Now more than ever, it’s imperative to support local!
As the country takes necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their families, friends and neighbors during the midst of the self-quarantine efforts of COVID-19, supporting our local communities through all the small businesses can seem daunting without the ability to venture out into their storefronts and locations. Here at Atlanta SEO Pro, we have a huge heart for small business owners and are immensely passionate about helping them thrive.
As such, over the last few days, we’ve been working together to come up with strategies for our own small business clients, and wanted to share a few of them here, as we’re firm believers of sharing is caring!
Ways to Help Small Business Owners During Social Distancing
1.) Order ahead to avoid waiting in line – If your favorite businesses are still open and operating, call ahead and place orders to pick up to avoid spending time in line. They’ll appreciate your efficiency and your support, and you’ll save you time waiting in public spaces.
2.) Purchase a gift card – Purchasing a gift card to use at a later time helps local businesses, too. Purchase a card now to treat yourself or save for a gift for someone else. Or bonus: Grab a few for various birthdays, anniversaries, and other events. You’ll have the satisfaction of shopping early and supporting local!
3.) Consider carryout delivery or curbside pickup – Many restaurants and other local businesses are working extra hard to ensure cleanliness and safety for their customers. We saw a rise in posts from owners sharing the specific precautions their establishments were taking, including hand washing, sanitizing high traffic areas, and sending employees home who are feeling ill, among other things.
4.) Shop online when you can – Many small businesses have online offerings as well!
5.) Purchase an online class/webinar – An easy way to still support a local business or startup is through an online course or webinar offering. Now’s the time to purchase one if you’ve found yourself saying, “I should do that” in the past.
5.) Leave an Online Review – Have you been meaning to leave an online review? Now’s the time! It usually only takes a few minutes, and online reviews have a significant impact on a small business’ chance of getting found online, and one new positive review can make all the difference for someone who’s on the fence about trying out a new place.
6.) Show your Support with a note – It may seem like an insignificant thing, but showing your support with a kind note, whether it’s in their DMs, in response to a shared post, or even via email, sends a reminder that their business is important, and we’re all in this together.
We understand that with new information about coronavirus coming out all the time, these uncertain times can feel scary and out of control. But we’ve got this.
What other ideas and strategies do you have for supporting small and local businesses during the next few weeks? Share with us–we promise we’d love to start a conversation!
