Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities and I want to support THEM ALL! But, it's difficult to spend all of your money at each and every place so here is a list of easy ways to support your favorite businesses on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (and beyond!)
These suggestions are low and no cost ways to show those local businesses some love.
My Top 5 Suggestions are:
Tell Your Friends
Follow them on Social Media & Interact with their Posts
Buy a Tshirt/Small Item with their Logo
Leave them a Review
Tag their Business if people are looking for recommendations.
BONUS: All of the businesses I list in my examples below are ACTUAL businesses along the Mississippi Gulf Coast! I have videos on them all so if you're interested in them, be sure to visit youtube.com/gulfcoastgal to learn more!
TELL YOUR FRIENDS:
Is Bright Eyed Brew Co. your favorite Coffee Place? Tell your friends! Something along the lines of "Hey! Have you been to Bright Eyed Brew Co?!" This is also a great icebreaker at networking events!
FOLLOW & INTERACT ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
One of the easiest ways to support your favorite businesses, and stay in the know, is to follow them and interact with them on Social Media. One of my most favorite places on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, The French Potager, is over in "The Bay" and I don't get a chance to get over there too often. I love that Social Media gives me the opportunity to stay up to date with what they have going on AND I get the opportunity to interact with them. They posted these magical looking bath soaks the other day and it took no time at all for me to give it a little <3 and add a comment. The comment helps push their posts through FB's crazy algorithms more so than a "like". A Share, on the other hand, really pushes the needle and exposes those on your friends list to the business! Plus, people get to know you better by learning more about your favorite things!
BUY A SMALL LOGO ITEM:
Inexpensive, but still effective, purchasing a small logo item, is a great way to advertise and support the business. This can be anything from a koozie to a t-shirt. I love scooping up a tshirt, especially when they are cute! The only drawback might be is that they think you work there and will ask you about the trade secrets, like the time I wore my pink Tatonut Shirt out and about - they tried to get me to tell them how they made the donuts so delicious. HAHA. :D
LEAVE A REVIEW:
One spectacular way to promote how much of a good experience you've had is to leave a review. You can do this on facebook, yelp, or my biggest recommendation, google. Try to include pictures too, especially of food! I've recently left a review for Maynard's Music store in Ocean Springs! They are a homegrown record store featuring everything from cassettes to CDS. They also have records galore which include classics to new releases!
TAG THEIR BUSINESS:
You always see people online, especially in groups, looking for recommendations for the best places for Italian Food (Uhm, Hello The Sicillian!), Car Detailing, etc. Support your favorite local restaurants by tagging them! I love promoting my favorite places and this literally costs NOTHING but drives business and awareness to their place! Talk about a WIN-WIN!
That's a wrap y'all! I hope you use these suggestions to support your favorite small shops along Coastal Mississippi or in your communities! Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel so you can check out these small businesses and so many others!