Hey there, fellow small business warrior and cheerleader! 🚀

Here’s a little TL;DR for the Time Strapped Entrepreneurs: 

✅ People buy from businesses they feel connected to.  

✅ Be authentic, engage in conversations, and offer value beyond sales.  

✅ Trust + word of mouth = your best marketing tools.  

✅ Consistency over perfection.  

✅ Celebrate your customers—they’re your biggest fans!  

Now go forth and connect like the rockstar you are. 🎸

If you’ve decided to stay and read this, you probably already know that running a small business is like juggling while riding a unicycle, thrilling but daunting and unbalanced at times. Here’s the good news…You don’t have to do it alone. In fact, the secret sauce to thriving as a small business owner, and not just surviving in any industry is connection.  

Yep, I’m talking about real, meaningful engagement with your audience, not just shouting into the void of social media like a lost explorer in the vast wilderness. Whether you sell handmade crafts and products, offer consulting services, or run a tiny but mighty retail business, people buy from people they like, trust, and feel connected to.

 So, grab your favorite beverage, mine’s an over-caffeinated iced latte with a side of existential enthusiasm and mild anxiety, that would be the coffee, and let’s dive into why connection matters, and how you can use it to grow your business without losing your sanity.  

Why Connection Matters More Than Ever  

1. People Crave Authenticity, Not Just Another Sales Pitch

Let’s be real, nobody is enthused about being bombarded with ads, but they do however feel excited when engaging with brands that feel human and build connections with their lives, thoughts and feelings, it’s in our nature.  

Think about it, when was the last time you bought something because a faceless corporation you don’t really know much about told you to? Probably never, but when a small business owner shares their story, struggles, and wins? That’s magnetic, it connects with people’s empathy and understanding.  

Pro Tip: Share behind-the-scenes content, personal anecdotes, or even your occasional #SmallBusinessStruggles. Your audience will appreciate the honesty and maybe even laugh with you if your Wi-Fi crashes mid Zoom call.  

2. Trust = Sales And Repeat Customers!

Would you buy from someone you don’t trust? Nope. Neither will your customers.  

Building trust takes time, but every interaction, whether it’s a friendly reply to a message or DM, a handwritten thank-you note, or just remembering a customer’s name, it all adds up. People remember how you made them feel, not just what you sold them. If they feel good about you and your business you’ve built trust.

3. Word Of Mouth Is Still The Best Marketing

Forget ad campaigns for a second. What’s the most powerful marketing tool you have? Happy customers who tell their friends about you. Guess what makes them rave about your business? A genuine connection, with you, your story and your brand. If someone feels valued, they’ll become your unofficial hype squad, who doesn’t appreciate a great hype squad.  

How To Promote Your Business Through Connection, Without Being Weird About It  

Okay, so connection is important! But how do you actually do it? Here are some practical, and non-cringey ways to build relationships with your audience.  

1. Talk With Your Audience, Not At Them

Look at social media not as a megaphone but more like a conversation. Instead of just posting promotions, ask questions, respond to comments, and engage in discussions and relate to your audience.  

– Example: If you run a bakery, post a poll: “Should we add mini crafted cheesecakes to our menu? Thumbs up or down?”  

– Bonus Points: Reply to DMs and messages personally, no robotic auto-responders allowed if you can help it!  

2. Show Up Consistently…But Don’t Burn Out  

Consistency builds familiarity, but that doesn’t mean posting 10 times a day. Find a rhythm that works for you, whether it’s a weekly email, daily Instagram story, or a monthly live Q&A on social media.  

Pro Tip: Batch create your content so you’re not scrambling at the last minute. Take a few hours a week, whatever works for you, and create engaging content that will connect with your customers and entice more. Future You will thank Past You for this. 

3. Be Vulnerable…Yes, Really!  

You don’t have to be perfect, in fact imperfection makes you relatable. Share your challenges, lessons learned, and even funny fails.  

– “Tried to film a ‘professional’ tutorial video today. Ended up with 47 outtakes of my dog photobombing, thanks Noodle! Here’s the one usable clip, but I love it.”  

– “Raise your hand if you’ve ever overpromised a delivery time and then panicked..eek! 🙋‍♀️ #SmallBusinessStruggles”  

4. Offer Value Beyond Selling

People don’t just want to be sold to. They want education, entertainment, or inspiration, something that creates an emotional and memorable response to your business or product.  

– A fitness coach? Share free workout tips.  

– A florist? Post a quick tutorial on arranging grocery-store flowers like a pro.  

– A consultant? Drop a few “golden nuggets” of industry wisdom in a LinkedIn or Instagram post.  

5. Celebrate Your Customers

Make them feel like the important people they are.  

– Feature content generated by your customers (with permission of course!).  

– Give shoutouts to loyal customers.  

– Send surprise personalized thank you notes, in a DM or by mail. 

– Include small freebies with orders, a free gift or an upgrade.  

Final Thought: Connection is a Long Game, But So Worth It

Building real connections won’t make you an overnight success, but it will create a loyal community that sticks with you through thick and thin, and in a world where algorithms change, trends fade and customer attention can be fleeting, that’s the kind of business foundation that lasts.  

So go ahead, embrace the messiness and start connecting like the amazing human you are. Your audience and your business will thank you.  

Cheers! And here’s to building businesses that feel like loyal friendships. 

P.S. If you found this helpful, share it with another small business owner who needs a little encouragement. Connection starts with us looking out for each other. 💛