“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
Fred Rogers
Life is immeasurably different than it was just a few days ago. It has been incredible to see people come together, while at the same time, practicing responsible distancing. Like many people, we are struggling with how to help the world, our friends, our peers, our colleagues, at a time when we feel so helpless. It doesn’t feel like enough to sit in our respective homes and go about our work without contributing to the efforts to curb the impacts of this virus.
LMS has always had an affinity for small businesses, start ups, mom & pops, and early stage companies that are putting it all on the line to bring an innovative brand new product or service into the market. It has been heartbreaking to watch so many small businesses impacted by the ripple effect of this pandemic. By doing the “right thing” for health and safety, many small businesses are forced to do the “hard thing” for their employees and loyal customers.
Our super power at LMS has always been to help connect the dots. We thrive off of it, it brings us joy. While we have settled into our new normal of self isolation, we feel compelled to use our super power to shine a light on small businesses. To call in our network of incredible influencers (who are also moms, dads, bosses, friends, employees, practitioners… HUMANS) and ask you to join us in spotlighting small businesses.
Here are 5 simple things that influencers can do to support small businesses:
(Regular humans can do them too!)
1. Share & tag businesses in your local community
The best way to help during this time is to find local businesses who are staying open and spotlight their efforts. There may be local restaurants that are moving to delivery only. Other businesses may be reaching out to provide transportation or shopping services to those who are the most vulnerable. No matter how they are helping, showcase them. Many of them are already advertising their services on social media, so lend your support and help them go farther!
2. Spotlight a DTC brand and link to the company website, not Amazon or Target.
We are all so grateful to Amazon, Walmart, Target, aka “the big guys” for working tirelessly to get us what we need in a safe and effective way. But they are the big guys for a reason! If you LOVE a brand that sells DTC, highlight the company website so that these businesses don’t have to share the margin. This could be the difference.
One of our favorite brands is Kopari. They are a clean beauty brand known for their coconut oil based products that delivers a high standard of quality while not compromising on their ingredients. All of their products are free of sulfates, parabens, and phthalates while also being cruelty free and vegan. They also pride themselves for working to source their coconuts directly from sustainable farmers in the Philippines in order to keep their impact on the environment as low as possible!
3. Highlight companies that are not only great solutions, but are also DOING good.
Take &Pizza, for example. They implemented new policies of no delivery fees and contactless deliveries, which they put in place to encourage others to stay home and healthy. They are also giving free pizza to employees and their families, as well as providing funds to help cover Lyft costs, in order to keep as many people as possible off public transport. Additionally, they are working with local hospitals to deliver free pizzas to nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals.
4. Repost, restory, repost
Too much to handle to create new content right now while you are homeschooling your kids and trying to help your elderly neighbor? How about repost, restory and highlight your peers and favorite brands. The amplification effect and the support could make all the difference.
Those with influence: you can lead the “positive sharing” movement. You have incredible power, and therefore incredible responsibility. My responsibility is to help make this easy for you, including sharing incredible companies with you.
What brands have you seen doing good work in your community? Please share them with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, so we can spread their messages even further! Also, sign up for our email so that you get up to date information on the influencers and brands doing what they can to keep everyone safe, healthy, and connected. Together, we can help each other weather this storm.