Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be described as a set of practices that make the organization seem more trustworthy for its stakeholders and customers. It should be the backbone of every company’s PR strategy — regardless of the niche it operates in.
Activities performed to build corporate reputation are philanthropic acts. They include but are not limited to environmental activism, promoting a more inclusive workplace culture, and focusing on social interests. The way you approach these activities determines how your customers will evaluate your enterprise. In a world where almost everyone knows how to write google reviews, it directly ties to your business growth and stability.
Disregarding actions related to Corporate social responsibility can significantly diminish your customer base, prevent you from hiring top-notch job seekers, and increase your employee turnover. All these factors combined can lower your sales to the point of business failure. As such, you might want to learn more about the importance of Corporate social responsibility activities and how they can impact your company. Read on!
1. Help You Engage With Customers
When you engage with your customers, you create a bond. Since the customers invest their time and money in your products, they expect to get something in return. If you approach your community engagement efforts with the sole purpose of getting new leads, this will be evident to them. The moment they see that all you care about is their wallet, they will switch to another brand and never return.
On the other hand, your customers will be more likely to do business with you if they know that you are a responsible and caring company. Hence, if you want to build loyalty, provide something that these people can’t find elsewhere. For instance, you could engage in philanthropy and volunteering to win their hearts and minds. This way, everyone involved will get something in return for their efforts.
2. Build Trust and Instill Confidence in Customers
Customers see Corporate social responsibility activities as an indication of your company’s alignment with the values they hold dear. It shows that you care about more than just making money. It also shows that you’re willing to go beyond the scope of your business and contribute to the greater good.
The more visible you are in your community — as a member rather than a corporation — the more trust and confidence you’re instilling in your customers. They know that when a company has its heart in the right place, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. This can help to promote customer loyalty for years to come.
Overall, when customers feel good about a company, they are more likely to be loyal to that company. Corporate social responsibility helps create positive associations with your brand and encourages customers to stick with you.
3. For Corporate social responsibility Increase Employee Engagement
Employees who feel appreciated, happy, and engaged at work are more likely to deliver better results than those who don’t feel that way. A strong Corporate social responsibility policy is one of the best ways to create a positive environment where employees want to give their best every day. If they feel like part of a team that cares about helping others, they are likely to be more motivated to work hard on company goals and deliver high-quality results.
Employees engaged in giving back feel energized and passionate about doing their jobs well — which directly translates into increased productivity at work. This leads to better customer service levels and an overall better experience for your clients.
4. Help You Attract Top Talent
In order to be successful, your company must have the best people working for it. A good way to attract top talent is to highlight your company’s social responsibility initiatives. In fact, most job seekers tend to look for Corporate social responsibility-related values before accepting a job offer. After all, if the organization is not doing anything good for society, can they expect it will do something beneficial for the employees?
A 2015 research report by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 72% of employees deem a respectful treatment of all employees at all levels to be “very important” to their job satisfaction. Furthermore, according to LinkedIn’s list of employer brand statistics, 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job.
Employees want to work for a company that is making a difference in the world. For this reason, most progressive enterprises invest a significant amount of time and money into Corporate social responsibility.
5. Reduce Employee Turnover
In addition, according to the SHRM, “direct replacement costs can reach as high as 50%-60% of an employee’s annual salary, with total costs associated with turnover ranging from 90% to 200% of annual salary.” In some cases, turnover costs can even reach 400% or higher. This factor makes it a major challenge for almost every business in the market.
However, the problem of high turnover is especially common among large corporations that tend to neglect the importance of a good corporate culture. A low level of employee satisfaction is also one of the main reasons for high turnover rates in companies.
If you have employees on board, they will directly take note of what is going on in your company. The way you treat your stakeholders, your response to the criticism, and your core values will be evaluated by them. So what are core values? Core values are quite simply the fundamental or primary beliefs of the organization.
If you do something good for the community, the employees will notice what a great company you are running, and they will be more than willing to join it. Conversely, if you are not paying attention to these issues, your reputation will suffer, and your employees will start looking for another job.
If you want to avoid losing valuable talent, it is crucial to take a look at how others perceive you. Make sure that your reputation is in good standing.
6. Help You Reduce Costs
If you run a startup, you might have to make a lot of compromises and cut corners in order to stay afloat. However, there are some actions you can take that are both beneficial to your company and the community.
When you implement Corporate social responsibility strategies, they allow you to show the world the company’s social conscience and results. Since this is one of the primary goals of Corporate social responsibility, it is definitely a smart move to choose philanthropic activities that can also help you cut costs.
You can do this by partnering up with nonprofits for funding. If you provide them with some monetary support, they might be willing to implement some of your ideas for free. Alternatively, if you choose to implement a recycling program for your office, you can save money and gain valuable PR.
Conclusion
The points mentioned above show that you should not underestimate the importance of a positive company reputation. The influence of word-of-mouth marketing is remarkable. It can single-handedly change the way people perceive your business. Thus, you should focus more on what they have to say about your company and make an effort to respond to their comments.
Regardless of your opinion on Corporate social responsibility, it’s still worth trying to implement some actions that can improve customer perception of your company. When done responsibly, Corporate social responsibility activities can enhance your company’s reputation. They can also make it easier for you to attract new customers, retain old ones, and motivate employees to stay with the company.
