By Heather Ripley ‘Tis the season to be charitable. The holiday season often brings out our country’s most benevolent feelings, but it’s also a great time of year to publicize your company’s charitable donations. Many news outlets tend to focus on what local businesses are doing for the community as an example of the Christmas Read more
Giving Back
By Heather Ripley
‘Tis the season to be charitable.
The holiday season often brings out our country’s most benevolent feelings, but it’s also a great time of year to publicize your company’s charitable donations. Many news outlets tend to focus on what local businesses are doing for the community as an example of the Christmas spirit or as part of a year-in-review story.
As a plumbing contractor, you are looking for ways to stand out from your competition, and one way to do that is to publicize your company’s volunteer spirit.
Studies also show that younger generations take a company’s charitable giving into account when making purchasing decisions, and all generations look favorably at successful companies that give back to their community.
Here are three reasons why sharing information about your company’s altruistic programs can help you stand out from the crowd and heighten your reputation.
1. Attract Customers and Retain Talent
As a public relations professional, I speak to many business owners who feel like it’s self-serving to promote their own philanthropic efforts, but our agency highly recommends it, and here’s why: recent studies show that consumers want to know how businesses are supporting good causes. According to a YouGov poll, nearly half of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that gives to a charity, while only 5% say they are less inclined to do so.
Given those odds, touting your efforts on your social media platforms, through press releases, and on your company’s blog will attract more customers who want to support businesses that care about the issues that are important to them.
In addition to consumer interest, most employees—65%—also prefer to work for companies that value social and environmental causes. Retention experts say that employees are happier when they work for a company that shares their personal values.
Collecting donations and offering volunteer opportunities boosts your employees’ morale and helps them connect with your company and its causes on a deeper level.
2. Boost Your Reputation
As a home service company, it’s imperative that you build trust in your community. Because you work with your customers in their most intimate settings, it’s important they have faith in your work and in your judgment.
By publicizing your philanthropic efforts, potential customers can see that you care. And, if your team also volunteers for activities to help the charities you’ve chosen to support, your company and its employees become more visible in the community.
This type of public relations (PR) associates your brand name with a cause and creates a positive image in the minds of consumers when they see your company name. A great example of this kind of PR is the Dawn Saves Wildlife campaign. As a result of news articles and an intense advertising campaign, people now associate the dish soap with the protection of wildlife after oil and chemical spills, and many consumers prefer to purchase that soap over others because they support the wildlife campaign.
3. Differentiate Your Company
If you’ve ever Googled your industry to see how many competitors you have in your local market, you are aware that you are probably one of several plumbing companies in your service area.
Most likely, their marketing teams are also producing door hangers, designing cool truck wraps, and are monitoring the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your website to attract customers. That’s why you need to do something to differentiate your company from your competition, and that “something” involves public relations.
If you have an effective PR partner, they can help you develop stories, social media and blog posts, and press releases about your company’s good deeds and will work to garner media interest in these efforts.
This not only gets you noticed by your local media, it also improves your standing on Google’s search results—the more times your company’s name appears in links outside of your website, the higher you’ll be listed in those results.
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t be afraid to showcase your philanthropic endeavors. But you need to do it tastefully. Building a solid PR campaign or working with a professional PR team can help you differentiate your company and celebrate your efforts while avoiding the pitfalls of sounding insincere.
Heather Ripley is founder and CEO of Ripley PR, an elite, global public relations agency specializing in the franchising, skilled trades and B2B tech industries. Ripley PR has been listed by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top Franchise PR Agency for seven consecutive years and was recently named as one of Newsweek’s America’s Best Public Relations Agencies for 2024. Heather Ripley was recently named as a 2024 PRNews Top Women honoree in the business entrepreneur category, and she was recently named as ACHR NEWS’ Top Women in HVAC. She is also the author of “NEXT LEVEL NOW: PR Secrets to Drive Explosive Growth for your Home Service Business,” which is now available on all audiobook platforms. For additional information, visit www.ripleypr.com.
https://vimeo.com/1032700697 We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and you are able to take some time to share it with family, friends and loved ones. This update is dedicated to some examples of those giving back. We’ll also tell you what’s cooking with our weekly podcasts as well Read more
We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and you are able to take some time to share it with family, friends and loved ones. This update is dedicated to some examples of those giving back. We’ll also tell you what’s cooking with our weekly podcasts as well.
Leading manufacturer partners with charitable organizations in Pennsylvania and Michigan this Thanksgiving, committing $25,000 in donations Ambler, Pa. — Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks, is providing much needed support for three charitable organizations this Thanksgiving season, including Jaws Youth Playbook, Mel Trotter Ministries and Philabundance. The company’s Read more
Leading manufacturer partners with charitable organizations in Pennsylvania and Michigan this Thanksgiving, committing $25,000 in donations
Ambler, Pa. — Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks, is providing much needed support for three charitable organizations this Thanksgiving season, including Jaws Youth Playbook, Mel Trotter Ministries and Philabundance. The company’s charitable contributions include both monetary support and employees volunteering their time.
“At Bradford White, we manufacture water heating products that provide families with access to essential hot water for their health, safety and comfort,” said Rebecca Owens, senior communications manager at Bradford White Corporation. “That said, we recognize that too many families and individuals have even greater concerns this holiday season, like having enough to eat. Through our support, our hope is that we lessen the worry over food for our communities and honor the true meaning of Thanksgiving.”
Leading manufacturer Bradford White Corporation sponsors Ron Jaworski’s (pictured, right) Jaws Youth Playbook Turkey Drive along with other charities in Pennsylvania and Michigan to support the fight against hunger this Thanksgiving.
Once again, the company is partnering with former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and his foundation Jaws Youth Playbook. Their $5,000 donation supports a Thanksgiving Turkey Drive where full meals will be distributed to families in need across Philadelphia.
Bradford White is also excited to sponsor this year’s Camp Out for Hunger, and provide a $10,000 donation to Philabundance, the beneficiary of the event. Each year, local Philadelphia radio hosts Preston & Steve “camp out” at the Wells Fargo Center complex for a week, broadcasting live and encouraging donations of food or funds to Philabundance.
Plus, this year employees at Bradford White’s headquarters in Ambler, PA, will be hosting a food drive and donating the collected items to Camp Out for Hunger in support of Philabundance, whose mission is to drive hunger from communities today and to end hunger for good.
Bradford White’s contribution to Mel Trotter Ministries in Middleville, MI, includes both time and treasure for the Thanksgiving Community Meal at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, MI. Their $10,000 donation allows many unhoused individuals and families to eat a full meal around a community table on Thanksgiving. In addition, 25 Middleville employees and their families plan to volunteer at the event.
“We love being a part of the communities where we live and work and believe that no one in them should have to go hungry,” Owens said. “We’re so thankful that organizations like these exist, and being able to partner with them and brighten Thanksgiving for our neighbors in need is a meaningful way to kick off the holiday season.”
For more information about Bradford White Corporation, visit https://www.bradfordwhitecorporation.com.
Columbus, Ohio — Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, a leading heating, cooling and plumbing company serving greater Columbus, is proud to announce it is providing a complimentary Carrier home heating and cooling system to an outstanding local educator. Since 2022, Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has provided a free heating and cooling system to an Read more
Columbus, Ohio — Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, a leading heating, cooling and plumbing company serving greater Columbus, is proud to announce it is providing a complimentary Carrier home heating and cooling system to an outstanding local educator. Since 2022, Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has provided a free heating and cooling system to an educator within its service area.
This year, a free Carrier home heating and cooling system is being given to Reid Parrett, an intervention specialist at Franklin Heights High School. Parrett has a history of helping students both during and after-hours to ensure every student has what they need to succeed. In addition to teaching within her school, Parrett volunteers at her church’s nursery.
“Our teachers invest in local youth every day. Today, we are so proud to invest in one of them,” said Mike Roszkowski, President of Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. “Supporting a local educator each year is something we are incredibly proud of here at Buckeye. We are thrilled to celebrate Ms. Parrett and the contributions she makes in the classroom.”
Buckeye Heating, Cooling & Plumbing’s teacher home comfort system giveaway is part of its MAX Gives initiative that focuses on charitable contributions to the communities in which the company serves. Other initiatives have included HVAC giveaways to families in need, water heater giveaways to first responders and community volunteers, monetary contributions to local charities, scholarships to deserving high school seniors, and donations to local families in need during the holiday season.
Central Florida plumbing and HVAC company to celebrate rapid expansion, company culture. Mechanical One, a leading HVAC, gas and plumbing services provider, will change lives when it awards mortgage-free homes to two employees this holiday season. The winners will be picked in a lottery during an event on December 3 at the Hard Rock Live Read more
Central Florida plumbing and HVAC company to celebrate rapid expansion, company culture.
Mechanical One, a leading HVAC, gas and plumbing services provider, will change lives when it awards mortgage-free homes to two employees this holiday season. The winners will be picked in a lottery during an event on December 3 at the Hard Rock Live at Universal Orlando Resort. More than a thousand people are expected at the event, which will include a speech from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
At the time of the home giveaway announcement in December 2021, there were 65 employees working at the company. That number has grown more than 500% in just the past nine months. With demand for HVAC, gas and plumbing services growing to meet housing needs in Central Florida, Mechanical One is meeting builders’ needs with its expanding workforce.
“We build communities at work, but we want to better communities during that time outside of work. Investing in our employees has been one of our top priorities. We see each employee as a family that our company is supporting, rather than an individual who is coming to work each day,” said Mechanical One President Jason James.
The company offers day one health insurance options that also include coverage for mental health. Mechanical One also gives employees access to free financial education tools. In order to qualify for the free home giveaway, employees must be employed at Mechanical One for a year, take a financial education course and complete 20 hours of community service.
Mechanical One first opened its doors in July 2021. The company serves top homebuilders, such as Pulte, Lennar and Taylor Morrison. With a presence throughout Central Florida and the Treasure Coast, employees work on HVAC, plumbing and gas for thousands of homes each year.
To learn more about Mechanical One, visit their website.