CSR, Social Media and Blogging: Impact or Noise?

The ability to capitalize on opportunity or mitigate business risk often depends on the availability and access to quality information. Being able to sift through what is important and what is not can be a determining factor in transforming a good decision into business turning point. Today’s market intelligence has expanded to include business sustainability expectations, trends and requirements. Add an evolving, yet variable to the above equation: social media and what do you get? A powerful, innovative means to lead and advance in the business sustainability conversation.

However, with small business resources limited, many business owners are struggling with the benefit s of blogging and social media. Questions of why to do it, how to do it, and most of all, how to engage to generate impact rather than contribute to the noise.

As explained in our professional consulting, social media and blogging give a small business a global reach. Besides the marketing you can do in your local community, blogging and social media allow a small business to have a global following. And that could come in handy in tough economic times like these when generating revenue from beyond your own community or even country of origin can be critical. However, to effectively harness the power of social media to create value, requires strategy, engagement, transparency, and a willingness to roll with the evolving rules of social media.

To remain competitive, it's essential for small businesses to keep up. The speed of business sustainability information is rapidly increasing and global eco awareness is continually expanding. With it has become increasingly important for companies to harness the power of social media to engage with stakeholders.

Why? Because social media provides individuals, communities, businesses, and non-government organizations the ability to connect with business in meaningful discussion from anywhere in the world in real time. To focus the corporate ear, business sustainability minded organizations are engaging with stakeholders, who have a vested interest in the success of the business and profoundly advance the sustainability conversation.

Done effectively, stakeholder engagement via social media and blogging creates impact, value and advances the business sustainability conversation.