5 Ways To Support Small Business

Support your local small business owners!

The business owners in your community have always been there to support community endeavors, local charities, local schools and local sports. Now, more than ever, they need us to return the favor by shopping local but here are 5 things you can do today to support your local businesses that won’t cost you anymore than a couple minutes of your time.

1. LEAVE A REVIEW

Reviews are incredibly important for local business’ today. Take a few minutes and visit your favorite local business’ at their Google Listing, Facebook Page, Yelp listing, whichever platforms that you are used to using and give them 5 stars. Recommend their services and write a few sentences about what you liked about their product or service. Extra points when you insert a few ‘keywords’ or the types of words that someone might use when searching for their services.

2. FOLLOW & LIKE THEIR POSTS

When you follow and engage with your local business’ posts it helps to increase their reach on that Social platform. On Facebook this is commonly called Edgerank which is an older term that has been replaced by a machine learning algorithm. The concept is still a thing though and it basically means that Facebook shows posts that have more engagement to more people. So like, follow and comment because it only takes a second and it makes a difference.

3. SHARE THEIR POSTS

A continuation from the concept above which also helps to increase reach. I have heard it said that the average person knows about 250 people, when you share content about a local business with your circle of friends it has a chance to reach people that may not have heard about that business. Your friends see this as an endorsement of that business which carries a lot more weight than a business could receive from even paid advertisements. Sharing is caring folks!

4. REFER THEM

We all have opportunities to make connections between friends or acquaintences and the local business’ that we enjoy supporting. As an example when someone needs to hire a repair company or a contractor their trust level increases greatly when they can rely on a referral from a friend. If you have never been involved in operating or marketing a small business, you might not be aware. Repeat and referral customers are absolutely the most coveted source of business. They tend to be the best customers and because you don’t have to purchase an ad to obtain them, they are also the most lucrative. Be kind, talk about great experiences with local business’ it will be appreciated.

5. CHEER THEM ON

Pretty simple concept, do all the above and remind a friend and family member to shop local. I don’t think or the big box stores are hurting as much as local business’ are in 2020. Cheer on the small guys and gals, the ones that show up to help in your community, the ones that are creating jobs. It doesn’t cost anything to support your local business and some kind words can go a long ways.