The Importance and Impact of Community Relations
A successful integrated marketing communications campaign includes many components. From public relations and social media to paid media strategies, brand journalism, creative development and more, sharing a consistent message across various platforms is the best way to ensure a company reaches its key audiences. However, as noted over the past few years, consumers are increasingly interested in not only what a company does, but how it does it, why the organization does it and how its values impact the greater good.
It is important for businesses today to be involved in the communities they serve. They need to demonstrate the value that they bring and how what they’re doing positively impacts residents. Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most trusted referral resources, and by building community relationships, businesses will earn the trust of consumers and be better positioned for long-term success.
Below are a few guidelines businesses can follow to be more present in their communities.
Start by listening
For over a decade, the way behavioral health services are delivered in Milwaukee County have been evolving to better meet the needs of individuals. In February 2020, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) and its partners launched the Psychiatric Crisis Redesign Community Engagement project to educate the community on the behavioral health service redesign efforts that are taking place throughout the community. During these conversations, the team gathered input from residents and people with lived experience on the proposed changes, and they heard directly from these individuals about what they saw as the greatest areas of opportunity.
By having this open conversation with community members, project leaders better understood which initiatives were successful and where there were areas for improvement in how services are delivered. This real-time feedback is crucial to a project’s success. It allows leaders to make informed decisions and ensure they are meeting consumer needs, while also inviting community input to make sure outcomes are impactful.
Make a plan and report back
Once businesses have finished their qualitative research, they should document the feedback they received, identify trends and develop action items to address needed changes. These conversations may have illuminated areas for improvement, and now is the time to make changes and pivot, if needed. Developing a findings report and outlining action items to address areas of concern is a good first step to help organize the data that’s been collected.
However, it’s not enough to only review these learnings internally. They should be reported publicly, along with the next steps and action items. This transparency will help build trust and provide a sense of accountability.
Follow through and check in
Even after the research and report-out phases of the project are complete, these community groups should still be kept in the loop on progress. Businesses that prioritize regular meetings with community stakeholders and grassroots organizations will better understand the residents they serve and the priorities of the community, according to research from Penn State.
Creating genuine partnerships with community leaders will go a long way towards building trust and transparency, as well. Attend community events and show support of local initiatives. Find out what’s most important to residents and how businesses can impact these priorities. By fostering relationships in the community through open conversations and boots-on-the-ground initiatives, companies may find a variety of synergies they hadn’t yet considered. Working together towards a common goal is an authentic way to instill confidence in key audiences.
If you’re interested in expanding your community relations practices, please reach out. Kane Communications Group is ready to help.