The holiday season‘s hustle and bustle is quickly approaching and that means it’s time to begin planning your end-of-the-year marketing strategies. The season presents plenty of opportunities to reach out and communicate with customers. One strategy we highly recommend is spreading goodwill among your community and customers with an outreach campaign.
Think about executing an outreach event to help the less-fortunate families in your community have a great holiday season. By donating to local organizations that aid these families, you’ll make their year brighter and build top-of-mind awareness with your customers and community. If you’re looking for easy ways to get involved and give back this holiday season, I’ll share plenty of ideas to help you do just that.
Food Drive
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, one easy way to spread goodwill is by hosting a food drive. All you have to do is contact your local food bank; you can find yours by visiting Feeding America’s website. Then, you’ll want to setup a donation spot in your dealership and ask customers to donate non-perishable food items. The food you collect will help those in need spend more time with their family and friends and less time worrying about how to put a holiday meal on their table.
Coat Drive
For most of the country, cooler weather has started to set in. The need for warmer clothes, especially coats, is huge this time of year. For families who are experiencing homelessness, warmer clothes may not be an option. Hosting a coat drive for the needy in your community is a great way to give back. The first thing you’ll want to do is contact a local homeless shelter. Then communicate with customers about your coat drive and the need for warmer clothing. This type of outreach goes a long way in helping individuals who are down on their luck get warmth and rejuvenation during the cold winter months.
Toy Drive
To coincide with the Christmas holiday season, an easy way to give back is by hosting a toy drive. Start by figuring out who the toys will benefit; if you have a local organization or church that sponsors families in need, you could work with them or you could team up with the national Toys for Tots or Salvation Army efforts. Whichever organization you decide to help, be sure to contact them to understand what their need is. Then, put holiday themed donation bins around your showroom and service drive where customers can drop off their donations. These toys will make the holiday season joyful for less-fortunate children and their families in your community.
Help Out
If these community outreach ideas are not what you are looking for, then think outside the box. Maybe you want to donate $50 to a charity for every vehicle sold in the month of November and December. Or, donate $10 for every LOF performed in a given month. Maybe you want to raise funds by hosting a Facebook or Pinterest contest. Or, you could ask every service customer if they want to round their bill up to support a charity of your choice, and then match their donations. You could collect pop tabs and donate them to the Ronald McDonald House in your area to support children undergoing treatment at a local hospital. The possibilities of community outreach campaigns are only limited by your imagination and it really doesn’t matter what you do. The point is you do it.
Plan Your Marketing Today
Community outreach campaigns go a long way in building trust and lasting relationships with your customers and community. Your involvement, time, and energy will demonstrate your passion for giving back and making a difference, not to mention your customers will reward your generosity with extra foot traffic to your store and increased loyalty.