It’s important for a business to be connected with their community. Even if you have a global market, it’s still important to invest in the city you’re headquartered in. It’s where you and your employees live, and if you can build relationships and connect with other organizations in your community, only good things can come from it.

Here are three easy ways your business can become more involved and respected within your community.

Give Generously to Local Nonprofits
As a business owner, your mailbox may be inundated with fundraising letters from your local nonprofit organizations. It can be tempting to toss them aside as junk mail. Before you do so, remind yourself that every letter represents a worthy cause that’s providing your community with an essential service, and that these nonprofits can only function if they have the help of for-profit businesses like yours.

Essentially, each side the equation needs each other, so don’t be overly stingy. From a societal perspective, your business plays a greater role than simply making money to line your pockets. Even if your motive to give is to improve your company’s reputation, that’s okay. A lot of good can come from that money, and a lot of good things come to businesses that are charitable.

Promote Your Business with Freemiums
When giving back to your community, you’re not just limited to giving money, you can give whatever products or services you specialize in too. The angle here is that you’ve got something that somebody wants; enough to pay for it. By giving away your valuable product in the form of a freemium, it can be enjoyed by another organization that may not have the funds for it. They will spread the word throughout the community of your generosity. In turn, you can promote the giveaway as a feel-good story which makes for great advertising.

Use Your Expertise as a Platform for Community Involvement
You’re already positioning yourself as a thought leader within your industry, but did you know that your local community can benefit from your expertise, too? For example, keep an eye on the headlines in your local newspaper, every once in awhile there will be a story that touches on what your business specializes in. When this happens (and it eventually will), your community will turn to its local experts for relevant answers.

Having the local spotlight shine on your business like this is great for your company’s reputation, and it will only happen if your community knows that you’re available to share your expert commentary. The only way that they’ll know that you’re available is if you’re involved with your community. This is just one of the many benefits of having your business involved in local affairs.

These are three easy ways for your business to connect locally. As you can image, there are many more ways to be involved in your community, the important thing is that you step up to the plate and do something. What are some ways that your business has successfully connected with your community? Share with us the best ways you’ve connected in the comments.