing plat­forms, com­pa­nies are seek­ing out ways to help nour­ish their com­mu­ni­ties and in turn, com­mu­ni­ties are scru­ti­niz­ing brands for what they bring to the neigh­bor­hood table.

Become the neighbor of choice

In any indus­try you’re in, you want to be your community’s neigh­bor of choice. When some­thing goes wrong, they’re look­ing to you; and vice ver­sa, when you need a lit­tle pull through a tricky zon­ing per­mit, your com­mu­ni­ty is there to help wave you to the fin­ish line. 

How can I earn that coveted neighbor of choice status?

Learn how to leverage your company resources to benefit your community

Human chain paper with light and shadow on wood table

What resources do you have avail­able through your com­pa­ny that can be of assis­tance to your com­mu­ni­ty? Finan­cial allo­ca­tion is not the only way to help. Think about your reach on social media plat­forms, lead­ers who have per­sua­sive polit­i­cal pull or ser­vices that your com­pa­ny can offer to locals for free. 

Creating allies

Who in your com­mu­ni­ty do you want to be your allies? As you pour efforts into caus­es, estab­lish­ments or peo­ple in the local area, you are set­ting the ground for a return on your invest­ment. Con­sid­er wise­ly whom you sup­port and part­ner with — how is their neigh­bor­hood rep­u­ta­tion? Do they have over­sight of affairs you will be delv­ing into lat­er on? Can your rela­tion­ship be mutu­al­ly ben­e­fi­cial? By cre­at­ing com­mu­ni­ty allies, you earn pro­tec­tion against future inci­dences and reg­u­la­to­ry priv­i­leges or conveniences. 

Positive and sustainable relationships 

Cre­ate pos­i­tive rela­tion­ships with indi­vid­u­als, groups, and orga­ni­za­tions. These rela­tion­ships will last the length of your company’s life, so make them sus­tain­able. Con­sid­er your com­mu­ni­ty rela­tions in every mar­ket­ing and busi­ness decision. 

Community concern

Always address com­mu­ni­ty issues and con­cerns right away. As a pow­er­ful brand, you are part of the com­mu­ni­ty you’re invest­ing in — be sure to show it. Include news and sup­port for con­cerns in your social posts, web­site blogs, and newslet­ter con­tent. Pull resources togeth­er to pro­vide in times of need and always ask how you can help. 

Community programs

Set up or get involved in com­mu­ni­ty pro­grams through phil­an­thropy, vol­un­teerism, part­ner­ships and in-kind dona­tions. Task a team with find­ing new ways to improve the qual­i­ty of life in the com­mu­ni­ty. The more you do for your com­mu­ni­ty, the more they will have your back when you face a time of need or favor. 

Integrate the community vision into the brand

Once you write out your com­mu­ni­ty rela­tions vision, adapt it to every aspect of your brand strat­e­gy. Your com­mu­ni­ty is with you for the long haul — a rela­tion­ship that will well pay off in time. 

Include your community vision in speeches

When­ev­er address­ing the pub­lic, men­tion how your deci­sion at hand will affect the com­mu­ni­ty and how you plan to exe­cute what’s next together. 

By getting smaller, we get bigger

By focus­ing your efforts on your per­son­al com­mu­ni­ty, the world around us gets enriched by col­lab­o­ra­tion, com­mu­ni­ca­tion and an inter­weav­ing of resources. If you feel tempt­ed to expand your cause and your resources, check in first with your small­er, more sat­u­rat­ed com­mu­ni­ty efforts.

Work with Rosy Strategies

Rosy Strate­gies is expe­ri­enced in help­ing brands com­mu­ni­cate and work with­in their com­mu­ni­ties to bol­ster efforts and suc­cess for both par­ties. If you want to add a com­mu­ni­ty rela­tions strat­e­gy to your mar­ket­ing efforts, we encour­age you to con­sult with our team and build a smart, com­pre­hen­sive plan to make your brand the com­mu­ni­ty neigh­bor of choice.