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Newsletter #767: The “Help People, Help Business” Issue

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As it turns out, it’s pretty easy to find ways to help both your communities and your business at the same time. See how these smart marketers are doing it:

1> Help your neighborhood
2> Help their families
3> Help everyone’s safety
4> Check it out: ZombieFit

1> Help your neighborhood

If the neighborhood around your store isn’t attracting your customers, it’s in your company’s best interest to help it. When Apple picked their new Chicago location, one of the few drawbacks was the run-down condition of the nearby subway stop. Realizing that public transit was critical to attracting lots of foot traffic and other businesses to the area, Apple offered the city $4 million to update it. In exchange, Apple gets advertising and naming rights, as well as a draw for both customers and fresh businesses. You don’t have to spend millions — new sidewalks, clean parks, and fresh paint can go a long ways toward improving your local area.

The Lesson: Great neighborhoods attract great customers and businesses. Look for little ways you can help clean up yours.

Learn More: Mac Rumors

2> Help their families

When you help connect families you stand a good chance of earning some great PR, some long-term word of mouth, and some well-deserved love from fans. To help earthquake victims in Haiti, not only did Google donate $1 million to disaster relief efforts, but they also offered free use of Google Voice for two weeks so U.S. families could reach relatives in the area. The gesture has earned them a bunch of headlines, has people using their new technology, and is truly helping families in a desperate time of need.

The Lesson: Earn fans, good-will, and even a little PR by helping those in need connect with those they love.

Learn More: BBB.org

3> Help everyone’s safety

Help the community and your business by finding opportunities to use your technology, your expertise, or even your marketing to make the world a little safer. Instead of buying more billboards, KFC used advertising dollars to fix up old fire hydrants, extinguishers, and smoke detectors in exchange for branding the equipment to promote their new Fiery Grilled Wings. In one Indiana town alone, 85 fire hydrants were upgraded and refitted with the KFC equipment. The project is the second of its type for KFC: Last year they used marketing dollars to patch potholes with their logo.

The Lesson: A little creativity and a genuine effort to improve public safety can mean big things for both the community and your business.

Learn More: Business Wire

4> Check it out: ZombieFit

Was your New Year’s resolution to get in better shape? Was it because you’re concerned about an impending zombie attack? ZombieFit may be the community just for you.

Check it out: ZombieFit.org

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