OUTREACH
By Jane Wooldridge
VistaComm Journalist
MAYBE YOU SHOULD
BUY A BASEBALL TEAM?
CUSTOMER LOYALTY = COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Well, maybe not BUY a team, but consider SPONSORING a local club. Think about
it. Community involvement has always been a cornerstone of the small town rural
business model. And now, with the trend toward fewer large companies serving more
communities, it’s important to establish a spirit of goodwill that stretches across your
entire service area.
Here are some ways you can showcase
your dedication to community
involvement. Think about how you
can extend community outreach
activities to include any newly acquired
businesses or locations. This will foster
loyalty among your customers in these
communities.
The number of co-ops in
Kansas has fallen from
350 in the 1950s
to approximately 80. *
• If your business is a cooperative,
start a special promotion at
c-stores. For example, “1%
Wednesday.” Your cooperative
donates 1% of the location’s gross
sales on a specific Wednesday
each month to benefit a nonprofit organization. The beneficiary could rotate
to include school organizations, food banks and other specific local needs.
• Host get-to-know-us lunches at locations. Invite area members or customers
to meet the people they may interact with from headquarters, such as
management, accounting, agronomy, marketing and energy staff members.
One co-op sets up a barbecue grill at their C-store and hosts “Harvest Lunches”
for camaraderie and convenience during the season.
• Establish school education programs focusing on items such as farm safety or
grain marketing.
• Support local student organizations in all area high schools.
• Make scholarships available to all high school students throughout your area.
• Sponsor local events such as parades, festivals and sporting events.
•
Adopt a highway in your area.
As the trend toward business mergers and consolidations continues, connecting
with customers across a broad trade area will become a natural part of operations.
By starting as soon as possible after a re-structuring, you can set the groundwork
for positive communication and acceptance from all your customers—old and new.
* http://www.agweb.com/article/farmer-co-ops-feeling-growing-pressures-to-merge-naa-debra-beachy
FOR MORE INFO
10
AGRI-INSIGHTS ISSUE 2 2017
Want help communicating the details of a merger? Call VistaComm at 844-453-9261,
and be sure to read Dave Aeilt’s article beginning on Page 21 of this issue of Agri-Insights.
844.453.9261