Grow Your Business in 2018 by Giving Back

How was 2017 for your business?

Whether it went well or didn’t go as planned, I bet you have huge goals for 2018, and growing your business is probably somewhere in the mix.

Let’s face it: If we’re not growing as business owners, we’re stagnating. We want to be sure we’re reaching our ideal customers, building solid relationships with them, and making profit.

How can you do all that in 2018 and beyond?

By focusing on giving back.

More than ever before, people want to be involved with companies that are willing to give back to the communities in which they live, work and serve.. More millennials choose to work with companies that give back over companies that don’t.

What does this mean for your business?

You’re able to give back and grow your business as you give because you’re reaching more people and increasing your influence. Win-win!

Here are 3 socially conscious companies leading the way:

WeWOOD collaborates with Trees For The Future, Treedom and American Forests to plant a tree for every wood watch purchased. Their Goal is to help restore Mother Nature, one watch at a time, by planting a tree for every watch. Since 2011, WeWOOD has planted over 500,000 trees with its partners and are on target to meet their goal of planting 1 million trees by 2020. 

The message of Twice as Warm is simple: “Spread Warmth”. For every winter clothing item purchased from Twice as Warm, one is donated to a local shelter. 

For each pair of shoes purchased, Toms donates another pair to somebody in need.

Here’re 4 ways to give back and grow your business in 2018 and beyond:

Make a list of causes you’re passionate about.

Do you want to give back to education? Clean energy? Fighting cancer?

Write down the different topics you care about most to expand your options to help those causes and help your business.

Also write down other non-profits you like or organizations you’ve already donated to. If you have a network within the non-profit community, be sure to add those names too.

Choose a first cause.

Choose a cause to give back to first and write down organizations in that area you can reach out to. The laws are different in every state and country, so please be sure you’re following the rules when you want to set up a fundraiser or donation.

Alternatively, you can create your own charitable program and give back in your own way.

For example, you can use a percentage of your profits to buy school supplies to donate without needing to partner with a company.

Figure out your best option(s) to give back.

We’ve seen companies like TOMS Shoes where they donate one pair of shoes for every pair purchased, and Warby Parker where they donate glasses through their Buy A Pair, Give A Pair program. 

You can do the same thing in your business.

You can also give a percentage of profits, host events and fundraisers, give your time, donate some products, and explore a ton of other options.

It’s important to analyse the best way to give back that meshes with the kind of products you offer, the services you have, or the events you host, so you can make the best of what’s available to you.

Want to keep it simple? Reach out to the brand and ask if they’re looking for ambassadors. That way you don’t have to set up anything technical, but you can still be an advocate for the cause.

Use your cause to grow your brand.

Most people love to work with a company that gives back. You can leverage your brand depending on how you choose to give back.

Want an idea how a cause leverages a brand? 

Just look at celebrities like Rihanna, John Cena, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Taylor Swift, Bono, Drake, 2Chainz, Chance the Rapper and Oprah Winfrey, whose involvements with non-profit work help spread their brands beyond borders and increase their international influence. 

They’re able to make things happen because they use their popularity to spread awareness for the charities they own and support, and reaching more people means they’re able to leverage their brand at the same time.

Think about how you can take your brand up another notch as you give back to causes that matter to you. Map out an action plan and explore your options.

How will you give back through your business in 2018?