Doing Good in the World

In an old story, a man sees three construction workers wearing dusty clothes and working in the hot summer sun. He asks the first worker, “What are you doing?” and the man replies, “I’m laying bricks.” When he asks the second construction worker what he’s doing, that one says, “I’m building a wall.” As the man approaches the third worker, he can hear that man humming as he works. Intrigued, the man asks, “What are you doing?” The third worker breaks into a smile and says, “I am building a cathedral.”

Sometimes, you can make things easier just by changing your point of view. Whether you’re a small-business entrepreneur or the interactive marketing director for a huge organization, creating an energizing vision for the people around you is one of the most important things you can do. When you create that vision, building and maintaining a vibrant online reputation will happen almost effortlessly.

Sharing valuable resources

One of the most powerful ways you can do good in the world for your fans and clients online is to publish informative or entertaining posts that can be easily shared. People come to the Internet for valuable information. When you supply information about your field you will gather a following as people find out about you. Don’t worry about trying to supply all kinds of content to all kinds of people — that’s impossible. It doesn’t diminish your credibility at all to admit that you can’t be all things to all people all the time. People appreciate your honesty and transparency.

They also appreciate your good taste and ability to qualify resources when you share links to products and services related to your area of expertise that are genuinely remarkable, reputable, and stand behind what they do. I especially appreciate service providers who willingly share out of the goodness of their hearts, and not because an affiliate link is going to make them money or enhance a highly influential relationship.

Promoting meaningful causes

It’s a good idea to consider what meaningful cause stirs you. If you are representing a larger brand, consider what meaningful causes resonate with your brand’s core values. There are a million different ways to implement this. I encourage you to expand your thinking about how to amplify your positive reputation online. Some examples of meaningful causes include

Organic farming for a restaurant

Going green for an architectural firm

Literacy programs for a writer

Always do your homework when investigating any charity that your brand will be referencing online. Make sure what it says matches what it does.