Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has to do with how a company is socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. It is simply a way in which a company gives back to its host communities where it operates by making visible impacts that usually come in the form of programs or projects.
Although CSR can be assumed to be more beneficial to the community, it is also of great value to the company as it plays a vital role in brand building as well as projecting the image in a good light. It helps to foster a good relationship between the company and the community which enables a smooth business operation.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the need for business owners to switch from their usual mode of operation based solely on making a profit has become paramount. As such, many companies now dedicate a lot of effort into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
A number of companies have shown up as responsible organizations by carrying out significant projects in the form of CSR activities and donations to the government and their host communities. However, despite their efforts, there is still a high probability that their host communities might consider these CSR activities as ingenuine with ulterior motives. This doubt in the motives of the companies in the minds of their host communities downplays their efforts.
Therefore, in view of the fact that what the public thinks of a company is highly significant to the success and sustainability of such company, organizations can adopt these three CSR communication tips to avoid claims of ingenuity and skepticism towards the companies by the public.
Honesty:
Organizations must learn to be honest and transparent while carrying out CSR activities. This involves being truthful in terms of how they evaluate the whole process. This should include both the brand’s success (without any form of an exaggeration) as well as their shortcomings and the lessons they have learned from it so far. This way, the organization would be able to gain the trust of the citizenry.
Involve the members of your host communities:
One of the easiest ways to effectively communicate your CSR activities is by involving the people themselves. For instance, when carrying out a project such as building constructions for a community as part of a company’s CSR activities, the company should employ members of the community to constitute a larger part of the workforce on the project. In doing this, members of the communities will be the ones to help blow the company’s trumpet and create a positive perception of the brand to other community members. This will go a long way to improve the trust level for the brand since the Information is actually coming from their own people.
Leverage on Feedback:
As part of the processes of carrying out CSR activities, it is very important that an organization should also take note of the feedback from their host community(ies). This might come in the form of complaints, suggestions, or appraisal. In so doing, the organization will be able to analyze its strengths and weaknesses appropriately. This would also help the organization to identify what the citizenry values most and what they think about the organization. Hence, this will help give further insight into the best practices to engage in which would help serve the community better.
Conclusively, Businesses that prove to be socially responsible enjoy a lot of benefits from their host communities. Effective CSR communication requires recognizing what the community wants, the impact it would have on them, how valuable it is to them, and their general beliefs and values must also be put into due consideration.
Want to learn about the value engaging in CSR can bring to your organization? Read “How Giving Back Increases Brand Equity and Value”