As many know, supporting local businesses has numerous benefits to the local community and economy. The COVID-19 pandemic making it difficult for many of our local businesses who are incredibly important to our communities. And if we want to ensure that local businesses see better days, we have to do our part to support.
Different ways to support local businesses
Order a delivery or collection
Rather than eating in, eat out! Many restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and even bookstores now offer their customers pick-up and delivery options. So, even if you can’t go to eat at your local spot, check if they have an option for you to support them without having to leave the house or eat in.
Buy gift cards
Buying gift cards is an easy and effective way to support local businesses. Gift cards provide an immediate source of income for businesses to keep the lights on and pay their employees. You can often purchase gift cards for local businesses online and have the gift card sent digitally via email.
Buy everyday items locally
Rather than going to buy everything from the big store, look for local options. Buy your coffee from the local coffee shop, your groceries from a local vegetable shop or farmers market, and books, flowers or tools from a local retailer.
While local products may be priced higher, you can guarantee that the money will go straight back to your community.
Keep track of your memberships
If you had a membership with a local business, maybe it’s worth keeping it going even when you’re not able to attend for a while. That is, if you’re on holiday, sickness, or if there’s a pandemic in future. If you can afford it, contact the company to see if you will be able to keep your membership rolling even if it comes at a reduced price.
While you won’t physically benefit from retention, the money you invest in them will help the company reopen once it’s all over. If this business is important to you, it is worth investing in its longevity.
Tip extra
Whether you order dinner locally or just have your groceries delivered because you can’t leave your home, you can support local businesses. Usually, you can add your tip to the total amount on your card to avoid physical contact with the deliverer.
Take advantage of discounts
To increase their sales, many local companies offer discounts on their products. Take advantage of this by buying larger-than-normal sale items to keep the business alive. Remember, discounts might be a sign that they will appreciate your custom and need sales, so make sure you’re supporting. And don’t be afraid to take one or two extra items with you as well.
Donate your time to support local businesses
Do you have a few hours on the weekend? Are you competent in website development? Or maybe even good at graphic design?
If so, you may be able to offer your expertise to a local company that has not yet taken the plunge to strengthen its online presence. You can also create a website or Facebook group to highlight companies in your community that you can continue to support during the quarantine.
Using some of your free time during quarantine to support local business success is time well spent.
Share the love
If your budget isn’t bringing money back to the local economy, fear not, there are still ways you can help your neighbours and local businesses.
Leave a review of your favourite local spots. Share interesting promotions or your positive experiences with your friends on social media and encourage them to support this local business.
When we work together, we can positively impact the lives of the members of our community and bring unity to our neighborhood.
Supporting the community
When you give support to local businesses, you are also supporting the local community. Spending your money there will stimulate the local economy and increase business in your area. These small businesses help create and maintain jobs and keep the region alive and full of shoppers and tourists.
Community support means a lot to the local small business owner, and they usually love to return favours by participating in fundraisers and hosting special events to show appreciation. When you come together to spend your money on a local business, you know what they are doing for your community and what services they are providing.
Community support works both ways when it comes to buying and owning a small business. Every purchase from these companies helps the owner pay their employees, turn on the lights, and bring food to the table for their families.
Conclusion
Local businesses are economically indispensable for their communities and are also part of the fundamentals of life there. Supporting local businesses essentially means you are also impacting the community and the economy of the community. This way if local businesses remain in business, it means they can give more to their communities through fundraisers and special events.
Reach out to business owners or employees to ask how they are doing or to let them know you support their decisions. It means a lot, just showing that you care about them goes a long way.
These simple changes can go a long way in supporting local businesses and improving cash flow, keeping employees on the payroll, or just feeling connected and boosting morale.
