Doing Something Good this Holiday Season? It is OK to Share!

We’re coming into the holiday season. That means a greater focus on and opportunities to participate in giving initiatives. Your brokerage may sponsor some charities or fundraising activities. These may be great opportunities for you to get involved in helping your community. You may also have connections to community or civic organizations committed to helping others, especially during this season of giving. If you are engaging in any form of charity, fundraising, or giving, you may wonder if and how to promote it on your website and social media platforms.

If you feel uneasy about announcing acts of generosity, you’re not alone. This idea of quiet giving is consistent with a cultural orientation that says anonymity is preferable to being up front about our acts of kindness. It makes sense that we might struggle with this, not wanting to appear boastful or self-aggrandizing. We also may be sensitive to not want to turn the misfortune of others into our chance to appear benevolent. 

If you are hesitant to post your giving activity on your website or social media you might want to think about it another way. When we get the word out about opportunities to help others, we aren’t just showing how wonderful we are. We are informing and inspiring others similarly. That is a much higher and worthy goal than just trying to look good. Think of announcements about participation in charitable activities as the use of digital platforms for good. Leveraging the power of websites and social media to influence, inform and inspire others to help people in need and communities is actually an appropriate and pro-social use of these powerful tools. 

Using Digital Platforms to Promote Goodness

Websites are designed to be more static than social media sites. There are, however, 2  pages on a website where frequent content updates are not only appropriate, but preferable - Events and Blog. Using these pages to announce activities like participation in charitable events and giving campaigns allows you to give more detail about the beneficiary and the need you are helping to fulfill. 

The Blog is where you can highlight the purpose, always linking to the organization. If you feel comfortable, you may ask them to share your blog on their social media, which is positive for both of you.  Remember, they are seeking resources for their cause, so your blog article talking about the organization and bringing awareness to their mission is ultimately supportive of their efforts. Do Not use the blog to promote yourself or your business. Keep the focus on those who are being served by the effort getting your support. 

Event Page is where you announce activities with details so others can join you. Make sure to include links to the host organization’s event page or Facebook event announcement. If there is a link for tickets, include that separate of the agency’s website. Make it as easy as possible for people to get information and participate. 

Social Media/Facebook is the perfect platform to share your blog and event page. Copy your blog or event page URL onto your business Facebook page and include a brief introduction. if the organization or event has a hashtag, use that every time you post about the event. If they don’t have one specific to them, use related keywords as a hashtag. This means that others searching Facebook using that hashtag will see your post. You can share your post on your personal page for added exposure. It is important to like the organization’s Facebook page and link to that page every time you post about it, using the @ sign in front of their page name. This ties your page to their page and increases exposure for both. 

We hope these suggestions clear up any ambivalence about sharing your charitable acts on your digital sites for your real estate business. Bringing awareness to a cause may set you apart as a community leader and demonstrate your care for others. As long as you maintain your primary intention is to serve others, any gain you may experience will be secondary and ethical considerations are addressed. Please let us know how we can continue to support you.