Support Small Businesses Without Breaking the Bank
In an age where shopping is at the fingertips of a consumer, it can be difficult to connect with smaller or locally owned business owners and artisans. Or, if you do stumble upon a small business website, their prices may be different than what you were expecting to pay. After the holidays is a tough time for many businesses because consumers have less to spend after holiday expenses, and have not received their tax refunds yet. Here are some tips that will help you support a small business without breaking the bank.
The Internet is your Friend
The biggest tool any creator or small business owner has these days is the access to a world of sharing information. When shopping or browsing, many consumers use the internet to find what they are looking for. This includes going to websites through Google search. Just searching for a small business online helps them to reach more people. The more you are able to click through and browse a website of a small business, the more likely that business is to show up when someone else searches for a relating term on Google or another search engine.
Get Social
Just as searching a business online helps to grow their traffic, visiting their social media pages does this too. A follow and a like can go a long way. If a small business does not have that many followers or content interactions, then passersby on these platforms are less likely to stop and look at their page. However, if a brand has a good reputation and many followers supporting them, more people are likely to browse and purchase form these businesses. So, if you see a local small business or just one that you like, make sure to give them a follow on Instagram, Facebook, or any other platform they are on.
Spread the Word
Often times small businesses do not have large advertising budgets. They may have to rely on positive experience and reputation alone. If you really love what a business stands for but you cannot afford to purchase from them, tell your family and friends about them. You can do this as simply as telling people you know about the business. For bonus points, you can even share their social media information on your Instagram, Facebook, or even TikTok. This helps to make a community more aware of the brand. In addition, people will then trust this brand more.
Give a Gift Card
If you love everything a small business is bout but aren’t ready to commit to a purchase, give the gift of a gift card. Valentine’s day and Mother’s Day are just around the corner, so what better gift to give than one where the recipient can pick out an item of their choosing! Gift Cards can help businesses through slow seasons.
It’s the Little Things that Count
A great way to show your love for a business is to buy what you can afford from them. This can be something as little as a sticker or notepad. In the pst, I have had many customers who could not afford a, art piece from me. Instead of going away immediately, they instead made a smaller purchase. Every dollar helps to keep a small business alive.
In Conclusion
I hope that after reading this you have a better idea of how you can help to support small businesses everywhere. As a small business I would love if you shopped around my site, click below to give me a follow on Instagram, or just say hello.
-Hannah Grucelski, Owner of Art Bee Studios