As an entrepreneur looking to grow your business, one of the best things you can do is engage with the local community. Hiring a consultant with this specialty can be a cost-effective way to effectively build community relations and drive brand awareness. Here’s how a professional helps entrepreneurs like you in a number of important ways.
Helps Build Authentic Connections
A skilled community engagement consultant takes the time to understand your target consumers and then helps you authentically engage with them. They will identify community partners, local organizations, and neighborhood groups that align well with your company’s mission and values. A good consultant supports you in building real connections through community investment opportunities, like volunteering, event sponsorship, and non-profit partnerships. This kind of grassroots outreach fosters goodwill and loyalty among local residents.
Amplifies Your Marketing Strategy
Through dedicated research and relationship building within your community, a community engagement consultant gathers key insights into your ideal customers’ preferences. They can then help amplify the success of your current marketing strategy using this knowledge. A consultant may leverage their network to connect you with the right local partners and provide customized ideas for community-focused branding, cause marketing, and experiential marketing activities. This tailored approach drives meaningful exposure and makes your marketing dollars go further.
Provides Ongoing Community Insights
An experienced consultant continuously gathers on-the-ground intel from your surrounding neighborhood groups and consumers. They will keep their finger on the pulse to supply you with regular briefings on shifts in attitudes towards your business. Using longitudinal data and observations from within your community, they can counsel you on maintaining strong levels of consumer perception and trust over the long term. According to Entrepreneur, 44% of entrepreneurs say their businesses have grown due to engaging their communities.
Saves You Considerable Time
Developing authentic community connections demands consistency and relationship management skills – things most entrepreneurs struggle to find sufficient time for. Outsourcing this function to a dedicated community engagement consultant adds more hours back into your week. The right consultant will capably handle the heavy lifting of research, networking, event planning, logistics, and reporting, so you can focus on big-picture strategy and running your business. The time savings combined with amplified marketing and consumer insights make hiring a consultant well worth the investment.
For savvy entrepreneurs looking to embed their business within the community and drive growth, hiring a community engagement consultant pays dividends now and into the future. If you’re ready to hire one in the Detroit area, reach out to Activate Detroit today to get started.