1. Follow Local Businesses on Social Media

Following your local small businesses on social media can make a BIG difference. Some small businesses rely on social media to share their news, events, sales, and promotions, so following their social accounts helps you stay up to date on news & deals while also showing your support for them.

If you follow their social media accounts, you can like, share, or comment on their posts to help more social media users see their content. In the digital age, it’s very important to understand that the more likes, comments, and shares a post gets, the more likely other users are to see that post, even if they don’t follow the same small business’s page. So, it may seem too easy to be true, but simply following your local businesses and engaging with their content on social media can help bring in customers and ultimately grow their brand!

2. Recommend Local Businesses

Word-of-mouth marketing is a small business owner’s biggest ally. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from their friends and family, and over 50% of word-of-mouth recommendations lead to a purchase. Next time one of your friends or community members asks where to buy anything, please take the time to recommend your favourite local businesses

Another easy way to help your local businesses thrive is to leave positive reviews about their services and products on platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and community forums. Almost 72% of people trust online reviews just as much as in-person recommendations, so leaving some love for your local businesses on any online platform will help grow their business.

3. Shop Local As Often As Possible

Simply keeping local businesses at the forefront of your mind when you need to shop for any product is a great habit to pick up. One of the main reasons that big-name companies are dominating the market is from convenience alone, but sacrificing that convenience so that your local businesses can thrive is well worth it. After all, when local businesses are booming, your local economy will grow too. So, next time you’re in the market for any given product, do a quick search to see if there are any local businesses that can fill your needs.