I am often encouraging people to support small, local businesses, but with everything the world is going through at the moment it is more important than ever! For obvious reasons, this is something I am extremely passionate about and where possible I try to practice what I preach. I appreciate that at the moment money is tight for a lot of people, but did you know there is a lot you can do to support small businesses without spending a penny?
With the wonderful world of social media, there is so much you can do without even leaving the sofa to support small businesses. Perhaps the most obvious is to like and follow their various social media pages. You can even go one step further and share posts amongst your own friends. Another thing that I feel really helps is to interact with businesses on these platforms. Liking and commenting on posts can really help us to see what you like, and what you don’t. Personally, I often put posts asking for feedback and the more I get, the more I can steer my products towards my audience.
Something that a lot of people take into consideration before making a purchase is reviews. If you did make a purchase from a smaller business and were pleased with the product or service, please, please, please give some feedback! Facebook pages often have a section for reviews, but I also love it when a customer messages me directly. It is also a huge help if you can recommend to friends. When you buy a product or service keep a hold of their business card or label so when someone asks you where you got something you can tell them!
Once we are able to leave the house again (when this lockdown finally ends), lots of small businesses attend shows and fairs such as craft and gift fairs. Obviously, the main aim at these events is to sell, but I know personally I really appreciate people coming over just to say hi and that they like my products. It is a fairly small gesture but people being nice to each other can give a well needed boost.
At the end of the day, businesses can’t survive if no one ever buys their goods or services. Obviously, I am not going to tell you to buy goods or services you don’t want, need (or can’t afford). However, if you are looking to buy something that is also offered by a smaller, local business, perhaps consider supporting them instead of one of the industry giants.