There is a lot of debate out there right now about whether we should be opening businesses to the public. On the one hand, we know that the virus is still spreading and the number of people infected and hospitalized in Minnesota is still growing.* On the other hand, we also know that a lot of small and local businesses are struggling since people are no longer patronizing their stores.
However, there are still ways that you can show your support and help small businesses stay afloat.
Word of Mouth Recommendations
Want to see a business thrive? TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ABOUT THEM! This might not help the company immediately (unless they are able to do online orders or virtual services). This can help them rebound faster when they do open their doors.
Like Them on Facebook – and Invite Your Friends to Like Them, Too
Facebook algorithms are getting trickier and trickier for small businesses. It can be hard to get posts seen when you don’t have a big, active following. Do these companies a favor by liking them, inviting your friends to like them, and then interacting with their posts. That means taking a quick second to “like” or “love” the post, leave a comment, or even share the post to your own page.
Here’s a quick guide how to invite your friends to like a company’s page.
Step One: Go to the company’s Facebook page and click “Community” in the left-hand column.
Step Two: Click the “Share” button and click “Invite Friends” on the drop down. Then, select all, or invite friends individually.
Leave a Review or Recommendation
If you have a couple minutes to go one step further and really show your support, leave them a review on Facebook or Google. You might be surprised how important those reviews are to the company’s success. If it’s fitting, you can also write a testimonial for the company or shoot a short video sharing your story. Anyone who would like to share a testimony for Valeo can reach out to Elizabeth at emiller@valeowc.com.
Buy Gift Cards or Gift Certificates
Help the company ‘float’ through a time when they can’t offer as many services by purchasing a service in advance. The plus side is also that you’ll have something to look forward to when the stay at home order is lifted!
Gift cards and gift certificates for restaurants and boutiques that have online shopping available also make for great “thinking of you” gifts.
Participate in Small Business Saturday
This pulls together a few of the options above, but basically, commit to sharing on a social media platform or among your family and friends about one of your favorite local businesses every Saturday.
Choose a new business to highlight every Saturday until the stay-at-home order is lifted – or continue to do it even longer!
Donate
Donate cleaning supplies, if you have extra, to businesses that are staying open. You might be surprised that it is just as hard for businesses to find the cleaning supplies they need as it is for the general public. So if you have more than enough for your family, offer it to those who may need it.
Pray for Them
Keep small businesses like Valeo in your prayers. Pray for the healthy and safety of their staff and customers, for wisdom for their decision makers, and for their financial health, too.
We know that we can make it through this time together. God continues to use all things for His good and it is amazing to see the community come together to share hope and support each other.
Thank you so much to all of our patients who continue to support Valeo and share about the work that we do at our wellness center.
*We still recommend that you check out our immune support blog to learn how to best arm your body’s immune system.
