Ways To Boost Community Engagement for Your Business

Julie Starr • August 20, 2021



Every business should have community engagement as a part of its overall marketing strategy. This is because it is a vital tool for businesses to build trust and make better, people-related decisions. By engaging with the community on all the various forms you can, social media, online, in person, at events, etc., you are privy to some great data for analysis. Your overall goal should be to find better ways to connect with people to build loyalty and create more targeted and specific products and services. The better you can fulfill someone’s needs, the more they will use you. 

Images

When you post a story on your social media account, you need to accompany it with glossy images. These really help you sell your story. Say you have created a new and excellent sustainable product, you need to show the world. You can show behind the scene images of the creators, people love that kind of stuff. It makes you seen very accessible, and you will be humanizing your brand. The more images you post, the more your customers can see how real you are when it comes to your key messages. 

 

Core Values

You need a marketing campaign that really highlights your core values . This way, you can connect with people, build trust and create a loyal customer base. Sustainability is a great value and something that you can showcase in many forms. You can show the world the measures your office or factory has put in place to be more sustainable – trees in the alcoves, etc. These can be posted online to communicate with people and show that you’re not just saying you’re sustainable, you really are. 

 

Use Community Software

If you want help in building your online community, you can always seek help from professionals. Whatever your need, someone is sure you have you covered. So do a little reach ad see what you can discover. Community platform choices come in all shapes and colors, and most are fully customizable. So think about your preferences, like sustainability, and go from there.

Creating a more personal relationship with your customers and the community you serve is very critical. This is because customers must relate to your business in a specific way for your company to thrive. So, first begin, by having a common platform that the people surrounding your business can voice their opinions freely, ensure that the means used are environmentally friendly and do not pose any risk to the larger community.

In addition, streamlining operations and finding how to improve your local SEO will give your business an added advantage. It will provide you with a clear insight into the consumer patterns so that you can adapt your products to them. This will ensure that you utilize the available resources effectively, minimizing wastes and increasing output.

 

Showcase Customers

A great way to build that ever-important trust is to make a point of showing the world success stories from your customers. Nothing sells a product more than other customers being raving fans. Share these customer stories, and if you can, share images of them too. Encourage all your customers to leave reviews and open up the lines of communication by asking questions on your pages. 

 

Don’t Be Afraid of Emotions

If you can show the world your human side all the better. Perhaps a new product has been designed by your company which really helps the world become more sustainable. Let everyone see the mixture of happy emotions you experience. Being proud and happy is great, and if the emotion is a raw as it can be, it will come across as sincere. Make people laugh too. This can be one of your most powerful weapons if you do it just right.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.