So the world is going crazy and we’re officially in the midst of a global pandemic... What a start to 2020!! And you’d better believe that all this talk of quarantine has small businesses shaking in their boots. No one outright plans to have a bad first quarter, but that’s exactly what a lot of us are facing. “Shop Small” and “Shop Local” are more important than ever, but it can be hard to know how to do that when we’re all on house arrest. WELL, have I got good news for you!? Below is a list of 4 ways you can continue to support your favorite small businesses AND stay #quarantinesafe.
#1 Like, comment, and share
This is the easy one. It’s the first one that comes to mind and it takes no time to get it done. If you know someone who runs a small business, have you liked their page? Are you sure? I literally know TONS of people with small businesses and I’m pretty sure I’ve liked maybe 10% of their pages. So that’s my first #quarantinegoal. If you want to know where I’ll be for the next 24 hours, you can find me liking pages ;D Now, if you’ve already liked/followed, have you commented on a post recently? Or shared something from their page to your newsfeed? These may seem like small things, but they have a big impact.
#2 Write a review
This one takes a little longer, but it doesn’t have to be a crazy time-investment. Lots of people think of reviews as having to be big, drawn out things with several paragraphs… but honestly a sentence is plenty. Better, even, because keeping things short and sweet means potential customers are more likely to actually read to the end. So get to reviewing! And spread the wealth. If you see that the business you’re reviewing already has a bunch of facebook reviews, check to see if they could use something on google or yelp.
#3 Subscribe to their e-newsletter
I know a lot of small business owners who work super hard at keeping up with their e-newsletters. I’m one of the delinquents who should definitely get on that (maybe another #quarantinegoal?), but for the rest of the small business world who’s putting their hearts and souls into their weekly/monthly mailings, the more subscribers the merrier. And if you like the person/business, chances are you’re going to like what they have to say! It’s a win-win!
#4 Referrals
Here’s where you get to get a little creative! Finding ways to make helpful connections can be super fun and even a little empowering :D Start by thinking of the small business you want to help out. Then run through a list of all their services/products (bonus points if you head their website to make sure you actually know everything they offer!). Finally, start thinking of all the ways that their services/products could be useful to all of the people in your life. And that’s where you get to be creative! You never know what kinds of crazy connections will be the most useful! Even better, did you know that more and more companies are giving perks for WOM/Referrals? This can be anything from additional discounts for you and the person you referred to a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant or coffee shop. Not sure if your business-owning friends are running Covid-19 promotions? Just ask! :D