Your Reminder to Support Small Businesses This Year!
As we get closer to the gift-giving event of the year, people are frantically shopping all over to pick up that special thing for that special someone. As you’re picking out presents for everyone on your list this year, we invite you to stop, take a moment, and ask who and what you’re supporting when you spend.
The holidays are the biggest sales season for businesses of all kinds, from high fashion brands to corner cafés. For the bigger companies, this time of year is an expected spike in revenue, while many smaller companies hope the gains they make over the holidays will hold them through the rest of the year. With this in mind, there’s arguably no time of year when mindful shopping and support are more important.
We all love having small businesses around us. They give regular people the chance to create budding enterprises and success stories, add vibrancy and uniqueness to our neighbourhoods, and give us much-needed alternatives to the megacorps. However, actually showing our support to these small businesses is another matter!
Many of us are guilty of choosing the convenience and recognition of a big company instead of supporting small, local businesses. In this quick guide, we’re sharing a few ways that we can help support these smaller companies both online and offline, helping to keep them going so we can all enjoy the benefits of having them in our communities. So without further ado, here are a few reasons to support small businesses, and a few ways to do it!
Why You Should Buy Local (and Small) this Year
Why choose a smaller, local company when you’re picking out gifts this season? For many of us, the holidays have become synonymous with consumerism and materialism. We’re not here to pass judgement—after all, we all love getting gifts and giving presents to the people we care about.
With that in mind, consider the impact your purchase could make. To a big department store or a company like Amazon, an expensive gift is practically nothing to their margins. It’s a drop in a very, very big bucket. On the other hand, even a minor purchase at a small business can be a big deal by comparison. Get gifts for the whole family at one small store, and you could be helping the business operate for a whole week on your purchase alone.
When it comes to smaller businesses, every sale counts. And that means your money spent is going directly back to an entrepreneur in your community, rather than lining the (already well-lined) pockets of a handful of corporate shareholders.
We all have different priorities when it comes to the way we consume, purchase, and give things to others. But if you’re anything like us, you’re looking for ways to make the act of buying things a little more mindful and meaningful, and supporting a small business is one of the best ways to do it.
3 Ways to Support Small Businesses this Year
Now that we’ve said our piece on why you should support small businesses, let’s get into the how. Of course, one common reason that many people opt for big box stores and established brands is the slightly lower prices on some items. So we’ll be sharing ways you can support small businesses—even if you’re not in a position to do it financially.
Shop!
Of course, the best way to show your support for local, smaller businesses is to become a customer! Whether it’s stocking stuffers, big ticket items, or just a handful of little things to round out your gift-giving list, everything you pick up at a local store has the power to keep a small business running. If you’re going to be buying a bunch of stuff anyway, you may as well do it with a smaller business. While prices might be slightly higher (depending on what you buy), you can always offset this by shopping a little more mindfully, picking out a handful of really great things instead of a big pile of whatever catches your eye on the rack.
Recommend and Refer
If you’re not able to do a lot of shopping yourself (or you’ve gotten this year’s gifts squared away already), another great way to support businesses you love is by recommending them to others. Many business owners agree that a word-of-mouth referral is one of the most important and impactful forms of marketing. When our friends recommend a restaurant to try or a boutique to check out, we immediately trust this referral and are far more likely to go have a look. That’s why we always recommend sharing the good word about local establishments you love.
Support Online
The last way to support a small business might not seem so impactful, but you’d be surprised at how effective it can really be! Of course, we’re talking about showing a little love on social media. Socials are one of the main ways that small businesses find new audiences and connect with existing customers.
The algorithms that control the visibility of their posts are largely influenced by how engaged their followers are. In other words, every like, share, comment, or just extra moment you pause on their posts helps push them to more people, boosting the visibility of the brand and everything they’re posting. So even if you and all your friends are finished with shopping for the year, this is a great way to keep showing your support and make a big impact with just a tiny bit of effort.
If you want to take it a step further, you can even help out a local business by sharing your experience on your own social media. Take a picture of your beautiful coffee or your gift haul and tag the business, being the local content creator they need to get their brand out to more people and build trust among their community.
Beyond supporting posts, you could also just leave a review! Believe it or not, a quick testimonial (especially on Google Reviews) can make a huge difference for a business trying to rank on search engines. Plus, you’ll get that amazing feeling of knowing that a hardworking entrepreneur read your review and saw firsthand how much their work meant to you. That’s the kind of love and support we could all use more of over the holidays.
Make the Most of the Season
The holidays are the perfect time to support small, local businesses. It’s the moment where your support goes the furthest, helping to ensure our communities continue to stay vibrant and full of businesses we all love supporting. So whether you’re picking out gifts, giving recommendations to friends, or just being mindful about how you use social media, we hope you’ll take a moment to consider where your money, time, and attention is going this holiday season!
