We all want to support our friends’ small businesses, but it’s not always financially possible. With inflation affecting many households, here are six meaningful ways to help without spending money.
This article will discuss “algorithms” and helping someone’s business increase its “visibility.” Let’s break these terms down to help you understand what’s happening.
An algorithm is a process, or set of rules followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
The search and social media algorithms want to keep their users happy and continuously introduce them to exciting new content. Many social media platforms and search engines want you to return repeatedly- to make you a repeat customer by providing you with exciting and engaging content.
Think of visibility as how often your website or social media/ social media posts are found on the Internet.
For example, if you use Spotify and type “90’s rock music” in the search bar, you will get thousands of search results. Spotify will return hundreds of pages, ranked from highest relevancy (i.e., Metallica) to lowest relevance (i.e., Enya). The pages that show up first have the highest visibility, and those at the end, have the lowest visibility.
You want to satisfy the algorithm to increase the business’s visibility. Once pleased, it will boost your friend’s business to the top of search results and help reach new clients. Now that we’ve covered some key terms and concepts, let’s discuss six ways to support a small business without buying anything.
Social media platforms prioritize engaging content. Here’s how to maximize your impact:
Use specific reactions (❤️, 😲, etc.) instead of just “liking”
Pause for 10 seconds when viewing posts (algorithms track viewing time)
Ask questions that spark conversation:
“When does your album drop?”
“I didn’t know you offered this service! Where can I learn more?”
Repost to your feed/story
Tag the business
For products: Share photos of yourself using them
**Extra tip** When you are scrolling your social media timeline and see a business’ posts, pause with their post on your screen for a minimum of 10 seconds. Algorithms know how long you look at a post. When you choose to stay longer, it signals that it is a high-quality post and is an easy way to support a friend’s small business for free!
Video content is currently the most engaging and furthest reaching content. Many businesses, musicians, and podcasters turn to vlogging (video blogging) or at least make video updates. Here are some tips to help people who create videos to promote their small businesses or project.
I want to take a moment to discuss point number two. Many people do not know that if you do not watch a video until the end, it can hurt that video’s performance. That’s because of something called retention rate.
For videos, the retention rate is how long the video kept the viewer’s attention. If you only watch half of your friend’s video, they will get a 50% retention rate from your view. Why does this matter?
It matters because the retention rate signals whether the video is good. Think of a movie theater; if 50% walk out before the movie is over, it is not a good sign. Contrast that with a movie where everyone is glued to the seats, even after the credits roll.
Research shows that the average retention rate for Youtube videos is only 30%. By giving your
Do your friends a favor, and watch their video until the end.
For musicians and podcasters:
Spotify pays artists per full play
Complete streams boost visibility
Create playlists of local artists for car rides/chores
Bonus: Introduce friends to their content during shared activities.
You should know that listening to the whole song or podcast carries the same benefits as listed in tip two. Plus, some websites, such as Spotify, give the artist a few cents per song play. So be sure to listen to the entire song or podcast until the very last second. Listening to a podcast can support small businesses without buying anything and can help them make money, too.
Create a playlist of your favorite local artists and bring them along with you on your next long car ride. Long car rides are a great time to share music or podcast with other friends. So, in a way, you are accomplishing two tasks: giving them another play and sharing their content.
I suggest you make a playlist of your favorite local musicians or podcasters. This way, you can stream your friends on any long car ride or while doing chores around the house. Playing their content in the background is a great way to introduce friends or family members to their music or podcast.
5-star reviews build credibility. Follow this formula:
Give them five-stars
Or the equivalent of the highest rating.
Share a specific product, service, album, or podcast episode to review.
“I loved their goat milk lotion!”
or
“Their episode about Dr. Beaumont’s Tour of Terror was fascinating!”
Share how their product, service, album, or podcast improved your life.
“My skin is so softer without the oily feeling.”
or
“I have shared facts from this episode at a few parties.”
Tell others why to choose your friend over the competition
“I’ve tried a lot of other lotions and oils, and this is by far the best.”
or
“History podcasts are often boring and dull. This podcast kept me wondering what’s next.”
Add a call to action
“You have to try this lotion!”
or
“Check out this podcast!”
Many small business owners, musicians, and vloggers are turning to blogs. Blogging is one of the original forms of online content, and it’s having a resurgence.
If they share a new blog post on social media, click the link and read the whole post. As discussed earlier in this blog post, website retention time is a factor. That means you should take the time to read the entire post.
A way to take this to the next step is easy, just read another blog post. After reading one entry, if you decide to read another, it reduces something called “bounce rate.” The bounce rate measures how likely viewers are to read additional content.
Reading more than one blog post or service page signals useful information. Search engines see these signals that the information is helpful and share the content with more people.
Some small business owners still want to reach people through email and print newsletters. Newsletters are an opportunity to get business highlights. You can read about upcoming sales, tours, or new content.When you stay up-to-date with their business, you will give better recommendations to others.
The best way to support a friend’s small business for free is just being informed about their business. Some of the best clients are those that a friend or family member has referred to. That’s because the friend or family member has “pre-sold” you and your business.
That means they can save time by not having to deliver their whole sales pitch. Plus, the client has a better idea of your work. Your friend must continue to provide an excellent service or product but won’t have to work as hard making the sale.
With just 30 minutes monthly, you can significantly boost a small business’s visibility by:
Engaging deeply with social content
Completing video/audio plays
Writing thoughtful reviews
Supporting their website traffic
Staying informed via newsletters
Your organic support helps them:
✓ Rank higher in searches
✓ Gain paying customers
✓ Build authority
Remember: Even without spending money, your engagement is invaluable to their growth.
