A new report by Bionic revealed that over the winter many key small business industries likely to lose a significant amount of revenue, such as beauty salons, pubs, restaurants, hotels, and cafés, as the UK enters a tricky financial quarter.
Small local businesses really are the backbone of the Ross-on-Wye economy, yet are facing a huge risk over the coming months. Income for this sector frequently drops in the last three months of each year. This year, owners are likely to see an unprecedented increase in running costs, which is not only going to impact their staff and other suppliers up the chain.
However Brits themselves are also facing a difficult time, and many are not able to financially support small businesses as much as they may want to. With this in mind, Bionic offers its top tips on how to support small businesses without spending a penny.
- Celebrate Small Business Saturday is this Saturday 3rd December! This is a campaign to highlight small business success across the UK and encourages Brits to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities. Even if you can’t afford to ‘shop local’ yourself, raising awareness for the campaign and attending any free events hosted in celebration will all contribute to the success of your community’s independent businesses.
- Follow the business on social media! This helps small businesses stand out, get found, and compete with major companies. Small businesses rely solely on social media to grow in comparison to major companies with big marketing budgets. Bigger follower counts also give a vote of confidence for the small business as an extra recommendation to customers!
- Engagement also plays a massive role in helping companies in the real world. Commenting on posts, replying to stories, sending direct messages, and tagging friends can all help boost the account on Instagram’s algorithm, helping them appear on people’s feeds as the platform knows people are enjoying the content.
- Sharing their posts on your personal account is an amazing way to support them absolutely completely free! Businesses, no matter their size, all know the power of social media.
- Word of mouth is one of the best ways to help a small business expand its customer base. If you can’t afford to financially support the business yourself, telling your friends and family and getting the word out is a great way to help.
- Reviews are important and don’t cost a penny! If you do have a positive experience with a small business, don’t be afraid to share it online. This helps people know that the small business is loved and respected, and may convince them to give it a go themselves.