REASONS TO SUPPORT LOCALLY
When you choose to support local businesses, you’re making a positive impact in your community.
QCFindNow.com was designed to focus on an Local Scale and to help support the businesses right here close to home. When you make a concious effort stay locally with your purchases you are not only helping our cities’ economy but investing in the independent businesses that depend on us to thrive. Growing local businesses can help create better jobs for the skilled workers and make it a better place to live for all of us. QC Find Now is dedicated in making this connection easier for the consumers to find and discover the businesses that make up our founding Quad Cities and surrounding areas.
5 Simple Ways You Can Support Local Business:
Buying local should mean more than just another cliché to you. It is a good thing there are more people and organizations that are working to get people to support local businesses. It goes without saying that the most obvious and probably the best way of supporting local businesses is purchasing directly from them. But it is far from the only way. There are numerous things you can do to support local businesses. Although these activities may seem trivial to you, they may just be as important as a direct purchase in the long run.
Here are some of them:
Connect Socially
Every progressive business in this age would have at least one social media account. For starters, you can “like” the social media page of small businesses in your area. You could even go a step further by “liking” and “sharing” their posts. You would be spreading the word about the business to your friends and some other people in your community. You could even “check-in” via your social media account when you arrive to show everyone where you are. Your post may spark an interest in someone else to check out that local business as well! These activities increase the visibility of local businesses on social media platforms.
Drop Nice Reviews
If the business has a website, say nice things about them when you are asked for reviews (as long as what you are saying is true). Many businesses have local listings and you could also leave a review on Google! If the business were a local hotel or restaurant, reviews on sites like Trip Advisor, Hostel World, etc. would also help greatly. Talking nicely about a business on social communities such as Yelp and Reddit could also go a long way in attracting more customers to the business.
Word Of Mouth
You do not need to be a local business advocate on a national level to encourage people to shop local. The ancient method of recommendation is perhaps still one of the most reliable methods and even more so for local businesses. Talk about your pleasant experience at a local business with a neighbor or friend in the area. You can be certain that conversation will at least spark an interest to visit the business you spoke so highly of! Now, there’s a good chance your recommendation helped that business gain another loyal customer. You can also educate your family members and others you are close to on the benefits of purchasing from local businesses.
Criticize Constructively
The fact that you are supporting local businesses doesn’t mean you should compromise quality. If the said local business sells sub-quality goods or renders services that are not up to par, do not let blind loyalty fool you into silence. You have the right to quality service and you should say something if you are getting less than expected. Making a suggestion at a local business should even prove much easier since the business owner is easily accessible. If you choose not to speak up about their shortcomings, others may speak out instead. Voicing your opinions and suggestions in a constructive and polite manner, may influence them to adjust, hopefully saving some customers. Conversely, another customer may publicize the shortcoming, thereby soiling the business’ online reputation if you keep silent. So, if your local businesses aren’t providing all of the services you need, say something. Help them out and let them know what a customer is looking for in a service!
Be Lenient
As much as constructive criticism is needed, it is still important you encourage small businesses by being lenient with them. Tending to a local start-up in the midst of fierce competition from national chains could be quite tasking. You can expect the prices to be slightly higher or some services to be less smooth. You should not be too harsh on small business owners in your neighborhood. Compliment them for what they are doing right and let them know the areas they can improve on in a friendly manner. Your simple smile or thank you could go a long way in strengthening a fading resolve.
There you have it! Highlighted above are five simple ways by which you can support local businesses. The good thing is these activities hardly cost you a penny extra and you would be contributing greatly to the development of your local community.
