Successfully Communicate Responsible Business Practices

As consumer expectations rise, the need to tout your responsible business practices has also increased. In the article “Spotlighting Your Social Responsibility,” Rachel Meranus of Entrepreneur.com writes that companies of all sizes can benefit from communicating “hidden assets.” These include things such as how employees are treated, programs for environmental sustainability, efforts to source responsibly and charitable associations.

Meranus shares the following tips to highlight your social responsibility:

• Use traditional methods, such as press releases: Meranus says traditional public relations remains an effective way to communicate a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative and/or milestone. If your business has made an effort to address a particular issue, it could be of interest to the media.
• Use your website: While having a page on your website that’s dedicated to your responsible business efforts is a great strategy, Meranus notes that weaving these messages throughout your website is a good way to demonstrate that your commitment to issues is authentic.
• Use social media: Besides being a great way to get your message out, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook also enable more interaction with interested followers.
• Use your employees: Your staff doesn’t live in a bubble. If consumers are more aware of — and concerned about — responsible business practices, so is your staff. Getting them involved in your efforts will make them feel good about what your company is doing. That means they’re more likely to share these positive messages with others. Plus, they’ll have greater job satisfaction.

Take The Tip:

• For help with spreading your message through PR efforts, visit Jewelers of America's Marketing Resources section, at www.jewelers.org, which features sample PR templates and a guide for contacting the media -- available for free to JA members.
• Visit our "Working with the Web" archive to get great tips on effective social media outreach.