Supporting Local Businesses on a Budget

As Oregon embarks on its second lock down order, small businesses are feeling this freeze both in spirit and in finances. Businesses have cut down their hours, services and for some, they have completely shut down. This is devastating for our community as a whole. Small businesses keep communities diverse and vibrant, not to mention the jobs that they provide. In an ideal world we could all donate and purchase from these small shops, but unfortunately due to COVID most of us are also suffering financially from this pandemic. So, how can we help our favorite local small businesses during COVID-19, while also watching out for our own finances? It turns out there are actually a few ways to do this!

The first way is by following them on social media and interacting with their posts. It's likely that many of them rely on social media to grow their businesses. Instagram and Facebook are huge tools for marketing, especially for small businesses that may not have a full marketing team. Interacting with their posts right now is one of the easiest ways to boost their account and spread the word about them! It just takes a couple clicks and you’ve helped a small business without even touching your wallet!

Another great way to help local businesses is by leaving positive reviews on Yelp or Facebook. These reviews help to boost their businesses website and encourage potential customers to check them out. You do not have to purchase from a small business to help boost their sales! Encouraging other people to try their product or service is a way to show that you care about their success and send more customers in their direction!  

One more way to help your local business get through this particularly tough time is by reaching out to them directly with a little word of encouragement. On top of the financial problems this is causing for so many small business owners, there is also a loss of morale that so many are experiencing. Sending an email or comment about how much you appreciate and love a small business is the emotional support they may need to get them through these uncertain times. Seeing sales go down can make business owners feel like they are not as wanted or appreciated, but this is not the case! If you are able to, send a nice email or a happy comment on their next instagram post. It might make their whole week!

Everyone is struggling right now in a lot of ways. We would all love to order take out every night and go on online shopping sprees, but that is not exactly feasible for many of us right now. Maybe we are not able to support our local businesses through our wallets, ,but we can support them through our words and hearts. 

For more resources and ideas check out these articles!

NBC News: 11 Ways to Help Small Businesses Affected by Coronavirus

Harvard Business School: Ways to Help Small Businesses Now