5 Ways to Support Small Shops Online

Promoting your shop in Facebook groups can be difficult, since most groups don't allow self-promotion. Reaching more people on Instagram depends heavily on the algorithm and may not be practical for small businesses with small teams. You can do a few things to support your favorite local brands as a consumer. Many of them don't cost money. It could be something as simple as a post on Facebook or Instagram. There are a number of ways to show support for friends and family members running their small businesses, as well as your favorite local or online artist or shop.

Why support small businesses?

Local online shops often provide sustainable shopping options.

Small business has been providing a valuable service to their communities for years. They offer items that are more environmentally friendly and socially conscious than large corporations, often working hand-in-hand with other nonprofit organizations or giving back within the local area. Additionally, it is easier to connect with shop owners personally and suggest new ideas to help them grow. This will result in products closer to what we need as long as they continue to thrive.

How Can I Support a Small Business Online?

Our business has been fortunate to receive a wonderful amount of support from other shop owners. Same with children’s brand Nightingale, where customer referrals have been helping us out a lot. Word of mouth helps to reach people who might be interested in our products.

Here are 4 free things you can do to support your favorite small shop on social

Post about your favorite brands on social media to show them that you support them and that they're an important part of the community. Here are some ideas you can use to support your favorite local shop on Facebook or Instagram!

1. Follow or like their page.

Following or liking a small business page on social media is the simplest way to show your support. Having a large social media following has some advantages, especially for small businesses. 

Follow your favorite small shop on social to show your support 

By liking their pages and following them, you help people learn more about their brand. This increases their credibility and make it easier for them to collab with influencers too. One of the most important marketing goals for a business is brand recognition and awareness. After all, people buy from brands they recognize. Promote small businesses you like on social media by following their pages.

2. Leave positive comments and engage with their post

Join in on the social media discussion by commenting on their posts. Especially if you had a positive experience with the shop. You can also tag a friend, or sharing a post with your followers and friends increases your favorite shop's engagement. Especially if you think your family and friends will find it helpful.

Don't forget to leave positive comments on your favorite shop's post  📷 from Likha & Co. 

Social media tends to share a page's content with other users' Explore feeds with similar interests. This helps a small business get found by people who may not even know it exists yet, which helps them grow.

So if your fave shop asks for your opinion or invites you to leave comments, take the opportunity to show your love for the small business.

3. Take photos of your purchase and make sure to use their official hashtag.

The best way to share a brand you love is through photos and videos. They help people see the product “in action” and imagine using it. Share why you love them and their products, and how you think they’re different from others. User-generated content can help online shops stretch their marketing budgets, connect with customers and increase sales. Your friends and followers will be able to see more related content if you use the shop's hashtag! Additionally, people trust people and user-generated content because it's authentic.

Here's a 📷 from Primary Diaries showing off her purchase from Teaching and Tees

Pro-tip for small shops:

Create a hashtag that’s easy to spell and remember. Encourage user-generated content by incentivizing the customers. You can create a photo contest and reward the best entry!

4. Write a detailed product review.

When you buy something, what's the first thing you do? Probably check out the brand's reviews. These reviews help you and many others decide whether a purchase is worth it. An honest, organic testimonial is always the best form of promotion, as people are more likely to trust the recommendations if they come from someone they know. Don't forget to leave a glowing review on their Facebook or Instagram page if you enjoy the product.

Here's a 📷 from Ellie the Golden Girl and her fur mom talking about their purchase from Bandeezy Co. 

5. Use the small shop sticker on Instagram.

Use the Support Small Business Sticker when posting a photo or video of you using the products of a small business you want to support. Multiple photos can also be added to a single story.

At the height of the pandemic, Instagram rolled out the Support Small Business Sticker to encourage social media users to help promote their favorite online shop

Pro-tip for customers who love to support small shops:

Add brands you love and support to your Instagram highlights, so your followers can easily see them.

Join Our Community of Small Shops

The small business community must work together to not just survive but grow and flourish. We’re building a community of small shops where they can mention their upcoming promos, share packaging tips they found, and other helpful tools for improving business operations. Here are two ways you can be part of our community:

Be Part of Our Small Shop Circle

You can list your business in our Small Shop Directory. Since we are small businesses, it's hard for us to get creatives consistently, especially with photographs. In addition, finding designers can be difficult, so we thought building a collaborative community for small shops, designers, and artists would help small businesses thrive.

Sign up and be part of our small shop circle!

Be Part of our VIP Facebook Group

Join our Facebook group and meet other small business owners. It's a place for shop owners to share tips & ask questions. We also share details on the mailer bags we create to create packaging materials for shipping.

 Join our VIP group of small shop owners on Facebook and exchange ideas with other entrepreneurs like you.