December is a wonderful time for local Independent Business Owners to connect with the community. The holiday season brings people together, making it the perfect opportunity to engage with your neighbors and support local organizations. Getting involved with community events in December can boost your business, build relationships, and make a difference in the lives of others. Here’s why local event marketing is impactful and five ideas to help you get started.
Why Engage with the Community?
- Builds Trust: When people see your business supporting local events, they view you as a caring part of the community. This can help build trust and loyalty among your customers.
- Creates Positive Associations: People often feel good about supporting businesses that give back. By participating in community events, you create positive associations with your brand.
- Increases Visibility: Local events can help you reach new customers who might not know about your business yet. Hosting, attending or sponsoring events puts your business in front of a wider audience.
- Strengthens Relationships: Community involvement allows you to form stronger bonds with local organizations, other businesses, and customers. These connections can lead to future collaborations and support.
- Boosts Holiday Spirit: Supporting local causes during the holidays spreads goodwill and joy, making your business a memorable part of the holiday season.
5 Ways to Engage with the Community in December
Sponsor a Local Event
Sponsoring a local holiday event, such as a parade, tree-lighting ceremony, or charity run, is a great way to show your support. Your business’s name will be featured in event materials, giving you visibility and recognition. Not only does this help promote your brand, but it also shows that you care about local traditions and causes.
Host a Charity Drive
Consider hosting a toy, food, or clothing drive at your business to support local families in need. Set up a donation box in your store, promote the drive through social media, and offer a small incentive, like a discount or coupon, to customers who participate. This type of event helps others and brings customers into your store.
Partner with a Local Charity
Partnering with a local charity or nonprofit is a great way to show that you’re invested in the community. You could donate a portion of your December sales to a charity, or organize a volunteer event with your staff. By working closely with local organizations, you demonstrate your commitment to making a difference.
Offer Holiday Workshops
Hosting a holiday-themed workshop or class can attract people to your business. Whether it’s a cookie decorating class, holiday card-making session, or DIY gift-making event, this gives customers something fun to do and introduces them to your business in a personal way. Workshops provide value to your community while helping people connect with your brand.
Participate in a Local Market
Many towns and cities have holiday markets in December. Participating in one of these events can give you direct access to holiday shoppers. Set up a booth with your products or services, and consider offering special holiday promotions to give people to bring back to your business to redeem. These markets are a great way to meet new customers and get your business in front of a larger audience.
December is a season of giving and togetherness, making it the ideal time to engage with your community. As an independent Business Owner, who lives and works in the community, it gives you a huge advantage over corporate competitors who can’t connect like you can.
By participating in local events, supporting charities, and hosting festive activities, you can build strong relationships, increase your visibility, and spread holiday cheer. Take the time this season to give back, and watch how it positively impacts your business and community.
Choosing A Loyalty Program
Learn what makes customers stay loyal, how to pick a program with the right features, and how to give your business that extra edge.
Are You Leading the Way… or Just Catching Up?
Imagine you’re at the start of a race. You’ve trained, mapped out the course, and can practically see the finish line. You start strong, you’re ready, and you’re in control. Now picture jumping into a race without any training or map. You might catch up, you might miss a few turns in the road, and each step feels like a scramble to keep pace.
This is exactly how marketing can feel when you’re either taking action with a clear plan—or just reacting to whatever happens.
Engaging with your Community
You and your team live and work in your community, you can form deep relationships with local customers, charities, schools, community events, sports teams and other businesses, leading to strong word-of-mouth marketing and local support. This idea is very strategic because in addition to benefiting the community – it gives you a reason to create a lot of effective marketing and encourage new and repeat business.
