There's a lot of anger in our country right now - for a variety of different reasons.  

Sadly a lot of that anger is coming out against the men and women who serve our country and our communities.

My agency announced recently that we'd be donating $250,000 worth of video production services to police departments to help combat some of the negative perceptions that are out there.  If you're interested, you can read about that more here.

But when one of our clients heard about it, they wanted to do something special to give back as well.  

Enter: Mazda of Manchester.

In partnership with the dealership, we featured an officer from the local police department and captured his story.

The post on Facebook read:

"We support our local police departments and we are so grateful for the service and constant protection they provide for our communities in order to keep us safe. In this Ride Along video, we interviewed Officer Robert Dwy from the Manchester Police Department and learned a little bit about his story and why he loves keeping his community safe. Give it a share to show your support for the brave men and women who protect and serve."

You can see the video here.

Within days, the story was shared hundreds of times.  The local media featured the dealership.  The backlash on social was, well, surprisingly almost none.

In the comments on many of the shares, we watched as people expressed incredible support for the local police - and for the dealership for standing behind the men and women in blue.  

Community.  It's that little thing that so many of your dealerships have been a part of for years.  Don't give it up as you try and find your identity in the world of social media.

Embrace it.  Double down on it.  Understand your community and the conversations that are happening in it.  Then be a part of them.  Do it right and you'll be glad you did.

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).