7 Ways to Support Small Business
Have you ever made a purchase from a small business? If so, at least two things may have happened. One, the owner did a happy dance! Unlike giant mega corporations that probably don’t notice our individual purchases, each and every transaction is noticeable and appreciated by small business owners. And two, you may have (hopefully) experienced some personalised customer service.
Your support of small businesses will encourage their continuation and secure for them a valuable place in your community, and will reward or recognise hard working entrepreneurs. This NSW Small Business Month (or anytime for that matter), if you’re looking to support a small business, here are seven low cost ways to help give a big impact!
1. Like, comment and share their social media posts
Engagement is king to small businesses on social media. By liking, commenting or sharing their posts, you ensure that it shows up on more people’s feeds and the brand’s message has a greater reach. Social media platforms will show popular posts to more people to keep engagement flowing so by doing this consistently for a small business, you allow them to open up more of an audience.
2. Refer the business to friends and family
Word of mouth is still the best advertising in the world. People want to know from those they trust, what they liked (and didn’t like) about a business or brand. The value in a reference, an introduction or the sharing of a page increases the likelihood others will become customers too.
3. Visit their website and browse around for a bit
It can be a weird realisation, but our online activity is tracked more than some of us care to know. Not only are things like clicks tracked, but the time you linger on a post and jump between pages on a website tells the algorithm about your interest levels. If you click on a website and jump straight off, it learns that the result wasn’t what you were looking for and will probably not show the page to others. On the contrary, if you look through pages, click links, read and refer to other pages again, the algorithm learns that the website is useful to you and recommends it to others by placing it higher in search results. This helps a small business’ search engine optimisation (SEO) and in turn help the business.
4. Don’t ask for a discount
Whilst we all love a bargain, when it comes to friends in small business, it’s important to value their experience. Small business owners invest countless hours in their trade, product or service and often have really high overhead costs. In the same way you wouldn’t barter with a large supermarket chain, don’t undervalue the time, energy and experience invested by small business owners in the solutions they offer. And unlike some large faceless company, you’re more likely to get added value in terms of customer service and experience when using a small business. It can help when considering pricing to think about all the years of energy, experience, tools or learning someone had to do to offer what they do, and know that a few extra dollars locally will make an important difference as opposed to something cheap, imported or mass produced.
5. Make a purchase
When you buy from a small business it makes so much more of a difference than buying from a big conglomerate. I know many small business owners that do a little happy dance when their customers choose them. If you value local community, hand-made items and supporting small businesses, then making a purchase is an excellent way to put your money where your mouth is. The dollars that you spend will likely be reinvested and assist their businesses to make the next step in it’s growth, reach more customers and in turn keep offering their product or service to the community.
6. Buy a gift card to use later
Perhaps you’d like to make a purchase, but don’t need something right now. Most small businesses offer a gift certificate, and this can be an excellent way to support them. You can save the card to spend later, or gift it to someone who you know will love what they offer. Gift certificates help to keep cash flow going.
7. Leave a Google review
Great reviews can help attract more customers to the business, increasing sales and revenue. When potential customers see positive customer reviews, they will trust a business more, and most likely make a purchase. Google reviews also help a business rank higher in local search results. It’s like a public shout out that carries weight, even with people you’ve never met. Reviews draw out positive aspects of the business that people may be looking for, so whether you loved the product, the service or something else, make sure to note it in your review. Leave as much detail as possible so that people who may have questions can have them answered.
Small businesses are such an integral part of local communities. If you’re looking for ways to support a local business this NSW Small Business Month, or anytime throughout the year, consider doing a combination of these ideas and know that your contribution, no matter how big or small, is fueling the fire of a local business. Their cashflow and creativity will continue to flow thanks to you and who knows what greater impact will come about from a small act of support and generosity. If you run a small business and wish to help others understand the ways they can support you, feel free to download and share the graphic below and together, let’s be #smallbusinessstrong.
