Business engagement
From WikiREADia
GUIDE TO BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT
Contents |
Where do you start?
The good news is that you are trying to promote such an obviously good thing – after all, who wouldn’t want to know about the value and pleasures of reading?
Think about who you are targeting and who you really want to reach through any new partnerships you foster. What organisations are there in your local area that could help, and what kind of ‘reach’ would you like? Local company or national, or both? Are you seeking to communicate with a group of people who don’t really visit the High Street, for example?
Take a look at your target audiences/activities and any organisations or companies that work with these audiences or offer a potential route to them.
Make a few assumptions about what occupations you think your target audiences may be employed in, or businesses that they use, and which organisations and could therefore potentially offer you a route to reach this audience. i.e HGV drivers = route to Dads and working class men. Some of your assumptions may be wrong so keep an open mind and prepare to be open-minded!. You will need a big list of potential companies and organisations to contact, as many get crossed off pretty quickly, and some may lead you onto somewhere entirely unexpected. DO NOT BE DISHEARTENED at the number of ‘no’s’ you receive. It happens to everyone.
Consider businesses with large workforces – what provisions do they provide for their workforce – any literary initiatives or skills for life opportunities? Do they offer a great route to one of your target audiences?
Consider the different ways businesses can support you: is it through distributing leaflets or posters, via staff emails or on job slips, endorsing a project or communicating messages to their employees or their customers/clients? Could they offer you an opportunity to talk to their staff (in the canteen at lunchtime?) or a bit of space in their stores?
Consider also the local reputation of your target businesses. Do they want to enhance their status as a local business supporting the community, or increase their appeal as an employer? The more you can understand about their concerns, the more successful your partnership is likely to be.
Who do you contact?
Corporate Social Responsibility is a discipline that most large companies are now embracing. If a company has a CSR policy it may well be more open to the idea of supporting reading either within the organisation or in the community – if a company has CSR policies, make contact with their CSR manager.
Human Resources are also a good dept to target: they will usually be aware of charity commitments, staff volunteering opportunities and any company wide initiatives that you could well tie into. The marketing department, if there is one, is also useful – if you are looking for posters, leaflets or messaging to go in communication networks (ie newsletters, emails, bulletins, any association newspapers etc) then the first port of call would be marketing. They are ultimately looking to promote their product or service so tying in with a reading promotion could well be a missing part of a campaign they are working on.
Marketing departments will be able to offer advice about what activities they are planning in the future and if there are any opportunities there. Although every organisation is different, the marketing department would usually hold information about publications, newsletters and communications that could well go out to those you are ultimately trying to reach.
Issues to consider
Take a look at the company, do some research, do they have any policies or approaches to their work that you could tie in with? Do they have newsletters, training rooms, communication networks that you would love to use? Are they sensitive about any issues in particular? Make it easy for them to engage with you and be clear about what it is you want. Going in with an over-complicated approach is less likely to get a positive response and may frighten them off if they think you are ‘after’ more than they can give (e.g. money, rather than support!). Once you’ve established a relationship, it’s easier to judge whether a company would be willing to do more.
It sounds obvious, but it’s important to change your messaging to suit who you are talking to. Little details in your initial contact that show you’ve looked at a few websites, done some research and know something about the company, may well make your correspondence stand out and ensure you a warmer reply (or one at all).
If available on a website, look at the long-term plans of the company. Often larger organisations will commit to one or two charities a year. Plan ahead and see if they would consider adopting an ongoing commitment to reading and literacy and/or write a pitch as to why that company should adopt your initiative or approach both now and in the future.
Making email contact
Sometimes shorter is better – it’s tricky when there is so much information you have to give about your work, particularly when contacting organisations out of your sector or experience however, a long email is hard to digest. Be clear about what you are after, what the benefits would be to them, and you and why in particular you are approaching them for their help. Something may strike a chord with a member of staff: they could have a personal interest in reading and literacy and be looking for an opportunity to exploit these at work.
After sending an email, particularly if it’s short,plan a follow up phonecall a few days later to check they’ve received it and are considering it. It’s also the opportunity to judge their response and see if it’s likely that you will have a positive response. You can talk further about your initiative, explain more and answer any queries.
Also explore with friends, colleagues and contacts to see if you have a personal route into an organisation – it might well be worth exploiting that too – even if at a later date.
Most importantly, put yourself in the shoes of those you are contacting and think about what issues you think they would have to consider in their role. It’s difficult if you know nothing about the industry in which they work, but it’s important to be appreciative of what pressures they are under and what may influence their decisions. What would you think if you were in their job and someone contacted you about supporting reading and literacy? They are unlikely to be aware of the real issues you are trying to address, even if they are largely sympathetic in theory.
Not getting a response
It’s worth hassling a few times and calling, but knowing when to give up is important! There is a fine balance between following up enquiries and becoming a persistent nuisance that won’t go away – needless to say being the latter won’t endear you to the company you are trying to work with!
It’s likely that you will have more “no’s” than “yes’s” but keep going. That one Yes will make up for all the No’s. it might also be the case that you have a better/more appropriate project to go back to a company with in a year’s time – it is never worth jeopardising the future….
Getting something for nothing – developing discussions about the level of support you are after. If you don’t ask you don’t get! It’s always worth asking – use your own judgement as to what you think your contacts might go for. If an organisation is keen to support your initiative but is struggling to come up with a “how” it could work well to go to them with a funding suggestion – it’s easier for them to think about!
A small menu of opportunities could work well too – you stand the chance of at least one suggestion striking a chord and provoking a response. I’ve listed below some ideas for the type of activities businesses could carry out.
- Displaying posters, distributing leaflets with key messages – easy, low maintenance.
- Website messages or directing to your website – a good way of monitoring the success rate.
- Start a reading project which could begin in the workplace – it could be the beginning of ongoing support.
- Encourage organisations and businesses to offer training programmes, signpost towards services or give a list of ideas of what a company could be providing or promoting to their work force.
- Working together endorsing your initiative or carrying out a joint promotion. Be clear about who is paying for what.
- Encourage staff to join a reading volunteering scheme linked to local schools or colleges.
Following up – continuing the relationship
Follow up does depend on whether you are working on a one-off project or on a continued partnership. If the project or initiative has ended keep up the contact, occasional emails, letter or a phone call updating on a project is a good way to keep your foot in the door. You never know when you might want to work with them again.
If you are working on a continuing partnership or are keen to broker one, you’ll find, as is the case in all areas of work, that the more you work with them the more you get to know them and, more importantly, they get to know and trust and, hopefully, prioritise their relationship with you. You’ll get a better idea of how they work, whether they are good to work with and if there is potential for a future relationship. BUT if managing the relationship is labour-intensive, you might want to evaluate if the end product is worth the time you put into it?
Managing expectations is key – it’s good to state clearly at the beginning what you understand everyone’s expectations are –these may change throughout the duration of the project, but everyone will feel happier if there is clarity about the purposes of the partnership.
It’s good to remain objective and reasonably self-critical about your work together. Being open-minded can lead to new ideas developing and perhaps a better understanding if things do go slightly awry!
