Let’s face it - times are financially tough for a lot of people right now, but especially for small business owners like food and service trucks. Many small businesses weren’t deemed “essential” in some states even though they might sell the same items as some of the big box stores that were given that designation. Obviously, the best way to help a small business is to shop with them, but there are other ways you can help! Below are some ways that we can assist our friends who own small businesses without purchasing anything.

Follow Social Media
In today’s digital world, social media is VITAL to a small business. One of the best ways to help a business is to actively follow them on their social media accounts. What does “actively” mean? It means reading what they write on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and “liking”, commenting, and sharing their posts with others. In particular, if you can share a post with someone who WOULD be interested in buying a product or service from the business, that would be wonderful!

Tag on Social Media
You can also help out small businesses on social media beyond following and interacting with their accounts. One big way would be to tag them in normal posts that you make, especially if you're using or wearing one of their products. Know and love a local screen-printer? Take a picture wearing one of their shirts and tag them in a post. This is a great way to do soft testimonials, or ways of promoting without being too “salesy”.

Write a Review
Product, service, and restaurant reviews are HUGE in business today. When you’re considering a new restaurant, think about how often you hop online to read reviews. This is just how business is done these days. While there are some reviews that are dubious based on business practices (we’re looking at you, Yelp!) most are legitimate. If you’ve used a company’s services, take a few minutes and write a review on one (or more) of their social media sites. Don’t be the type of person that only comments when something goes wrong. Instead, be a good-finder and post about how delicious that steak was or how attentively the bike show employee helped your son get the right size bike. This is something that you can do even if you ended up NOT buying from a business. Was their sales staff helpful? Were they knowledgeable about their products? Take a few moments and write about the “good”, even if you didn’t find what you were looking for. Honestly, sometimes the best reviews are when a company makes a good impression even if they don’t have what you’re looking for.

We hope the above inspires you to help out small businesses, even if you don’t end up buying from them. It doesn’t take much to really help someone out. If someone gives you good service or advice, reciprocate and send them some social media love.