Small acts, big impacts

Supporting small businesses doesn’t always mean spending money. Here are five things you can do this month that cost nothing and mean everything!

• 1-Leave a positive review (takes 2 minutes, has lasting impact)

If you’ve been, take a few minutes to write a Google review. Ninety-three percent of consumers check online reviews before they buy. Your review could be the reason someone stops in!

• 2-Share a social media post instead of just liking it

Algorithms push content that gets engagement and that matters to small businesses without a large marketing budget! Shares are how we get exposure.

• 3-Tell a friend about your favorite local spot

Word of mouth is wildly underrated. Eighty-eight percent of people trust a recommendation from someone they know more than any other source.

• 4-Subscribe to your favorite local shop’s email list

This is one of the most overlooked ways to support a business. For the small teams running most local businesses, every new subscriber is a reason to send the next newsletter. And you get the first word on specials, sales and new products!

• 5-When you walk in, say “thank you for being here”.

This one is completely free and my personal favorite. Small business owners are often running on a skeleton crew- sometimes it's just one person or a few holding it together. A genuine thank-you, or even just "how's your day going," can mean more to the person behind the register than a single sale. Small businesses hold communities together. And community starts with these small moments!

Written by Shelby Mitchell