Their belief is a successful business and the community are one, and a successful business should be involved in as many aspects of the community as possible. In doing so, the business will benefit by keeping in touch with the ever-changing consumer.
Within the shooting industry, H&H Shooting Sports has been involved with the NSSF, NRA, NWTF and Safari Club International.
In their community, some of the organizations they have partnered with include the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, Oklahoma County Foster Care Review Board, Rotary Club, Oklahoma Cities “Adopt a Street,” Boy Scouts of America and Downtown College Consortium on behalf of Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.
Be A Good Corporate Neighbor
Expand Your Reach Through Community Partnerships
When it comes to growing your business, there are only a few ways to achieve the desired goal — attract new customers, increase the average sales per existing customer, or diversify product or service offerings to tap into a new consumer segment.
One way a store or range can attract new customers is through community partnerships with other small businesses or organizations in the nearby area. Doing so will help expand your reach and amplify your message to a new audience who otherwise may have never been exposed to your business.
Defying Stereotypes
For example, in 2019, Generational Guns participated in the City of Bondurant’s (Iowa) Bondu Spooktacular — a Halloween event for families.
Owners Bo and Heather Carpenter set up a table at the event with a “Ghost Shoot Out” game. They took styrofoam cups, put ghost faces on them and stacked them into pyramids. The kids had to take a Nerf gun and knock down all the ghosts to win a piece of candy.
“We were able to take something that applied to our world and apply it to a kid-friendly event,” said Heather Carpenter. “And, who doesn’t love Nerf guns and candy?!”
Firearms or firearms businesses often have a certain stereotype. Carpenter said they wanted people to see even if our industry isn’t their type of “thing” they’re still there to support the local community and are willing to educate anyone on the topic who is interested in listening.
“Our two children are at our store a lot and we always welcome our customers’ kids as well,” she added. “We believe it’s best to teach kids about firearms rather than leave them curious. We’re a family-oriented business. These events help us show it and keep our store top of mind.”
“Generational Guns” Personified
Community involvement ties in with the reason why the Carpenters chose to name their store Generational Guns in the first place.
“We wanted to be a part of every generation. We wanted to work on, see, buy and sell all generations of guns, as well as help all generations of people,” Carpenter stated. “From the older generation who may be wanting to downsize their collection to the middle-aged who may need work done on the firearms they frequently use, to the younger generation just starting out learning safety or how to use one for the first time.”
To attract a multi-generational audience, Generational Guns tries to connect with others in their community as much as possible.
“We feel through a variety of partnerships we can be a lot stronger and accomplish more,” she said. “We support our local law enforcement and many of them come in the shop regularly — whether they are here to just say hi, have some gunsmithing done or are looking for information on a case.”
Generational Guns also maintains a relationship with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Their store serves a lot of hunters who often have questions. This relationship with DNR helps them answer those questions correctly and keep up with the latest changes to rules and regulations.
“A couple of years ago, we actually worked with them to make gauges for measuring bullet sizes when the law changed to enable straight-wall cartridges for deer hunting in Iowa,” Carpenter noted.
Impact On The Bottom Line
Generational Guns also supports area nonprofits throughout the year from hosting raffles to fundraising for trap teams to raising money for members of their community who have fallen on hard times to donating items or gift baskets for charity auctions to benefit community groups.
“Word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, and all of these things allow us to get our name out there while helping someone in need at the same time,” Carpenter informed.
While it can be difficult to track the return on investment for these types of outreach initiatives, in many cases they can be more effective than traditional advertising methods.
“By being active in our community it shows we care, gets our name out there and keeps reminding people we’re here,” she said. “Bondurant is a fast-growing town now. Our involvement in the community also allows us to put a face and voice to our company.”
In a growing town, Carpenter said sometimes it can get overwhelming with all of the groups or events looking for help; whether it is time, items or monetary donations. And there are many things that factor into what opportunities they participate in.
“The things we look at include, is it industry-related, is it local, is it something that has meaning to us, is it a good cause in our opinion. If it’s any of those, then we look at if it is in the budget and/or if we can donate the time to it,” she shared.
In addition to word of mouth, Carpenter said their most successful form of marketing is social media. Generational Guns has tried radio, magazines and newspapers in the past, but when they ask customers how they found them, the most common responses are they saw the store driving by or a coworker, friend or family member told them.
“We’ve found putting in the extra effort to make their experience here unforgettable has been more effective than anything else,” she added. “It’s why community partnerships are so important: We’re bringing our atmosphere and experience outside our walls for others to see and to be a part of.”
Carpenter said, in terms of marketing, it can be challenging to reach a customer base with such a wide range of demographics.
“Paper advertisements or certain radio stations can sometimes limit those demographics, whereas family events are going to reach a broader range of people,” she said.
A Similar Philosophy
H&H Shooting Sports in Oklahoma City shares a similar philosophy when it comes to supporting community organizations. On their website they include their Helping Hands Donation Policy, which outlines the criteria they use to evaluate requests.
With more than 1,000 requests received annually from various community organizations, H&H Shooting Sports prioritizes requests from 501(c)(3) non-profits, opportunities that promote or advance shooting sports and those with the potential for long-term partnerships.
“Our involvement in the community also allows us to put a face and voice to our company.”
Heather Carpenter, Co-Owner Generational Guns
Be A Good Neighbor
The takeaway is simple. As a small business, it’s important for you to be an active member of your community. Not only is it the neighborly thing to do, but it can also help break down the stigma associated with firearms and expand your reach to a new audience.
If you’re viewed as a company that cares about people and the community, prospective guests are likely to see you in a different light. Whether it’s customers, employees or other businesses, people value companies that help others. This can also set you apart from other companies you’re competing against.
