How you can support small independent businesses during the lockdown

 

The realities of the Corona virus lockdown means what we would consider as ‘normal life’ has dramatically changed for everyone in one form or another. Parent’s of school aged children are finding themselves in a teacher’s role. People are now working from home if they can, and our elderly family relatives are being told to stay at home and are now separated from their families.

Key workers are working incredibly long hours to help in this crisis. Some people have lost their jobs and small businesses are struggling due to closure or adapting to stay either relevant or afloat. We all know why we are having to adapt our lives. Everyone now realises the seriousness of the situation.

What I have also noticed online in the last week or so, are small businesses local to me either closing their doors completely, adapting to providing a takeaway service or go fully online with their services almost overnight. So I’ve popped together a list on how you can support small independent businesses during lockdown so they can hopefully still be there when this is all over.

I have friends with businesses locally having to really dig deep right now, facing the thought of how they can keep their business going (especially service based such as cleaning, beauty etc). The worry of no income and whether their small business will survive through the pandemic on top of all the normal concerns we all have at the moment.

So, with my social media manager head on now I would like to share a few, very quick and easy, tips on how you can support small independent businesses, during lockdown in your area, from the comfort of your own sofa.

How You can support your favourite small independent businesses online

 

1. Order the takeaway you would normally buy anyway from your favourite restaurant. Share a photo online and tag them in it or even try a new restaurant that are now available with delivery services such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo or Just Eat.

2.  Use local Micro Pub takeaways for a cheeky beer if you would normally pop in there.  Rather than use the big supermarkets who will be one of the only businesses who are booming at the moment pop in to your local micropub.

3. Order gift vouchers from your favourite independent shop or beauty/nail salon. That way you can treat to yourself to a well earned pamper when they open their doors again.

4. If you go to physical classes such as yoga, or your children attend drama classes. Then continue to support them if they are now providing online class services as they will have worked very hard to set that up.

5. Like their posts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. This will help their account to stay visible during this time.

6. Join in with local online pub quizzes. This will help get their efforts seen and be appreciated, and tag them in a photo of you doing so. You might also enjoy the community side of it!

7. Tag them into any memes you may see that are suitable to their type of business. This will help spread some lighthearted fun and social media love their way. We all need a bit of that.

8. Enter and share any competitions they may be running. Also tag lots of friends so their post gets seen and lots of people enter and you may even win.

9. Comment on their social media posts especially if they are asking a question. Conversation on their posts = ENGAGEMENT   and will also help to get them seen online

10. Just share one of their posts online. That way their account will get seen by all of your followers and could get them new customers.

All of these, small and seemingly insignificant, things will take you just a few seconds to do and could collectively make all the difference to support small independent businesses that may be really struggling with this whole situation.

We know that this pandemic will pass although we have no control over how long that will take. Imagine how relieved and happy people will be to eventually get out to visit our favourite places. To go out celebrating those missed birthdays with family. Or to meet our friends for a sociable drink or meal……………. let alone wander round the shops just because we can!

How awful would it be if our favourite independent businesses didn’t make it through this?

Make the difference to some of them and help them stay VISIBLE online where you can.