How to Support Small and Local Businesses and Artists
I am sure over the last few months you have seen on social media about supporting small and local business/artists. While everyone has been affected by COVID in some way, small businesses and artists are really taking a hit. Businesses that shouldn’t have received the small business loans did and took that money from people who really need it.
Now more than ever, these businesses need your support. I think it is so important to shop small and local when you can versus buying from big corporations. As a creative myself, I see all that goes in to making a product. Its beyond the final piece that a customer or client buys. Its the countless hours spent learning and researching, all the trial and error to get to the product you see today. Not to mention all the time, money, and effort they put into marketing, their website, their social media channels, staying up to date on the latest trends, continuing education, having the most up to date technology to provide you with the best service or product possible, and much much more.
After talking to my mother-in-law several weeks ago I have been wanting to put together a post about how you can support these businesses now and moving forward!
Leave a Review
This costs you no money what-so-ever. Just a little bit of time. Even if you have never used their product or service, leave a review for a company you admire. Or would like to someday use! Reviews mean everything to small business owners and help them get more sales/leads. When other potential clients or customers come across the business and see all the 5 star reviews, this helps them buy what they are selling! Your kind words go a long way.
Interact with Them on Social Media
Did you know that the more engagement there is on a post on Facebook or Instagram, whether that be a like, comment, or share, it helps get that post in front of more people? As a business owner, you want this. You may have a friend (like me) who shares their work all the time. This is how we connect with potential clients! You doing something as simple as liking a post, sharing it when you really like what they are posting, or commenting a few words of support allows the post to reach waaaay more people than if they shared it and nothing happened. Facebook and Instagram make it hard for small businesses to use these platforms with the algorithm. Our followers see less and less of our posts all the time. You are already on social media, might as well use it to support the people or businesses you care about while on it!
Refer Them
Know someone who could use their service or would be interested in their product? Share their info! A lot of businesses are referral based. So spread some love and refer away!
Go On Their Website
If you see a small business owner share a link to their site, click on it! Even if you don’t plan to read the whole thing through (though I hope you do take a moment to see what they shared). Spending time on someone’s website helps them rank better on Google. Yep, you read that right. Going through the tabs on a site shows Google their website and business is relevant. So when someone searches for say “soy candles villa park” they will hopefully show up higher in the results. Most people don’t click past the first page of a Google search so this is a big one.
DON’T click on their website for a second and hit backspace. This will hurt their ranking! This shows Google it wasn't what you wanted when you did your search and will push their website down further into the Google rabbit hole.
Shop
This is a given. Buy local. Shop small. If you are already going to spend money or have something particular to buy that a small business can help you with, go with them! That money goes directly back into the community between paying for staff and shopping small themselves. Not to mention, this is how they keep a roof over their heads. I realize you may not be able to buy everything you need from a small business but this is a good habit to get in to.
Check out these awesome businesses/artists!
You had to know I was going to share some businesses I love :)
Market for Makers has been doing a virtual art show! They have a great list of some incredible makers to check out. And update the list every couple of weeks!