The entrepreneurial journey can be a lonely one and small business owners experiencing this, and other challenges often need support. However, supporting small businesses through these challenges does not need to come with a price tag. Therefore, in this article, we share 6 ways you can offer meaningful support to small business owners without buying.
1.Volunteer your time and skills
If you can spare the time and energy, by all means, volunteer to help your friend or family member with their business. This will be especially appreciated during peak business times e.g., holidays when demand for products and services exceeds supply and short-term labor needed to move things along tend to be expensive or not be readily available.
The reason this is so meaningful is the sacrificial aspect of giving up not just your time but your skill, both of which have a relatively higher opportunity cost compared to the other forms of free support. The volunteer work could be anything from serving customers to drafting a proposal depending on your knowledge, skills, and availability.
If you do decide to volunteer, be mindful of the fact that for the duration of that volunteer period, you will be under the direct or indirect supervision of the business owner and should be open to following instructions. Not following directions could create more problems for the business owner than you are trying to solve.
2. Provide constructive feedback about products and services
If you have had a personal experience with the products or service on offer, you could offer constructive feedback that may help improve the product or service on offer – if the small business owner is open to it. In sharing that feedback, use the sandwich method where you:
- Start with a compliment or acknowledgment of the positive attributes of the product or service you are providing feedback on
- Share your feedback in a truthful but sensitive manner
- End with another compliment, recognition of their efforts, or acknowledgment of the goods and services being offered.
Using the sandwich method of delivering feedback reduces the likelihood of delivering the message in an insensitive way and makes it more digestible. It is ill-advised for you with some type of relationship with the business owner to share negative feedback with others rather than with the business owner. Such feedback coming from someone who can be considered relatively close to business could be a strong influencing factor that deters potential buyers permanently. Also, not sharing the feedback directly with the business owner takes away opportunities they may have to implement changes because their direct involvement may not enable them to view things objectively.
3. Post positive reviews on various platforms
While negative feedback is better shared directly with the small business owner, if you only have good things to say, then shout it from the rooftops. Leave a review on Google, Yelp, Next door, Groupon, etc. More than relying on the actual product or service being offered, buyers often base buying decisions on the experiences of other buyers or users which offer social proof. Your review could clarify the information a potential buyer needs to make the final decision so do not withhold this.
In leaving your review, make sure to include relevant information that specifically identifies that business and mentions the products or services offered. Generic information like “I love this place”, and “the owner is awesome” may not be viewed as helpful by a platform like Google which features reviews based on several factors. Such factors include the number of characters in the review, photos, video, responding to questions, etc.
4. Refer the products and services to your contacts
Even if you are not buying from the small business owner, you can send the business their way by referring the business’s products or services to your contacts. Social media makes this easier to do as it reaches a much wider audience and could potentially have a bigger impact.
In contrast, word of mouth may not have as wide a reach as social media, however, it is very powerful and can have a deeper impact because it is more personal. It is a direct endorsement of the business and could signal trust in the products and services offered by the small business you are looking to support which could, in turn, increase the likelihood of patronage.
If the small business has a referral program or a system of tracking referrals, you should keep track and share the information with the small business owner so they have a sense of your support.
5. Engage with the business’ content on social media
The ability of social media to propel businesses in various ways including sales, brand awareness, etc cannot be overstated. This is driven by some factors, one of which is engagement with audiences. Engagement is heavily rewarded as it is interpreted as a vote of confidence in the content being promoted which leads to greater exposure to larger audiences.
You can engage with their content by actually viewing posts, particularly videos, sharing, liking, and commenting on posts. You could also tag friends for whom the post may be relevant and repost to spread the word.
In addition to engaging with their content, you can also actively promote the business on your profile. Especially do this if you have a decent following to increase exposure and drive traffic to the business.
6. Leverage your network
Sometimes all a small business owner needs is a contact to help them clear a particular hurdle and move to the next level. Search your network and see if you could find someone who could make an impact on the small business you are looking to support. Perhaps a seasoned business person could be a mentor or coach, a vendor that could offer B2B products and services under more favorable terms, a consultant that could help navigate recurring challenges; an investor, or a banker that could structure a business loan under reasonable terms, etc.
The truth is, the type of support you choose to offer will depend on several factors including the nature of your relationship with the small business owner. If you are offering support to a close friend who is a small business owner, it may be easier for you to volunteer your time than if you were looking to support a business owner you bought once from online. Either way, do not be limited to one area of support. It is perfectly ok to do a combination of some or all of these supporting activities depending on the need you are trying to meet.