Monday, December 14, 2009

Does community service pay off for brands?

Here's an article I wrote on a program that Xerox is doing to send thank you cards to the troops. Would love your thoughts on how and if small businesses can make community service pay off at times when marketing doesn't do as much as quickly as it used to?

LITTLE GESTURES HAVE BIG PAY OFFS

When the economy is rocky like its been for the past several months, one of the best ways to poise yourself for profitable times ahead is by engaging in random acts of kindness. Simple things like supporting local charities, hosting events for the homeless, and in the case of Xerox, sending postcards to U.S. troops at war, can have a big impact on keeping your brand’s visibility high and equity growing.

Since 2005, Xerox has invited people all around the country to go on a website, select a card and write a personalized message of thanks to U.S. troops abroad. At last count, more than 23 million messages of support have been sent.

Not only is the volume of Thank You cards sent through this program impressive, so too is the good will and community partnerships it has built for Xerox. School children throughout the country have designed and created postcards for the program, businesses have partnered with Xerox to print the messages, and a non-profit organization, Give2TheTroops, works to deliver them in care packages to the troops. Celebrities, such as Whoopi Goldberg and George Lopez, have signed cards for the troops as well, further broadening the reach and impact of this campaign. These are just a few of the relationships resulting from this campaign.

The program, called Lets Say Thanks, brings together many people all for a good cause that has no commercial gain, yet the marketing value is significant.

Because of this effort to do something kind in a random manner, “Many people are now aware of Xerox and what the brand stands for that were not before,” says vice president of Global Public Relations for Xerox, Carl Langsenkamp. “We know we’ve made an impact on our community by the high number of thank you’s we get from people participating, literally hundreds a week.”

Adding to the brand visibility Xerox gets from this campaign of kindness is a strong burst of random viral marketing. I, for one, received numerous emails from friends encouraging me to participate and expressing their appreciation to Xerox for such a great program. Consumers are emailing and celebrities are tweeting about this great way to thank those that serve our country.

Clearly a program like Let’s Say Thanks which involves printing and distributing millions of greetings cards abroad requires a large company like Xerox to pull it off. Yet there are many lessons for small businesses in all industries. The obvious one of course is that giving campaigns gives back to brands. Nothing new here. The wide reaching impact and viral marketing of Let’s Say Thanks illustrates the importance of staying engaged with your communities at all times. Xerox is highly engaged with its customers who use Xerox equipment to print the postcards, and communities all over the U.S. who sign the cards and send their thanks.

At times when advertising might produce what it used to in terms of sales leads, and buyers are spending as freely as in the past, staying engaged sets your company up for greater success down the road. In the case of Let’s Say Thanks, Langenskamp has received comments from participants stating that if they were in the print industry, they’d buy Xerox products because of what they are doing for the troops.

Following are some ways you can stay engaged with customers and communities that don’t take the resources or technology of a global brand:

1. Be there. When your community needs help, step it up. Send your CEO, not just your junior staff, to the Food Drive to hand out boxes to people in need, or serve the homeless during the holidays. Show your company cares at all levels, and that your values start at the top.
2. Enlist your customers: Whether you have a store front with cash registers, or you meet with clients at their businesses, find ways to involve customers in a worthy cause. Ask them to help sponsor a charity you’ve adopted to help for the year; ask them to engage in joint volunteerism or match a charitable donation. When you do this, you create a partnership based on like values that lasts far beyond business transactions.
3. Share your value: Whenever possible, share your skills with others that can’t afford what you do. If you’re in marketing, do a pro-bono campaign for a local charity. If you sell equipment, donate refurbished or used items to non-profits in need.

These are just some of many ideas for engaging with your communities. Whatever you do, make it real and make it sincere. Don’t expect marketing returns, just expect to do something worthwhile. That is when the true pay off happens.

About the Author:
Jeanette McMurtry is a consultant and trainer specializing in customer engagement and marketing strategies. She is the principal of e4marketing and can be reached at jeanette@e4marketingco.com or 970 390 6909.