With the sudden onset of COVID-19, many small businesses are either just keeping their heads above water, beginning to drown or have already sunk permanently to the bottom. We have come a long way, but the battle isn't over. At one point, photographers, among many other professions, were considered non-essential and it was therefore illegal to conduct sessions. Even front porch sessions!
At this point, the photographers who complied with these orders are suffering from lost wages from just a few months of not being able to work. If you are able and want to give back, there are ways you can make a difference for a small business.
Many them are FREE!
The first item is the only one that will cost you anything, but a few moments of your time. And all of these could bring in potential clients for your small business friend.
Gift Certificates. Ask them if they offer gift certificates and keep them for yourself or, of course, give them as gifts! This is a great way to for sure help get cash to your favorite small business NOW when they may need it.
Shout outs on socials. Share a post of theirs once in a while and tag them! Tell people WHY you love them and give them reasons to support them. Don't spam your feed every day, but here and there really does wonders.
Write a positive review. Facebook and Google allow you to simply leave 5 stars as well if you're not much of a writer. However, adding even a sentence saying something positive goes a long way versus one with just stars. People want to know WHY they deserve those stars.
Tell your friends and family. This has always been the best way for small businesses to get more business! If a friend or family member is talking about needing family pictures, why not throw out someone you know? Help two people with one suggestion!
Follow them on socials. Followers don't always matter, but they don't hurt either. It's a great way to keep up with their new posts and remind you to share them with your followers.
Engage with social posts. A like, a comment... these really do matter! The more people engage with posts, the more likely they are to be seen by others.
Sign up for their blog or newsletter. This is another way to keep up with them and have something to share.
Check in with them. Be a friend and ask them how they're doing. Everything can look like sunshine and rainbows on social media, but be a different story in real life. Even if they don't want to go into detail or say everything is fine, they'll appreciate knowing that someone cares.