How To Help a Small  Business In 5 Easy and Cashless Ways?

We are clearly on the edge of recession, and building business resilience in a changing economy starts with the small, practical support described here. Small businesses will probably get hit by this recession even more than large companies, which is exactly why how businesses adapt to economic uncertainty is such a pressing question.

Small entrepreneurs will need to go through harder times than most employees. The Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey confirms smaller and nonemployer firms are consistently less likely to be profitable and face more trouble accessing credit than larger firms, leaving them with a thinner cushion when conditions turn. In fact, according to SHRM, small business failure rates can rise by up to 25% during recessions — a stark reminder of how businesses adapt to economic uncertainty, or fail to. The SBA Office of Advocacy puts real numbers behind this: only 49.2% of new employer businesses survive five years, and during the COVID recession small businesses lost 9.1 million jobs before recovering them two years later.

Do you have a friend or a family member with a small business? Would you like to help them — but without spending your own funds or investing too much of your own time? How to effectively help a small business in general?

Well, the good news is: there are many simple ways to support your friends! We live in a world where online presence and public relations matter greatly. They often decide about the life or death of a business.

And the fact that you are reading this text, means that you are probably active online.

In this brief article, we will list five ways to support any business from the comfort of your own home. None of them require sending any cash.

1. Why Not Link the Company Page or One of Its Subpages?

Search Engine Optimization (also known as SEO) is one of the most effective ways to boost traffic to a website. Although it is a complex practice, it effectively works via an algorithm. This algorithm causes search engines to rank websites according to the quality and authority of their content.

One way for a company page to appear higher up in the Google listings is to have lots of inbound links. These links should come from reputable pages across the internet.

This ensures Google will trust and respect them more than others. According to Backlinko, a study of 11.8 million Google results found that link authority strongly predicts higher rankings.  

Many businesses with marketing budgets will hire an SEO agency to optimize their content and boost their rankings, but this is not always possible for a small business. Therefore, you, as a loyal customer can help by linking the company page or any of their subpages from your own blog, website, or social media account.

Search Engine Optimization (also known as SEO) works by having Google bots upvote websites with lots of inbound links coming from reputable pages. Google trusts and respects these websites more than others.

Why Do Backlinks Matter for Google Rankings?

Especially after the ChatGPT bot by OpenAI was released, AI-generated content flooded the Internet. As a result, small entrepreneurs have a hard time building their businesses.

And at the end of the day, bots are too stupid to know what people really think about a given webpage. Therefore, they use a simple proxy. As Madonna famously said: “Say Anything You Like About Me, But Spell My Name Right.”

So, link the relevant content and Google will do the heavy lifting! You can link the company page or any of its subpages on your personal webpage or the webpage of your business.

Don’t you have such a page? No worries. You can also use any of your social media accounts.

Especially the reputable ones, such as Medium, LinkedIn, or YouTube, earn trust from Google bots.

2. Just Recommend Them! Help a Small Business By Sharing The News About the Business and Their Content Via Social Media.

Personal recommendations always do magic. You might think of people whom you personally know and who might benefit from the company’s products or services. Similarly, think of people who might benefit from reading or watching their content. Interestingly, Yale School of Management research finds that word-of-mouth works best when the person sharing believes their audience hasn’t already seen an ad for it — another reason a personal heads-up from you carries more weight than a company’s own marketing.

And, simply drop them a message.

Of course, likes under the company’s content on social media and sharing their content are also helpful — perhaps even more helpful than you might think! After all, they work similarly to personal recommendations; people pay more attention to the content shared and recommended by others rather than any paid ads.

3. Drop Interesting Information, Contacts, and Info About Incoming Opportunities To The Team.

Especially if the business is based on content or research, there is always more work you can do. If you get any hot news about the new, interesting developments and trends in the area of the market where the company operates, just share.

Furthermore, if you bump into any useful information, share with the business owners! For instance, if you entrepreneurial friend bakes cakes, and you hear about a cake baking content in town, drop them a message! Small entrepreneurs are often so busy meeting ends that they have no time left for researching extra promotion opportunities.

4. Why Not Review the Company and Their Products Online?

Most companies have a Google business profile. It means that once you search them via Google, they should appear at the top of the Google search results. And then, you should have a chance to see their full address, and a chance to leave a review for their services.

In a world where every business fights to be visible and look welcoming in the Google search, a good review stands out. It means the world to every business owner. The numbers back that up: Harvard Business School research on Yelp reviews found that a one-star increase in rating leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue, an effect that’s especially strong for independent businesses rather than chains.

Moreover, since Google reviews are not anonymous, Google will also notify them via email about your review. Hence, people will notice and definitely remember your help!

Moreover, there might be ways to leave a review of the company’s products or services. Do they sell anything through Amazon or any other platform where you might leave a review? Or perhaps, they offer some Software as a Service or any other service which you might review via TrustPilot?

5. Use The Team’s Affiliate Links.

Many small businesses take part in affiliate programs, for instance, the Amazon Associates program. Whatever you buy on Amazon using such affiliate links as a gateway, Amazon will pay the company a little commission. In fact, this holds true even if you buy yourself a product that has nothing to do with the company’s services. A systematic literature review of affiliate marketing research describes it as one of the fastest-growing customer acquisition techniques precisely because it’s so cost-effective for the business — the company only pays out once a sale actually happens.

6*. Why Not Just Ask Them How You Can Help?

Mind that social media lies. Small entrepreneurs usually look bigger and more successful on social media than in reality, as they believe that success attracts clients, and failure scares people away. 

Entrepreneurs rarely talk about their problems, even among closest family and friends. Perhaps it is because of the toxic hustle culture and “fake it till you make it” rhetoric, or fear of social judgement. Therefore, instead of guessing, you can also simply ask!

Some businesses are more fragile to recession than others, which is exactly why business strategy for uncertain economic times needs to account for exposure to price shocks. For instance, the business may depend on other businesses that keep raising prices, or on resources such as oil that get expensive during a crisis. In that case, it is also under pressure to raise prices, and it may lose some clients. 

Or, if the business produces consumer products or services that consumers tend to resign from in recession, such as expensive entertainment or customized goods.

Perhaps your entrepreneurial friend dreams of pitching their services to your employer? Or maybe they need a new website, and you happen to know a graphic designer who could take care of it?

Alternatively, you might connect them with a podcaster who could interview them and get them some publicity? Perhaps they just need mental support and someone to talk to?

You name it. This is chance for your personal development.

Summary: How To Help a Small Business? Be Creative!

In fact, countless ways exist to help others in need — all part of how to build a resilient business together, as a community. Use your creativity!

Sooner or later, this effort will pay off, since it’s part of how to build a resilient business through mutual support. Karma will return, and the universe will repay your goodwill and readiness to help.

Also mind that entrepreneurs have a good memory for social exchange, unwritten deals, and unsolicited acts of help — the informal side of business planning for economic disruption that rarely gets written down. Comradery, brotherhood, and banter make up the foundation of business, and of any real business planning for economic disruption. If you help them, they will also help you when the time comes.

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