When Kim McArthur’s home burnt down in the Black Summer bushfires, her community and suppliers rallied to her support. The years spent building relationships with customers, employees, suppliers and community was reciprocated in her time of need.
Kim, who owns South Coast Brides in Nowra, had maintained an active social media presence where she developed authentic relationships with customers.
In the lead up to the bushfires, she published weekly photo updates of she and her husband building a cubby house for their children. After the fires, they were inundated with inquiries checking the cubby house had survived.
During the bushfires, Kim activated her large social media following to fundraise donations for cut off South Coast communities. Within three days, $10,000 had been amassed.
A few days later, Kim’s own home was destroyed by bushfire.
However, all the care and attention she had invested into her social media followers returned to her.
``I even had people from Sydney come down and buy their wedding dresses because they had seen our story,’’ she says.
Being able to communicate well is one of the most important skills every business owner needs. It’s a skill that can be learned and practised.
Southern NSW business owners across 12 LGAs can learn how to communicate effectively with their customers, suppliers and employees by taking part in the free Business Community Resilience (BCR) Toolkit pilot program.
Delivered by corporate2community, a social enterprise committed to building resilience in all businesses (big and small), the 26-part program helps business owners and operators take small steps to build resilience in any size and type of business by asking two yes or no questions and providing simple tips.
BCR Toolkit Module 11 – Communication is Key – is out Tuesday 22 February.
Southern NSW BCR Toolkit lead Mel Peverill said: `` There are many ways in which to communicate, including writing a blog post, publishing an article on social media channels or informing people in person, but the most important thing is to be authentic. People want to connect with a real person.’’
Business communication essentials:
- Proactively get your name out (who you are, what you do or sell and how you can help people)
- Have one-on-one conversations with employees
- Communicate with suppliers clearly and regularly
- Inform customers, employees and suppliers
- Prepare a crisis communications plan
It’s not too late to join the free BCR Toolkit program – just go to https://toolkit.corporate2community.com/.
Past modules include: 80/20 Rule, 3 Revenue Streams, Supply Chains, Linchpin, Internet Connection, Little Black Box, Next Door Saviour, No Power No Problem, My Community Needs Me and Can’t Go On. Data collected during the BCR Toolkit program is shared with local working group representatives including councils and business chambers to support local learning and future funding outreaches.
The BCR Toolkit program runs until September 2022. The program is funded via the joint-funded NSW and Commonwealth Government Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF). The Business Community Resilience (BCR) Toolkit is a FREE pilot program available to all businesses within the Local Government Areas of: Bega Valley, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Eurobodalla, Goulburn Mulwaree, Greater Hume, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Shoalhaven, Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Upper Lachlan, Wagga Wagga and Wingecarribee.
Register HERE.