It’s no secret that businesses are struggling. In fact, in Yelp’s latest Economic Report, released in August, the review site reported that 163,735 businesses marked themselves as “closed” on their platform during the pandemic.
Besides missing the opportunity to frequent businesses in person, many consumers want to help keep businesses afloat without options to do so amid closures. However, there are still plenty of ways to show your favorite restaurant, coffee shop, or other local business some love that will help keep their doors open beyond the pandemic.
Here are a few ideas.
Leave a review on Google, Facebook or Yelp: With wallets closed a little bit tighter these days, consumers are more mindful of where they spend their dollars, researching even more than usual. Leaving a review about your positive experience, you’ll help both during and after the pandemic.
Give them your email address: Show some love by staying in touch. Sign up for their email newsletter and open it and read it. Feeling spicy? Go a step further and forward it to a friend.
Give an in-person review: Don’t forget the power of a word of mouth recommendation. The next time you chat with a friend or family member, be sure to tell them about the excellent service you received or share the details of a new experience you had with a business.
Share their posts: With more businesses turning to social media to stay connected, organic social media is becoming more challenging. Engaging with your favorite businesses’ posts will help ensure their messages don’t get lost in the digital clutter. It will also help amplify their voice.
Tag them: When you post photos of your delicious meal or beautiful product that just arrived in the mail, don’t forget to tag the business who provided or created it. Check packages or bags to see if there is a recommended hashtag you should use in your caption.
Follow them: If you think your “like” doesn’t have any weight, think again. Follower counts help accounts get discovered. Make it a habit to look up a businesses’ social media platforms after you place an order and promptly give them a follow.
If you’re a business owner looking to shift your product or services to an online model, we can help. Get a free one-hour consultation here.