Whether you’re a fellow small business owner or completely on the consumer side, it’s important to support the small businesses in your community. Why? Small businesses provide economic growth, local employment opportunities, and support for local charities and events.
You might be only tempted to support small businesses during Small Business Week, but studies have shown that generational preference is shifting from favoring big-box brands to supporting local businesses–especially if they’re mission-oriented and show that they care about the community, which means small businesses are getting more love throughout the year.
If you’re a consumer looking for ways to support the local businesses in your community, here are our top 5 recommendations for doing so.
Shop til you drop
No, not literally. But if you’re wanting to spend money on a product, check first to see if any local businesses carry what you’re looking for before turning to bigger companies. If you’re not interested in visiting brick-and-mortar, remember most businesses provide an avenue to shop for their products online.
If a new business moves into the neighborhood, show support by attending the grand opening or checking out their website to shop for their product or services.
Review your experience
Almost every business, from a local plumber to a healthcare provider, relies on reviews to help support their business. Reviews provide a way for interested customers to get more insight about a company, including other people’s experience, how well the product works, and what the service was like.
You can support small businesses by providing honest reviews after interacting with them. The more positive reviews a small business receives, the more they can attract new customers to their location or website.
Spread the love
You may think you can only provide a recommendation through a review, but with the explosion of social media, more customers have a way to recommend a product or a service. This can be done by either showcasing their product or the service they provided on your own social media post, or sharing posts by the business directly.
Don’t forget to tag the business if you dedicate a post to them or include hashtags that would help identify which small business you’re supporting.
Sign up for information
Most small businesses understand the importance of email marketing and are participating in one form or another. Many businesses put out newsletters to provide valuable content to their readers, others prefer emails for coupon alerts, new sales, and reminders of upcoming services or appointments.
Whatever the small businesses near you choose to do, make sure you sign up to receive their information. It helps the business build a subscription list and supports their marketing efforts, plus it helps you stay informed of news and promotions.
Think of others with gift cards
A lot of small businesses offer gift cards, service certificates, or vouchers for customers to purchase as a gift for others. Even if the receiver doesn’t use their gift immediately, the small business will still benefit from the revenue the purchase provides.
Plus, by bringing in a second customer, that’s one more person who will have an experience with the business and may return even after their voucher is used.
No matter how you decide to support the small businesses in your community, make sure you think of them all year long and not just during the month of May. If you’re a small business looking to grow, let Scorpion help you with all your marketing needs.
