How to Integrate Local Elements Into Your Business

“Local,” “transparent,” and “sustainable” have become buzzwords in the business landscape. People want to know where their products come from. More consumers are going out of their way to support local businesses when they can, and by incorporating local elements into your business, your business will appear more humanized and socially responsible. Not to mention, you’ll be doing your local economy a favor. With that in mind, here’s how you can integrate local into your business: 

Start Volunteering

Participating in community functions helps you demonstrate your commitment to your local audience. Volunteering with town events shows that you care about supporting local traditions, and clearly shows where your values are. Volunteering can also improve company culture; studies have shown that many employees don’t know much about one another outside of the work environment, and volunteering offers a deeper opportunity for your team to engage with one another. Studies have also shown that volunteering and helping others makes us happier, and happier employees are more productive in their roles. 

Sponsor Charities & Events

Event sponsorship can help you leverage your business credibility, and it’s becoming a popular way for businesses to reach quality, targeted audiences. Sponsoring an event demonstrates your commitment to local businesses, gets your brand more social mentions and news, and puts your brand image in front of market segments that align with yours. 

Setting up a booth for a sponsored event also helps you build an emotional connection with event-goers. You’ll be able to connect with people from your community, and demonstrate your product or explain your service in person, taking your lead generation efforts to the next level. 

Buy Locally & Build Partnerships

Why not use your local products and services in your business where possible? For instance, if you owned a coffee shop, you might introduce locally baked goods into your shop. Building local partnerships can offer plenty of mutual benefits. 

Partnerships can create a higher brand perception and even double your marketing budget. Be sure to promote your usage of local products and services. Other local businesses will appreciate the promotion, and clients and customers will appreciate the transparency. 

Another good way to buy locally is to purchase union products. When you buy union products you help support good jobs in the country, aiding businesses that provide safe working conditions and good wages and benefits. There are many union-made goods you can purchase, including union hats, shirts, safety items, and much more. In some cases, you can even have your brand embedded onto union-made products. 

Get Involved in the Community

One of the best ways to incorporate local into your business is by getting directly involved in your community. Fortunately, there are many ways you can achieve this. For example, hosting free or discounted local workshops and classes is one way to show your commitment to the people in your location. 

For instance, a small online candle shop might host a candle-making workshop. A marketing agency might offer a free online marketing class to local businesses. Keep in mind that free workshops can even lead to business opportunities. And when people have good experiences with your business, they are more likely to recommend them. 

It’s important to understand that even businesses that are completely virtual have some local potential. Think about where you work from on your laptop, where your “virtual”office is housed, where you get your electricity and water from. Whether you have a brick and mortar store or not, you work from a specific city or town. 

Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce

A chamber of commerce is a business network whose goal is to further the interests of the local business community. This is achieved in a variety of ways. For starters, you get to network with other like-minded individuals in your area. This could include charity events, lobbying for local representatives that represent the interest of the community, and much more. Members of chambers of commerce also receive free promotion and exclusive advertising perks. For instance, they might promote special events you’re hosting, like ribbon cutting ceremonies or charity functions.