Information is powerful. We are all acutely, painfully aware that social media has become the preferred medium for transmission of information. Businesses, both large and small, spend millions of dollars annually to protect their brand across social media platforms. In 2022, there is nothing that will destroy a business more quickly than going “viral” for all the wrong reasons. But what is also true is that there is nothing that will grow a business more quickly than going “viral” for all the RIGHT reasons. There are many, many businesses in your community that are doing amazing, good work that goes unnoticed and unrecognized by consumers. Businesses are under pressure to walk a fine line when it comes to talking about the good things that they are doing. Every company struggles to avoid the perception that they are only doing good things for the publicity. Even when businesses do talk about their philanthropic endeavors, it will never have the same wide-reaching impact that consumer influence can have.
Businesses watch consumer behavior. Everything that a business does, every decision that a business makes is based on consumer behavior. As consumers, we have ALL the power. When we reward businesses that are doing good things by buying what they are selling and persuading our friends and neighbors to buy what they are selling, it has a tremendous impact on business practices. In the age of social media, your ability to impact those business practices has increased exponentially.
Were you aware that as a consumer, you can use this power to change the world? I affectionately call this being a “hope dealer” because hope dealers create hope both for the individuals who are directly benefitting from these good works and for the businesses that are doing good. Below, I have outlined the very simple process for becoming a “hope dealer.”
First, every day, carve out at least 5 minutes to find a business that is doing good in your community. When you find that business, recognize them by “sharing” that business across all social media platforms. Finally, tag your friends in those posts and encourage them to join in this movement. We want to encourage everyone, everywhere to become a hope dealer in their community and in the world. Successful businesses can become the biggest hope dealers of them all and we can use our power as consumers to influence these businesses to give back in big ways. Five minutes, every day is all you need to change the world, one business at a time.
