9 Ways to Support Your Small Business Friends During Covid

Here’s some hard truth for you today: your small business friends are hurting right now. While everyone else who had their hours reduced at work or let go from their jobs from COVID were able to collect unemployment, your small business friends weren’t able to collect any assistance for almost 2 months into quarantine. Some still aren’t able to collect benefits. Fortunately, PUA assistance from the federal government eventually become available for many self-employed people, but there has been very little done to assist small businesses.

Every person I’ve talked to who works in the event industry is scared of what might be coming this fall. If there’s another quarantine or restrictions on gatherings, weddings/events can’t happen. That means photographers and videographers don’t work and they don’t get paid. Florists, DJs, wedding planners, coordinators, rental companies, venues, and catering companies…all of them will be out of work if we face more restrictions or another quarantine.

Your small business friends are hurting right now, whether it’s financially, emotionally, or both. So today, I’m sharing a few ways you could support your small business friends during this challenging time.

Here’s a Quick Overview:

1. Follow them on Social Media & Invite Your Friends to do the Same

This is a great (and free!) way to support your small business friends. By helping to drive traffic to your friends’ social media pages, you are helping them gain new potential clients. You are also helping to get more eyes on their content, which could result in increased sales. In addition to that, this also helps drive traffic to your friends’ website, which will boost their SEO (search engine optimization). Helping to increase your friends’ social media following will help them immensely during this time.

2. Send You Small Business Friends a Gift Card

If you haven’t been too impacted financially by COVID and you are feeling generous, you could always send a gift card to your small business friends. It could be any kind of gift card you want, but I’d actually recommend gifting some type of meal card. Whether it’s a gift card to their favorite restaurant, Grubhub, or even a grocery card, gifting your small business friends a meal would be incredibly thoughtful. Other ideas of gift cards that might be really helpful include gas cards, Amazon gift cards, or those prepaid VISA cards (to use towards bills).

3. Share their content

This is another easy and free way to help support your small business friends during COVID. By sharing their content, you will help increase traffic to their website, blog, or social media pages. An increase in traffic to their website will result in increased SEO. This means that when someone searches for their business on Google, their website will appear higher in the search results. It will also help your friend find new potential clients to work with.

4. Reach Out to Them In a Text or Message

I know you probably have a lot going on right now. However, if you can spare a moment to reach out to your small business friends in a text or Facebook message, I know it would mean so much to them. I know I always feel so great when someone sends me a random message or text just checking in with me, especially during difficult times. This one is super easy, so don’t forget to send your small business friends a little extra love today!

5. Buy A Gift Card From Them to Use in the Future

If your friend runs a service-based business and they don’t sell physical products, consider purchasing a gift card from them to use in the future. Maybe you don’t need a pedicure right now, but want to support your local nail salon: buy a gift card to use later. This is also a great way to support your favorite photographer. If they don’t advertise gift cards on their site, simply reach out and ask them if you can buy one from them. I guarantee they’ll help you out!

6. Send Them a Care Package

This is my *favorite* suggestion on this list because you can support TWO small business owners with one purchase! If you send your small business friends a care package, I recommend sending it from another small business that sells products. That way, you’re supporting the small business owner selling the products while also sending your friend a sweet pick-me-up. It’s a win-win! Here are some of my favorite small business that sell super cute products:

• All She Wrote Notes
• Chalkfulloflove
• Rachel Allene
• Simplified (by Emily Ley)
• Farmgirl Flowers
• Gift & Garnish

7. Buy Your Small Business Friends a Coffee

Starbucks makes it really easy to send digital gift cards via email. If you have $5 to spare, surprise your small business friends with a coffee! It’s the perfect pick-me-up gift, and they will be so appreciative of it!

8. Like and Comment on their Social Media Posts

Another free and easy way to support your small business friends is to like and comment on their social media posts. By interacting with their posts, you are essentially telling the Facebook/Instagram algorithm it should naturally boost the post. This is great for your friend because then they get more exposure without having to pay for advertising.

9. Purchase One of their Products

If a small business friend sells physical products, consider purchasing one for yourself or for a friend! Even if it’s something small, every purchase helps put food on the table for a small business owner. Not only that, but during this trying time, it helps your friends pay the bills that comes with small business ownership.

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