Support Your Friends
Teddy V. Patisserie Chocolate Chip Cookies
*This post features images and products from some of my favorite small businesses.
Let’s be honest- these days every Hank, Dick and Mary (is that how that goes) has a small business and they’re hawking everything under the sun to you via Facebook. So, that might not be 100% true- but a lot of our friends and family members are owning their own businesses or supporting themselves independently and it’s awesome! How cool is it that a Mom can make a side hustle from home, a college graduate can pursue a start up, or your friend is whipping up their world famous margaritas at their own restaurant?
We all want to support our friends and family, but if we honestly shelled out money to everyone who owns a business, we’d be flat broke. So I wanted to share some ideas for ways that you can support those you love without spending a dime!
Review their business on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Etsy or send in a testimonial to their website. Reviews are key for a small business to succeed and be noticed on the world wide web (which was invented by Al Gore if you didn’t know). Your review can help their business be shot to the top of Yelp or sway a skeptical customer on Facebook to make a purchase. It doesn’t take that much time, but can make a huge difference. Think about it- when was the last time you benefited from a review? Quite possibly this week. Take the time and leave a little love for your loved ones.
Like, comment and share on your friend’s social media posts. I’m not talking about your high school besties photo of their newborn (although that’s cool)- I’m talking about the small business posts. You see a picture of your friend’s face cream is on sale- you should double tap that! There is this crazy thing called an algorithm and the algorithm is a complex formula that pulls all sorts of data to determine what everyone sees on social media. Obviously the more interaction that happens on a post, the more people are going to see it based on the algorithm. Take a minute and leave a comment, hit that like button or share it with your friends. Also, take a moment and Pin some of their stuff from their website to Pinterest. The more you share the better the chances they’ll get noticed. For a quick example for the Instagram world there are a few things that can help a post get moved to the top of everyone’s feeds- comments that include 4 or more words, “saving” the post, and liking the post of course.
We can’t forget the tried and true- word of mouth! Spread the word, get vocal. You tell one person and they tell another and so on and so on. Doesn’t cost you a thing, but means the world to a small business owner.
Swanky Shank Bodysuit or Tee "ILYSM"; Gender Neutral
Jack Cellars Private Label Wine
You are my Person Card by Pen & Paint