12 CSR Tactics to Win Your Customers’ Hearts

While most local businesses can’t afford or don’t have the expertise to have a dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility program, this doesn’t mean that you can’t take advantage of the opportunity to be a good corporate citizen and give back to the community that serves you.

The following 12 CSR Tactics can hopefully help you win your customers’ hearts:

1.) Be sincere! Choose a cause or initiative that you personally are passionate about, and don’t always attach a sale or event to your campaign. Educational awareness campaigns and heartfelt stories about what you or an organization has achieved in your community will create a stronger emotional connection, tying every donation to a sale.

2.) Be relevant. If your customers are young families, you might want to support the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts. If your customers are women, you might raise money for breast cancer research, or for males, you might sponsor an educational awareness program for prostate cancer. 

3.) Bring It Home! People can’t relate to the national debt being ‘X’ trillion dollars. But when they understand that debt translates to $11,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country, it hits home. Promote a small measurable target, like helping 10 victims in a local women’s shelter.

4.) Focus. Choose one CSR initiative to launch and maintain rather than biting off more than you can chew or confusing your customers by doing a little bit everywhere, but nothing significant anywhere.

5.) Involve your Staff. Get your staff involved in fundraisers and promoting your cause. People who work for CSR companies; that is socially responsible companies, are more motivated. Your staff will be more loyal if they are working for a bigger cause than just their paychecks.  

6.) Lighten Up. Your prospects don’t want to be preached to about your good corporate citizenship. Lighten up and have fun. Maybe run a dunk tank for local celebrities to raise funds for your cause, or organize a duck race.

7.) Respect Your Customers. Your customers may already have given to your cause or may heavily support another cause. Never make them uncomfortable by having to say “no” because you have asked them for a donation. Make it easy to donate, but never pressure customers for a donation.

8.)  Think beyond advertising. Send media releases to rally support behind your cause, have visual support in your business, and get out into the community and speak about your efforts and cause.

9.)   Advertise. Marketers are always looking for ways to make their advertising stand out. Your ads will stand out if you promote a cause while everyone else is promoting “buy me” or “offer ends today”.

10.) Use Technology. Appoint someone on staff to be the steward of your CSR campaign on social media, and update your contributions or efforts consistently on your website.

11.) Tell a Story. CSR is not measured on facts and figures alone. Tell true heart-warming stories about your local impact in press releases, social media, your website, and in your advertising.  

12.) Smell the Roses. When no one is looking, take time to review and thank yourself, and feel good about what you do in your community. Giving back to the community you profit from can be a huge motivator for you too!