Little Acts You Can Do Everyday To Help Out Your Fave Small Business or Brand
So, you have a brand or influencer that you love dearly, one that you just want to yell their name on a mountain Sound of Music style so everyone can know how great they are. Well, most of us don't have scenic mountains around, nor Julie Andrew’s pipes, so what can we do to show these people that we love and support them? Based on your level of commitment and enthusiasm, one or all of these strategies can help you help your favorites.
1. Like their posts on social media
Liking Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts help a small business or influencer with the ever-changing and frustrating algorithms that put them on people’s timelines. For example, Instagram’s newest version of their algorithm is based on engagement, not chronology as it was in the past. If a user isn’t getting many likes on a photo or video or story views, this affects how often they are seen on any given person’s timeline. If they’re not on people’s timelines, they get forgotten. How can a business or influencer expand their reach to new users if they’re not even reaching their current followers? Help to grow their audience by liking their posts, sharing on Facebook and retweeting them.
2. Recommend them to your friends
Do you have a friend who always hangs out at the same coffee shop week after week? Tell your friend about that local joint with the best cortadito. Or a friend who needs something new and unique to add to their wardrobe? Send them a link to that online store that makes one of a kind pieces of clothing. How about someone who just needs some daily inspiration? Suggest that your friend follow your favorite inspo accounts. You love these places and these people, why wouldn’t others? Word-of-mouth recommendations are the most effective way these businesses and people grow their platform. Your friends trust you and are most likely to take your word for it.
3. Give them your money!
Say you have been loving a brand from afar, liking all of their posts and dreaming of one day drowning in the products that you love so much. Buy something! Even if it’s the cheapest thing on sale, buying something from a small business is the best way to support them. Not only are you encouraging them (you’re a real person interested in their products and brand), but you’re giving them the financial leeway to add new products and expand their creativity. Sometimes it isn’t easy purchasing items from small business as the costs are high; it’s expensive for small businesses to produce things in bulk on a tiny budget. Set a monetary goal, no matter how long it takes, so that you are able to buy something from this brand. Supporting a brand you believe in wholeheartedly feels awesome because you know they deserve it. They’ve worked hard to create these products and to get people to buy them. Wear them with pride.
As for influencers, their blogs and social media activity only make them so much money. If they do a collaboration with a company or products, buy in. This will bring them from being someone who writes advice and reviews to someone with a bit more credibility in whichever industry they associate with. If their game is video content and they get a show on YouTube Red, pay to watch it! Once again this is a huge stepping stone for content creators. Support them so they can keep creating content that you love, which is why you like them in the first place.
4. Become an ambassador
Most people are familiar with the huge army of Glossier ambassadors that swarm Instagram with links to the skincare brand’s site. Becoming an ambassador is the ultimate commitment you can make as a fan of a brand or person. This usually includes an application process, and if you are chosen you’re given a link that, if your followers click on, will track the purchases made so that you can earn a share. You might also get a *fun* discount code. Your duty as a brand ambassador is to spread the word about the company on your own social media accounts, creating original content and directing your followers to “shop with you” at these small businesses. Committing to a company like this aligns your beliefs and mission statements, which not only benefits the company but also you. You have accepted this responsibility and it does not go unnoticed. You are no longer a friend giving a small suggestion, but a member of the company with a bit more skin in the game. You’re adding to the company's social media presence, and people on the outside looking in will notice.