FREE ADVICE: How to Support Small Businesses for $0.00

Holy smokes, what a time to be Canadian, eh? There’s a great Robin Williams joke from 2013, where he said, “Canada is a sweet apartment above a meth lab.” SPOT. ON. 

For years we’ve politely ignored our downstairs neighbour and never called the cops on them (because Canadians are sweet like that), but now they’re banging on the ceiling with a broomstick, demanding higher rent for no reason, and it is NOT COOL. 

Canadian businesses and brands are sharpening their pitchforks and lacing up their boxing gloves, which is actually super cool. Grocery stores are leading the charge to make buying-Canadian easier for shoppers by marking domestic products with maple leaves, with hundreds of businesses across Canada following suit. Putting your money where your mouth is critical in the current economic climate, but small actions account for a lot too! We’ve put together a list of FREE ways Canadian consumers can make their voices heard!

Follow, like, comment, save, and share social media posts! 

The best thing about supporting small businesses for FREE is you barely have to leave the house to do it! Engaging with small businesses on social media provides them a HUGE unseen boost! Here are the best practices for engaging with companies online (from the comfort of your couch or pillow fort). 

It costs $0.00 to leave a comment on an Instagram post. A quick, positive testimonial, or even a simple emoji, goes a long way to improve content reach. Clicking through each photo of an Instagram carousel, watching their Reels to the very end, makes the algorithm happy (it wants to know you have a good attention span). When businesses run contests, tagging your friends is a great way to get new eyes on their content. 

Taking photos of your favourite products or services and posting about them on your personal social media accounts is an incredible way to support and engage with small businesses. User generated content can & has been exploited by corporations (boooooo Starb*cks), but it actually means something to small shops. Make a reel as you browse in your favourite brick-and-mortar bookshop, share a photo of your latte on your story, post a selfie in a shop mirror, it all goes a long way! Remember to tag the business! 

In the spirit of going above and beyond, I personally love a top five list (or top 10), shared in Instagram Stories. Normally, these “favourite places to shop small” lists come up around the holidays, but now is as good a time as any to shout from the rooftops about your favourite spots to shop small in your city! 

Suit Up, Elbows Up

Moving off of social, but still sitting on the couch, you can do wonders for small businesses by simply clicking through their website. If the company posts blogs, read and share them. Subscribe to their newsletter or emails (reminder before you complain about “inbox clutter,” this costs you $0.00). 

Okay, now we’re getting up on our feet, because supporting small businesses does take a little bit of non-digital labour, but it’s so worth it. Word-of-mouth support is a tried and true classic for supporting local. Tell literally anyone you see about your favourite coffee shop or independent art gallery. Recommend them at work or in community groups, and if you’re a next-level crusader, put up their flyers in your neighbourhood or break room! 

Even though this is a “free tips” blog, we would be remiss if we didn’t encourage you to actually spend some money to support your homies, lol. Shopping in-store and attending workshops and markets is always best! *Bonus tip: ask small shops what their preferred method of payment is. Businesses set up with Square often have to pay transaction fees, so they might prefer cash, but some small shops DON’T want cash on the premises. Again, it costs $0.00 to ask. :) 

Bring a friend! Shopping alone is less fun anyway. Bring people with you when visiting your favourite local businesses and they’ll see why you love it too!

Finally, check out how you can incorporate local businesses and products into your daily life in creative ways. Reach out to a local accountant or attend a free tax clinic and handle your taxes yourself, rather than use the big tax company on your computer. It’s easier than you think and you’ll have learned a new skill. Brag about it online when you get a chance! 

Supporting local businesses is both easy and crucial. If we don’t help do some of the leg work, Am@zon wins and we’ll all die (upside down smiley face emoji). And HEY! The possibilities for being CREATIVE while you support small businesses, are legitimately endless. You could discover something about yourself in the process! Small business influencer era incoming? (stars, sunglasses, stars emojis)

If you run a small business of your own and need a bit of a boost in these "unprecedented times,” get in touch with our team, and we’ll set you up with a social media or marketing strategy to help you navigate the challenges and come out on top!