The value of CSR: Show me the money!

Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives can be challenging. Many companies find that even though they like the idea of doing something to benefit the world around them, the cost of implementing and sustaining such initiatives is prohibitive. To the untrained eye it may be difficult to see the return on investment around such initiatives, but there are many different ways to calculate this once you understand all of the areas of your business that are positively affected by CSR initiatives.

One of the greatest benefits of a strong CSR campaign is employee engagement. According to a 2012 Towers Watson Global Workforce study, CSR is among the most important drivers of Employee Engagement. Provided the campaign is perceived as being valuable to all stakeholders (internal and external), a strong commitment to CSR instills company pride and makes the employer more attractive to potential job seekers. If you can attract and retain good people, your company is making money. If those good people continue to be engaged at work, then you are saving money through great customer service, reduced turnover and absenteeism. Furthermore, your employees will put in a much more productive day than their disengaged counterparts. That’s the simplified version of the benefits of an engaged workforce. Engaged employees can save you millions of dollars.

Another place to measure your return on investment with your CSR program is to measure how your program affects sustainability. For example, if you have a CSR program which supports green efforts, then you will naturally want to reduce your carbon footprint. Replacing business travel with web based meetings and training sessions, can significantly reduce the amount of money your company spends on travel. How much paper are you wasting? Factor that in as well.

Building a strong public image through CSR increases brand awareness and ultimately sales, so that is another measurement for you to consider when calculating the ROI of your Corporate Social Responsibility program. It is a fact that people buy from people and organizations they trust and they will remain loyal to you as long as you continue to be trustworthy. Your CSR campaign is an investment in your relationship with the public. A recent Cone Communications Echo Research study states that 90% of consumers claimed they would stop buying products from a company if they learned it was using deceptive or irresponsible business practices. It also found that over half of those people had stopped buying a product or service in the past 12 months because of such behaviour. What is your reputation doing to your business?

These are just a few simple things to monitor as you embark on your CSR campaign. Corporate social responsibility is definitely good for business. Any mid to large sized company can implement a successful campaign and make it worth their while. Even small companies can engage in activities that will positively support the world we live in and build a loyal following. Who do you buy your products from? What charities do you support? All of this matters. It matters to employees and to consumers alike, and it matters to business.

Giving the gift of content: Don't harm your reputation!

 

Content marketing is a wonderful way to engage your customers and build your brand’s credibility. I love the idea of being able to give customers tools to educate themselves in order to entice more business. Some organizations do this very well; others do not.

 

One of the pitfalls of content marketing is that some who use this approach do it badly and make people wonder if they are going to be duped into buying something useless. If the offering is not presented well, and not highly useful, then you are doing more harm to your business than good.

Here are some things to bear in mind as you develop your content marketing products and strategies:

1. Avoid having your customers read through long, convoluted messages or watch long videos that make no valuable point. I see that a lot among those trying to become gurus of their profession.
2. Make sure you deliver the information you are promising!
3. As you develop your “gift” ask yourself if what you are giving away is genuinely useful to your customer.
4. Don’t be afraid to help your customer more than yourself. It goes without saying that the product you are actually selling will be much more valuable than the one you are giving away.
5. Try to offer something unique. This can be a little tough sometimes, but if you are able to do what nobody else is doing, your offering will automatically be perceived as having more value and your credibility will rise as well.
6. Don’t use your offering as a way to collect email addresses and spam people endlessly. Ask people if they would like to receive regular email from you and let them choose the frequency. If you respect your customers, they will respect you.
7. Avoid using hyped up language urging people take action. Find another way to generate excitement. Hype will lead people to doubt your credibility.
8. Be creative! Content marketing can be everything from videos, games, e-books, charity drives, microsites and more! Even your blog can be a form of content marketing. The more unique your approach to content marketing, the better.
9. Check out this site for some really cool examples of content marketing! http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp- /uploads/2013/05/Ultimate_eBook_mayrev.pdf

Go forth and engage!

For years, I tried to teach employers how to engage their people through effective leadership practices. When I decided to change careers and get into Communications/ Public Relations, I thought I would have to let my passion for creating engaged work environments die. Fortunately, I wasn’t very far into my studies before I realized that as a communicator I could still support and influence organizational change.

 At the risk of sounding like I have no life, I have to say that it’s exciting for me to know that the role of a communicator in supporting employee engagement initiatives is extremely important. What’s more, when you work in an area of business that is not directly tied to something as measurable as sales, it is extremely important to be able to justify your existence to your employer. God knows, it is easy for both HR and PR people to seem superfluous in a sales driven environment.

The secret for Communications professionals (and HR people too) is to be able to link their efforts with the results of employee engagement surveys. Since employee engagement is directly tied to the bottom line, your supporting efforts must be part of that measurement.

According to Gallup Management Journal, disengaged employees cost American companies over $300 billion each year. This is largely due to things like poor customer service, turnover, absenteeism, manufacturing waste, lost sales opportunities, etc. Being able to reduce losses in any of those areas could make a huge difference to a company’s bottom line.

Here are a few ways communicators can contribute to employee engagement efforts and boost overall business results:

·         Work with Human Resources to promote mentorship and career development programs

·         Produce newsletter articles about how to give effective feedback to employees and bosses

·         Developing and promoting workplace social activities

·         Promoting and encouraging participation in company charity initiatives

·         Publicly recognizing employees for doing quality work

·         Keeping the mission, vision and values of the company top of mind for everyone

·         Developing employee feedback systems that management is committed to embracing

·         Rewarding employees for contributing toward process improvement

It is important to know that all employee engagement efforts require a communal commitment from management, human resources and communications. We cannot do it alone, but every bit of effort counts, so go forth and engage!

Could young professionals benefit from elocution training?

Long before the Victorian period, people took elocution lessons to break through social barriers. In the UK, people still do it, but what about we North American English speakers? It doesn’t seem to be as popular here, but I do see a definite need for people to learn how to express themselves well; particularly those under the age of 35. If you don’t understand why this is important for even native speakers of English, consider the consequences to your career or business if you create the impression of being unintelligent simply by opening your mouth to speak.  

 

The problem with poor speakers, is that often they don’t realize the impression their speech patterns give people. Poor diction, mispronouncing words and using poor grammar are only part of the problem. If you do any of the following, you should consider learning how to speak well.

 

·         Your statements end in a rising pattern like a question

·         You over use certain words, such as “right” or “okay”

·         People tell you that you talk like a valley girl

·         The pitch and tone of your voice doesn’t match your size, age or gender

·         You mumble or eat your words

·         You are a low volume speaker (no one can ever hear you)

·         You are an overly loud speaker

·         You are told you write like you speak and you don’t write well

·         You are a poor writer (you speak like you write)

·         You have a problem with verbal diarrhea

·         You speak too quickly or too slowly

 

Learning to speak well will boost your career and business opportunities. People like to listen to people who are both easy to understand and articulate. Elocution is not about using fancy words or sounding like a phoney person. It is about learning to speak in a way that both raises your credibility and makes people want to listen to you.

Stop Selling and Start Engaging!

 

Linkedin groups are an amazing tool that so few people know how to harness. I belong to many of them, and I even started a group on Linkedin called, The Power of Learning. This group was meant to give subject matter experts the opportunity to teach people what they know and to also provide eager learners with a place they can go to improve an inspire business performance. Unfortunately, my group, like so many on Linkedin, has become, through my own neglect, a sales playground.

Consultants and subject matter experts everywhere, hear this! You will never sell anything in a room of sellers because, nobody is listening and nobody intends to buy! When people want to buy and sell quickly, they go to e-bay or Kijiji. They don’t go to Linkedin groups. That is not what they are for.

Linkedin groups remind me of the board of trade meetings I used to go to early in my business years. I stopped wasting my time and money there because I realized they were full of small time vendors who worked out of their bedrooms; all of whom were only selling and never buying. They weren’t interested in helping anyone but themselves. That’s because nobody is going to help someone they know nothing about if it means risking their own credibility.

So how can you build relationships on Linkedin and in business networking groups? I think it only happens when you take the time to engage in discussions about matters that are relevant to your actual customers. People who want to learn from you will seek you out. They will never visit your website, however, if it is 18 feet long and filled with garbage intended to snare people into buying something. Take it from me, I am a pretty good sales person, and I have never met anyone who wanted to be sold something. People want help, they want information, honesty and integrity. They don’t want to be sold anything, and they definitely don’t want to be tricked into buying something. If you underestimate your customer’s intelligence, you will not sell a thing. Don’t be smarmy in your approach to acquiring clients or customers.

Your desire to connect with people in an honest way will allow you to understand your market, and you will never sell anything to a market you don’t understand. Take the time to educate your customers and prospects. Be flexible and seek to understand your market. Be the best you can be and the most you can be for people who need your products and services. That’s how you will build your brand and gain a solid reputation as a quality service provider.