Small Business Saturday is just a few short hours away and as a small business owner myself, I value shopping and supporting small business this and every holiday season. One of the things that I love about shopping small is that I know I am supporting another person who is able to feed their family, invest in their business, and so much more! So this holiday season, I hope that you will look to a small business or two when you are purchasing gifts. Even if you don’t buy from a small business, here are five great ways to support small businesses this holiday season:
- Share their work with your friends, family, and strangers on the internet
This is how many of us find potential customers at this point, is through recommendations from friends, or seeing something that someone else shared. If you cannot afford a product or it just isn’t the one you need, but you like the maker or think one of your friends might enjoy it, then share it with your friends! Post something of you favorite maker’s to your Instagram story, share their shop link on Facebook, or just tell a friend! Word of mouth goes a long way!
- If you’ve purchased from a maker in the past and liked their products, leave them a positive review!
Whether you found them on Etsy or through their own shop or on Facebook, there is likely a way for you to leave a review somewhere. If you don’t see that option, you could go the extra mile and shoot them an email and ask where you can leave them a stellar review! This will probably make their day. Reviews help show other people who might be interested that you loved the product and give your maker the social proof of the quality of their products.
- Comment on their posts on social media!
By this point, I think we all have experienced frustration algorithms on Instagram and Facebook seeming to bury posts. Whenever you like and especially comment on a post, it tells that tricky algorithm that the post is a good one and it should be shown to more people! So spread the love and drop a kind word on your favorite makers’ posts and double tap whenever you can!
- Search on a place like Instagram or Etsy first before going to Amazon
I know I often use hashtags like #shopsmall or #handmade or #smallbusinesssaturday #madebyme and similar things when I tag posts of the things that I make, and many other makers do the same. This is a great way to find new makers who might just make that thing you’ve been looking for! Etsy is also a great marketplace if you need to search more broadly. Personally, I get a lot of supplies through Etsy but find a lot of other makers mostly through Instagram. Both places are good sources to find small, independent shops that you can support before turning to a big place like Amazon (although Amazon does have a handmade section now!) There is also a Meet the Maker Week going on this coming Monday and lots of small shops will be participating on Instagram and introducing themselves and their work through that!
- And of course, buy your gifts from a small business!
The most tangible way to support an independent maker, is of course, to buy something from them! So here is a list of some makers I love and many of them are doing sales or shop updates for Small Business Saturday tomorrow!
Syd’s Threads - hand dyed and hand woven scarves, pillows, and more! Sydney is doing a shop update Saturday with some hand dyed pillows and more!
Bare Branch Jewelry - handmade jewelry. 20% off orders of $25+ and free domestic shipping through Monday.
Twofold Clothing - small batch, ethically made clothing brand. Their shop is 10% off through Monday!
Coffee, Cats, and Kinder - digital prints, hand lettering, t shirts and more! 20% off when mix and match to spend $50! (This includes digital prints and t shirts with hand lettering)
Beego Handmade - Reusable snack and wet backs to replace ziploc and plastic bags. Saturday - Monday the shop is 15% off with free domestic shipping!
Your Basic Stitch - hand embroidered goodies. 10% off plus free domestic shipping until November 27th.
