Since our first day in business, Amy Levy has required that our clients give back to their communities in some way. Support a local school or senior center, donate their company’s food to help feed the hungry, give their time cleaning up a park or beach.

According to Linda Baker in the Birmingham Business Journal, “Many companies feel a responsibility to participate in making the communities where they earn their money better places to live. “These companies are more successful, because when quality and service are equal, a customer prefers to do business with a company that has a reputation for doing good,” she says. If you want your target audience to like you, remember you and support you — especially millennials — you need to speak to their hearts and minds.

A brand has to be caring and consistent. It needs to stand for something. You don’t want your customer to walk by your restaurant saying, “I do not dine in that restaurant because they don’t support gay marriage” or “We tried to sell our Girl Scout cookies there, but the manager said, “No.” Come on, it’s 2021!

It’s no secret that positive messaging resonates with consumers. By finding a worthy cause or reinforcing positive associations throughout your brand marketing campaigns, you’ll succeed in building credibility and loyalty. Your goal should be to ensure that your brand is not just well-known, but that it has heart.

The more credible you become, the more likely your target audience will want to buy from you and they’ll recommend your product to their friends and family. How do you give back?