Local businesses are those that you come across around you. It could range from the little restaurant down the road to the plumbing business of your neighbor. Local businesses are nothing like the big brands which you see during commercial breaks on the TV. These businesses need as much help as they can get. They do not have the same amount of resources as the major brands in their industry. A small and local business cannot financially support an advertising campaign on radio and TV stations in the region.
Also, a local business has been around for a short period of time and does not have the credibility of the big names. Therefore, people fail to trust the quality of the service. If you ask small business owners about the things they need to get their business moving forward, they would most likely give you a long list of them.
It’s up to customers and people around them to support local businesses. This way, the business can make up for the huge gap in resources. What are the ways to support a local business? They include the following:
Give them great reviews.
Reviews are vital for any business, including large stores, restaurants, and service providers. Make sure to leave 5-star reviews for small businesses on Yelp, BBB, Google, Facebook, and SiteJabber. You can also review small businesses on other platforms that support it. You may ask yourself why reviews are crucial and their function for the business.
Reviews act as a testimony for potential customers of the business to gauge the quality of service or product that they are likely to enjoy from the business. Good reviews basically mean a good product. Reviews are a deciding factor for many people when deciding who to patronize or where to go. It can increase the amount of exposure on that page or product. Many people make it a habit to leave reviews only when dissatisfied. We should look to change this. Let’s offer all the help that we can. Leave genuine reviews that describe how you felt about using their service. Potential customers will read this and it would spur their purchase decision.
Offer generous tips.
It’s not compulsory that you give a tip for every small business that you come across, but you’re encouraged to do it as often as you can. At least, make sure you tip the business if you genuinely enjoyed their service. You may not be able to tip the while restaurant or business with thousands of dollars like some rich folks do. Instead, just offer the little you have and seem appreciative when doing so. It’s going to go a long way.
These small businesses can do a lot with these tips. Some of them even use them to raise their workers. Also, giving a tip feels good and you should do it often. It’s not an easy job to be a waiter or attendant. These people have to spend long hours attending to many customers – without getting tipped. Your tip can put a smile on their face.