“Charity begins at Home!” so why not we start by supporting local and small businesses of our town. Looking at the recent pandemic situations, a lot of local businesses got affected and had to shut down because of the lockdown situation with less to no hopes left of getting back to their old track. The small businesses which were mostly affected in this situation were the restaurants, bars and small private retailers.
The biggest question that always pops up is, how do we support these small businesses to get back to their track? Supporting small and local businesses in Canada can be very easy as there are so many of them to choose from! Here are some of the ways how you can help these small businesses.
1. Spread the word on social media
Many small businesses rely on their customers’ word of mouth. If there is a restaurant or a place you absolutely love then tell your friends and family about them, give them a shoutout. Follow them on Instagram, follow their Facebook page, share their posts on your story. Share your feedback online about the place and share your experience showing a gesture of satisfaction, this can be one of the best ways of spreading positive word about the place.
2. Shop small businesses over large retailers
What can be better a way to help out a local establishment than by purchasing their goods. It’s time we understand that we should avoid large retailers and shop small. If you don’t prefer in store shopping then check if the local businesses have an online website and ships it to you, or if you could call and do a curb side pickup. It’s always a great option to switch things up and try something new, you never know what’s in store for you.
Here are some examples :
- Are you someone who loves reading? Check out your local bookstore, instead of buying online.
- Skip the Starbucks drive through and try a local coffee shop, you could even purchase their beans.
- Shopping for the perfect outfit? Check out your local store instead, for some great options.
- Try shopping from a local farmers market instead of getting your groceries from a chain store.
3. Gift cards are everyone’s best friend:
Do you ever feel like you want to support the local businesses but don’t need anything specific? Then why not purchase a gift card? They always provide businesses with the revenue they need and you can always purchase according to your convenience. You can always purchase gift cards and gift it to your family and friends on a special occasion. For instance, if there is a specific restaurant you love, purchase their gift card and take yourself and your loved one on a perfect date.
4. Schedule a later service
Considering that your favourite store is shut due to certain restrictions & luckily you are not in a hurry to avail any services form that place, you can always think of scheduling an appointment for the upcoming dates from the same place, which would help you get what you want and also help the business retain their customers. Perhaps you can consider scheduling an appointment at a hair salon or a massage therapy as an example. You can always roll around your appointment if you need to reschedule it. You necessarily don’t have to pay in advance every time, but you can always assure them that the business will be coming their way without fail, which would help the business owners alleviate some of their stress and anxiety.
5. Leave an online review
Want to go an extra mile to show a gesture of gratitude? Why don’t we consider uploading a feedback review on their website to express our feeling of satisfaction? A lot of new customers look online to check the reputation of the small business before they actually pay them a visit. Positive feedback reviews help businesses by increasing their ranking in search engine results, which also helps them increase their rating and customers love businesses with higher ratings.
Check out my favourite small business: SnaptureThis https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/SnaptureThis
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