17 CREATIVE WAYS TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES

In this blog post, we will highlight impactful ways in which you can support small businesses with and without spending money. Some of these might seem obvious, but we will explore some not-so-obvious and creative ways to show our support that can really make a positive difference to our favorite small businesses.

Ways To Support Small Businesses – With Spending Money

1. Purchase a product or service from a small business

I know that I am stating the obvious here, but these days, there is a small business out there to suit almost every one of our needs that we would usually walk into a mainstream supermarket for. We can create a healthy and sustainable habit in our lives by first searching or asking around for small businesses that create or offer what we need instead of buying from big name companies.

2. Shop online

There are endless amounts of small businesses who have opened their own online shops for the convenience of ordering online from where ever you are in the world. If you aren’t able to reach the physical address of a small business, you can still support them by ordering online and having your goods delivered to you. Shopping online is a great way to continuously support a small business that you love.

3. Visit your local farmers market

If you are a lover of homemade foods, local cuisines, baked goods, organic produce and locally sourced ingredients then going to your local farmer’s market is a must. There is nothing better than buying your groceries for the week from a local farmer, knowing that what you are eating comes straight from the farm to your plate and directly supports a family and allows their small business to grow with every purchase.

Spending $20 on groceries at a farmer’s food stand instead of shopping big name brands at a supermarket makes such a big difference to the small business and keeps money flowing within your local community.

4. Visit your local arts and crafts market

I am always so inspired by the creativity of small businesses these days! A great place to find locally made arts, crafts, decor, clothing and accessories is at your local arts and crafts market. This is one of my favorite ways to discover new small businesses – even if I do not buy from them on that day, I like to save their contact information for future purchases.

5. Buy gift cards for family and friends

Gift cards are a great way to support small businesses, even as gifts for family and friends who you know would love a product or service from a business that you know. Gift cards create returning customers and are a great way to introduce new people to a small business.

6. Do your festive shopping from a small business

Instead of heading to the mall for all of your festive season shopping, you can buy presents from small businesses. Millions and millions of people shop at malls when it comes to the festive season, anniversaries or a loved one’s birthday. But these special occasions can be a great opportunity for us to buy something created with passion and intention from a small business owner. Our money goes towards supporting a small business’ livelihood instead of into the pockets of multi-million dollar companies.

7. Take online classes or attend a workshop

Whether you are learning something new or practicing something you love to do or just doing something for fun, then attending a workshop nearby you, taking an online class or purchasing a course is an amazing way to support a small business who offers a service you resonate with.

It is amazing that today, small businesses that offer a service are now able to reach people online, even if they are half way across the world. You can find tonnes of valuable information and teachings from people who have become a professional in their field via social media and google and support their work through their online offerings.

8. Eat at local restaurants

Local restaurants rely on the support of the community and tourists to be able to thrive. Instead of eating at a fast food chain restaurant, we can support restaurants owned by people within our community who make their food with love (and also supports the farmers from where they get their produce from). Most local restaurants also hire local employees which creates job opportunities and therefore contributes towards a richer economy within our own communities.

9. Give a tip

If you are able to give your favorite small business owner a tip, then this is an amazing way to show your appreciation for their product or the service you received. Not only does this support a small business owner in a big way, but it is also motivating for the owner to receive an extra token of appreciation for what they have created or offered to you.

Ways To Support Small Businesses – For Free

1. Follow, Like, Save and Share

Social media is a powerful tool and one of the best ways you can support small businesses completely for free. Small businesses are competing with multi-million dollar companies that have ridiculous amounts of money for advertising. So, following a small business’ social media page, liking, saving and sharing their posts really helps to create a stronger online presence and attract customers who resonate with their offerings.

2. Sign up to their mailing list

This is a great way to support and stay connected to your favorite small businesses and keep up to date with any new offerings, sales and gifts they send out via their email list.

3. Leave a review

I don’t know about you, but I always look at the reviews of any business I am looking to support. Reviews are sometimes overlooked as a way to support small businesses but they are so much more powerful than we think. Leaving a review on google, on a website, under a product listing or on social media, can have a major impact on another customer’s decision to support a small business or not. It only takes a couple minutes to leave a review for small business you have purchased from.

If you have had a positive experience with a business, writing a few kind words can be so helpful for the growth of a small business. If you had a challenging experience, it is always best to contact the business owner directly with your concerns so they may have the opportunity to rectify the issue. Most small business owners care so much about your experience and will ensure you receive what you have been promised by them.

4. Word of mouth

Sharing a small business by word of mouth is a very personal way of sharing a product or service you have had a positive experience with. People trust recommendations from people they know, trust and like. When we share a small business with people close to us, they are likely to make a purchase and go on to share their experience with other people close to them.

5. Share a comment

Just like leaving a review, sharing a positive comment on a social media post can help to grow a small business’ page and encourage other customers to buy from them. Your comment shows love, support and appreciation for what the business is offering. Commenting also creates an engaged community on their page which reflects positively on the nature of the small business.

6. Tell a small business how much you love their product or service

As a small business owner myself, there is no better motivation than receiving a message of appreciation from a customer who loves what they have purchased from me.

I think that people forget how much time and energy goes into running a small business – whether you are a one man show or have employees working for you – there is a never-ending to-do list to keep the business flowing and the customers happy. This often gets overlooked and to receive a message from a happy customer feels like a breath of fresh air and encourages small business owner’s to keep creating their magic and putting their offerings out there. Supporting small businesses can be as simple as sharing words of encouragement and appreciation.

7. Invite a friend to join you for a free workshop or class

Many small businesses have free offerings online and in person in order to give value to their customers and to create a community that trusts their insights. They create a space in which they can give value to people who are interested in their field of expertise and grow their customer base over time. Attending a free workshop, joining in an online class and inviting a friend with similar interests to join you is a powerful way to support their offerings and get the word out to other people who would potentially become a long-term customer.

8. Post a photo and tag the small business

If you are someone who uses social media, another great way to share small businesses is by posting a photo or video of you using their product or service and tagging them. Family, friends and strangers who follow you will be introduced to a new small business they could be interested in supporting too.

There is a special exchange that happens between a customer and a small business. Every purchase, every review and every word of appreciation has a major impact on a small business and the people involved in creating it. As a customer, you are receiving a labour of love from someone who is passionate about what they are offering and genuinely cares about the quality you are receiving from them. And in return, you are helping a small business to thrive, support their families, make their dreams come true and encourage an abundant, more financially rich community.

We hope this post has sparked some new ideas for supporting small businesses online and within our communities. Please share with us in the comments any creative ways that you support small businesses that we might not have covered. We love to hear input from our Echo Soul community!

Echo Soul Creations