My company, Optima Automotive, is launching a nationwide campaign to help auto body and auto repair shops run campaigns against teen drinking and driving and texting and driving. We’re focusing on the upcoming prom season, though this effort can be done at any time during the year.

Why am I mentioning this in my monthly Web Presence Management column? Because if you choose to participate in this, or some other community outreach campaign, you should promote it in your area so your company receives positive PR in your marketplace. And social media is one of the best ways to do that.

It Happens Every Year

It happens every year. Not once has a prom season gone by that I don’t see or hear about teens who were out partying after prom and got in an accident. Most of those accidents are caused by impaired drivers, either distracted by texting or impaired by alcohol. These deaths are totally preventable, and you can have an impact on this. Optima has put together a free package of things for you to download so you can coordinate a “Don’t Drink/Text and Drive” campaign of your own, complete with:

• A “Case For Participation” introduction to this anti-drinking/texting and driving campaign
• A checklist of things to be coordinated
• Printable posters and flyers you can customize with your company name and logo
• Sample press releases
• Fact sheets on teen driving
• Suggested word tracks for calling local schools, police departments, fire departments, local governments and insurance partners
• Suggested word tracks for writing or emailing local schools, police departments, fire departments, local governments and insurance partners
• Sample social media posts for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Sample teen driving contracts for teens drivers to sign with their parents/guardians that include clauses stating they will not drink/text and drive
• A link to DUI laws, state-by-state (www.teamdui.com/dui-laws-penalties)
• A resource directory for additional helpful information and tips
• Also available: video PSAs for purchase that you can brand

You can download all of these at www.optimaautomotive.com/dont-drink-text-and-drive-campaign.

Positive PR

Short of doing all the work for you ourselves, we couldn’t have made it any easier for you to plan and launch one of these “Don’t Drink/Text and Drive” campaigns. Imagine the positive PR you’ll receive by spearheading this campaign in your community. We’ll show you how to involve local schools and put on school demonstrations with wrecked cars, police and fire departments and medevac helicopters (assuming they respond to your request to participate; to expedite this, we’ll help you with a word track to seek their support).

We’ll show you how to promote it to your community as well. Companies promote their community outreach activities all the time. Getting the word out helps drum up participation in these events and positions those behind these efforts as civic-minded local businesses. Millennials love companies that are more than about themselves and the bottom line, so reaching them through social media and other means will shine a positive spotlight on your business.

A community outreach campaign is also a great thing to involve your employees in, especially your Millennial employees. Create an in-house committee and let your employees help plan the event. Ask them to attend the event in company shirts, pitching in, handing out flyers, passing out teen driving contracts, putting on demonstrations, etc.

Social Media Ideas

What kinds of things can you do on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to promote your participation in a community outreach campaign like this? Here are some ideas:

• You can announce your campaign to your community on Facebook, and if you use Twitter, you can tie Facebook posts to it, plus tweet regularly about it.
• You can boost or promote your Facebook posts to your community, reaching not only those who follow your business page but also those who don’t. You can target specific interest areas. You would be surprised how inexpensive it is to pay to have your posts reach thousands of people in your area.
• Shoot some videos of yourself talking about your partnership with the local school prior to prom and post them on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels. Videos are more engaging than all the other forms of posting combined. Shoot videos of cars that were damaged in drunk-driving accidents.
• The day of the event, be sure to take photos and shoot video, then post these on your social media accounts over a period of a few weeks to maximize your exposure from the event.
• Do Facebook Live prior to the day of the event and during the day of the event.

We also would suggest you add this to the home page of your website and update it regularly. That way, visitors to your site will see you’re active in your community.

Saving Lives Together

So let’s save some lives together. Who’s with me? If you do participate in hosting one of these events, let me know. I would love to see photos, video, press coverage, etc. Email me at [email protected] or find me on Facebook and private message me at www.facebook.com/mark.claypool.16. Thanks for your consideration in joining us with this campaign.