No matter the size of your business, being active in your community is important to a successful business. Not only are businesses paying attention to things like energy usage and supply chains, in order to maintain a competitive edge, they are getting involved with nonprofit partners through volunteer engagement, co-branded campaigns and product donations. SilverEdge is proud to partner with nonprofits in our community and we’ve put together some reasons for you to show why it’s just good business.

Connecting with customers.

Reaching out to your customers to tell the stories of the nonprofits you partner with in the community or inviting them to also get involved, gives you an authentic way to connect with your customers. No one likes to be sold and if the only messaging that you are putting out there is about your products and services then customers will tune out pretty quick. Let them know how and why you are involved in your community. Some business owners hesitate to do this because they fear that they’ll be seen as selfish for tooting their own horn, but when you focus the stories on your partners then it inspires others to get involved, causing a ripple effect of impact.

The halo effect.

We all know that people like doing business with people they like, but they also like doing business with socially and environmentally active companies.  Taking action shows that you appreciate the community you serve and the place where you and your employees live and work.  In fact, research shows the following consumer behavior:

• 94% of consumers say that, when price and quality are about the same, they are likely to switch brands to one associated with a good cause.
• 91% of Americans feel it is important for businesses to develop partnerships to help solve social problems.
• 61% don’t think that companies are giving them enough details about their efforts.

When a company supports the issues consumers care about most they are more likely to trust the company, want to purchase their products, recommend the company to others, and feel good about the company being in their community.

Employee retention.

Staff turnover is one of the most costly expenses for businesses. Not to mention downright frustrating. Being proactive to retain employees is essential to success. The Millennial generation will comprise 50% of the workforce by 2020, so it’s likely that you have employees in this generation and what motivates them is much different than their predecessors. The 2016 Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement Study proves what many employers are seeing:

• 64% of Millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work.

• 64% won’t take a job if a company doesn’t have strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) values.
• 83% would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental issues (vs. 70% U.S. average).
• 88% say their job is more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact on social and environmental issues.

Marketing 360 Payments employees are active in our community in a number of ways. This summer, we came together as a company to participate in The United Way of Weld County’s day of action. The Marketing 360 Payments team spent the day at the Weld Food Bank, helping to pack more than 6,000 meals for the hungry. We shut down all non-essential departments for the day so the majority of our employees could participate. Not only did we do good work, we had fun connecting as a team and completing a task that makes such a big impact in our community.

And as always, the team at Marketing 360 Payments is here to help you understand how to use the apps that will make managing your business easier. Contact a Marketing 360 Payments representative for an appointment. We’ll help you maximize the capability of your POS system so you can focus on growing your business. We are ready to help make your business richer!