15 Aug How to Help Independent Businesses (Even without Spending Money)

It seems to be getting harder and harder for small, independent businesses to compete against the ‘big boys’ and get a foothold in the market. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main factors is how difficult it is to get the word out there. After all, no matter how good a restaurant, bar, or coffee shop is, it’s no good unless people know that it’s there.

Obviously, if you like what a local business is doing, the best way to support them is by giving them your custom. However, none of us are made of money, and we may not always be able to do so. Thankfully, there are a bunch of ways you can help an indie business survive, even without spending a dime. Let’s explore a few of them.

Like and comment on their posts

In this day and age, a small business cannot hope to survive without a good social media presence. However, the social media companies don’t make it easy for those who are just starting out. For example, Facebook’s algorithms are constantly changing, and this makes it harder for businesses’ posts to be seen, even by people who follow them. Luckily, as a supportive fan of their business, you can help with this. Liking a post from your favourite Even better; commenting on that post will almost guarantee that more people see it, as it will appear in the news feed of all your friends who follow you. Even if the comment is just one word, or even just a smiley face, it will help the business a great deal.

Share their work as much as possible

This ties in to what we were talking about in the previous point – helping businesses to get the word out by boosting their audience as much as possible. This could be sharing a post from a great local hair salon, or taking a picture of one of your friend’s sculptures and sharing it on Instagram. It takes so little effort to do, and will be greatly appreciated by the small business owner in question. This doesn’t just apply to social media, either – if you’re someone who writes a lot, you could potentially mention the business in a blog or an article – this is bound to do wonders for their exposure.

There are people whose entire careers exist because someone influential shared some of their work on their social media platform. Even if your follower count is modest, never forget how important social media can be.

Tell your friends about them

As we have already outlined, social media is an incredibly effective tool in the promotion of a new business, but it pales in comparison to the impact of being told about it in person. If a friend mentions that they are looking to get a haircut, and you know of a great local salon that’s struggling for business, be sure to tell them about it. This is a win for all involved – the salon will get a new customer, it will make you feel good that you’ve helped a struggling business, and your friend will be happy that they’ve found a great new place to go! This is especially helpful if the business in question is one that relies on repeat business, such as service outlets like hairdressers and nail salons.

Did we miss any out? Let us know in the comments on our Facebook page! Oh, and feel free to share the page with your friends…