This story was inspired by information provided by the NSW Small Business Commissioner, Google and my own inspirations and ideas.

The last few years have been a struggle for us all and some businesses have found it particularly tough. Different parts of the country have gone in and out of lockdown. Fires and floods have devastated businesses. Inflation and the skills shortage have put supply chains and service standards in jeopardy. As a result, some of your local businesses, especially those that have built their businesses around hospitality, tourism and travel, have been continually battered over and over again.

Whilst that means, for the most part, there isn’t too much you can do for them financially, there are other ways to support local business without spending a cent. This does not mean I am discouraging you from spending money by buying their goods and services. If you can support them in that way then please do! However, there are many reasons why that can sometimes be hard. Current circumstances and a jump in interest rates may mean your budget is tight and therefore spending money unnecessarily isn’t an option.

The good news is there are many ways to support local business without spending money. Below are just a few;

If you have been a customer of this business and really like their goods or services, let people know!

Research shows that 77% of consumers ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read online reviews when browsing for local businesses (up from 60% in 2020). Positive reviews will also help with their google ranking as Google look at reputation as a key determinant to recommending your business the better the reputation, the better the ranking.

When writing your review, think about your own experience when researching businesses. Are you more likely to trust a business with lots of positive reviews? What information about the business will make you buy from them? What characteristics of a business do you look for? All of these considerations can help you word your review to make it appealing to consumers. But make sure it’s authentic. What you say must be your own experience with this business.

Adding a review is simple. Just Google the business and information about this business should appear. Along with the website, address and opening hours there should also be a section that mentions reviews. Clicking on this section will bring you into the review screen. There should be a “Write a review” button you can click on to write your review. Remember to write what you like about the business and what makes you shop there.

These days most business will have some sort of presence on social media.

As Facebook and Instagram are the predominant page for business at this time I will be focusing primarily on these two channels. That doesn’t mean that the recommendations I make exclude other social media channels, in fact, all social media channels will allow you to like, follow, promote and review businesses in some way.

You can support local business by following their business page, you can find what social media channels they use in a number of ways. The best option is to look on their website. Most businesses will have a link to their social media pages listed in the header or footer of their website. If they don’t have a website you can go into social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, search their name and click on the appropriate listing. Like and follow them to ensure their content will show up in your newsfeed.

When you go into a business page on Facebook you will see a menu button (its the button with 3 dots under the page name) In this menu there is an option to share the page. From there you can write a post about the business, send a message of support, invite friends to like the page or share it through another app. All of these things can help them to increase the engagement on their page which will hopefully grow their business as well.

If they are on Instagram, LinkedIn or other social media channels there will be ways to share that page with your friends. Search for a menu (a button with 3 dots is commonly used throughout social media channels) and see what options they have.

As with Google, social media also uses reviews and recommendations to determine whether a page is worth prioritising on peoples newsfeed.

In recent years Facebook have made it harder and harder for businesses to organically appear in their followers newsfeeds. In fact, followers will only see around 9% of all the posts that a business publish. This means it is harder and harder for a business to increase their reach organically.

You can help them with this in a number of ways. You can give them a positive recommendation on their Facebook page. To do this find the menu button and click on recommend. You can also get there by clicking into the review tab on their page. Once there you click yes and then write why you recommend the business.

If a business is on LinkedIn, you can recommend the staff of a business, not the business itself. Just go into their profile, click on the menu and you will find a recommend option.

Instagram does not have a review or recommend section but it does allow you to write them a message. Write them a review on why you buy from this business and they can then share this with their followers. To save them having to do a follow up, make sure you tell them you are happy for them to share your thoughts with other followers.

Another way to help a business achieve a greater reach is to engage with their page.

Like their posts and write a comment when asked. Share their posts in your newsfeed. Post about and tag their business, and add photos of their products or services. Just ensure when tagging, that you choose the right business. There are millions of businesses on Facebook, so make sure you check to see if the logo that’s displayed on the listing is the correct one.

Add them as a favourite so they will be prioritised in your newsfeed. Not sure how? Let me show you

On your desktop

In your Facebook app

Word of mouth may be so last century but it still remains one of the strongest motivations to use an unfamiliar business.

Most people will use a business if it is recommended by their friends. Especially in the service industry. So on your next social zoom call or social catch up, make sure you support local business and drop in a couple of reco’s while you’re there.

Signing up for their newsletter, if they have one, will give you the opportunity to track what products and services they are offering.

You may not be up for spending anything with them now but you never know when the opportunity will arise in the future. Keep track of what sales they have coming up. A newsletter will also keep them top of mind so that when you do need a product they are selling, you will think of them first.

Whether its big or small, there are ways you can promote their business in your workplace.

Chances are you work in a business yourself. You could recommend a business to cater for an event you are organising. Similarly you could set up a regular coffee, lunch or snack order with your workmates. Another example is to have their business card on your notification board. You could even work with them in a bit of cross promotion (see my Autumn post for ideas). If you’re working remotely, your options could be a bit limited but I’m sure you will have plenty of time to think of ways while you’re stuck at home.

There are so many businesses doing it tough right now and that can have an effect on the business owners mental health.

Sometimes a review just isn’t enough. You can also show you support local business by just letting them know you appreciate them. Tell them what you love about their business and why you go there. Let them know the top 3 reasons why you shop there. Telling a business owner what is great about their business, might just make their day. It can help remind them why they started the business in the first place and renew their passion for it. Giving them and consequently their business a boost.

Once you’re back in the funds and able to spend, celebrate with a bit of retail therapy.

It doesn’t have to be much, just go in, have a look around and see what inspires you. Better yet, take your friends with you. It’s great reason for a catch up and you can have a coffee and maybe lunch while you’re there.