With everything going on in the world right now, a lot of small businesses are taking a huge hit in sales. Most of them are struggling to make ends meet, So how can you help support your local businesses without leaving your house?
1. Reviews
In this day and age, people are quite wary of where they spend their money and rightly so. The first thing they do is check for good reviews from customers. Believe it or not, no review is probably worse than a bad one. It makes the potential customer think that the business isn't experienced enough to handle their custom. Make sure you leave reviews on Facebook and Google to let other customers know what they're about. It really does make a difference. 
2. Like, Follow and Share.
Sometimes you could be keeping up to date with your favourite businesses online without actually following their pages. Make sure to always check you've liked and followed a page and even look at sharing it to your friends' list. This helps the business reach a larger audience on social media which in turn could help bring in potential customers in the future. 
3. Sign up for Mailing Lists.
Sorting through your emails can be a bit of a nightmare these days, especially if you're still getting daily updates from websites you signed up to 10 years ago. But, signing up to mailing lists for small businesses can even work to your advantage. You would be signed up to things like the first look at new products and could even be in with the chance of getting a sneaky discount code every now and then. It's a win-win.
4. Buy Gift Vouchers.
Businesses that tend to have a social media platform could also have an in-store shop where they rely on daily foot traffic to make ends meet. Unfortunately with the whole world being in self-isolation the chance of foot traffic is at an all-time low. Understandably some people will probably be unsure about ordering online right now. If that's the case, always check on their site to see if they offer online gift vouchers. It's the perfect present for Mother's day and Birthdays and you won't have to worry about going instore to buy. Follow this link to buy your Scouse Bird Shop Gift Vouchers in time for Mother's Day. 
5. Check for Personal Websites and Blogs.
Chances are, the staff who work in your favourite boutique are also running a blog from the sidelines. Always check to see if the business has a website where you can buy online, or a blog ran by the staff and owners. It's a great way to get to know your local community and it helps them to reach a larger audience.
Check out Steph's Scouse Bird Problems blog here.
6. Engage with Posts on Social Media.
So you've followed and shared the page to your friends' list but did you know that engaging with pictures on Instagram and commenting on their posts on Facebook, helps to boost a business's engagement which in turn helps their pages to reach a different demographic and brings in new customers regularly. Always make sure you leave comments and likes on posts, you never know you could make a local shop owner smile with your positive words. 
7. Retweet and Share.
If you see a local business promoting a new product or trying to start a conversation, take part, retweet, and share, help them to reach out to their community and get to know their customers. Show them you want to see them do well, help them to make ends meet. Because chances are the people behind the screen are just as lovely in person as they are online. 
Times are hard and everybody is trying to keep their heads above water. Show some kindness and support your local businesses, trust me, a little goes a long way.