Support Small Businesses During the Holidays

Minute Read

Many of our members are small business owners, and they will all agree that shopping local during the holiday season truly helps their businesses and our communities thrive. However, sometimes you may not have the budget to shop locally for everything. If that's the case, here are some easy and effective ways to support the fantastic local businesses in our communities.

1. Budget for it. No holiday shopping list is complete without a well-thought-out budget. While you decide how much you can spend this year, make sure to earmark a certain percentage exclusively for local retailers.
2. Write reviews. We recommend reviews as a great resource when you're online trying to figure out where to spend your money. This holiday season, give the gift of a review to your favorite local businesses. Whether it's a coffee shop downtown or a craftsperson who recently remodeled your basement, write reviews on Yelp, Google or Facebook. It only takes a few minutes to copy and paste, so why not do them all?
3. Refer a business to your friends. In addition to telling the internet you love them, let your friends and family know, too. If you have a great experience shopping somewhere or love the items they offer, text a friend about it. Share a photo in your family chat about what you purchased there, and encourage them to visit the store themselves.
4. Go in on a gift with other people. A great way to keep your holiday spending local is to team up with friends or family members on a purchase. Support a local artist by purchasing a painting for your mom or your spouse. Have your siblings or your kids chip in on the cost and give the gift together.
5. Purchase gift cards. Instead of buying a physical gift for someone, purchase a gift card to a local shop you think they would enjoy. You'll generally end up spending less money overall, but you'll still be supporting local, as well as hopefully generating a new long-term customer for them.
6. Post on your social media. This is the easiest way to support a small business and help them increase their marketing at no cost to them or you. Post a photo or video on your social media with a description of your experience, what you purchased and how great they are. It costs you absolutely nothing, and it means so much to them.
7. Engage with their social media. The more you like and comment on a page’s content, the more exposure they will get. Help out a local business by liking and commenting on their posts. It takes 15-30 seconds and will do so much to help increase their reach.

If you need help figuring out how to save money for the holidays, we are here for you. Save for a specific goal, like supporting local business by opening a goal savings account. This helps you to visualize your goal, track your progress and manage it all in our mobile app. If you decide to purchase items from a local business, make sure to use our Visa Signature® Rewards card which allows you to choose between 1.5% cashback on all purchases or 1.5 points on all purchases.