The pandemic started and is still going on. Life has changed, habits have changed, but so has the business community. Many things will not really be the same as before. The most important thing in such serious, yet challenging situations is support. Not only globally, but also locally, in the environment in which we work, buy, spend, sell…

There will always be a way to help small local businesses that in such difficult times, try to survive, do something different and fight for their place in the market. These are usually small companies or productions, companies or local producers of certain items that easily and affordablely offer their products, intended for a smaller audience, but with the message that "They are here too", that they exist and it is important to support them in their intentions to survive.

What do small businesses mean? What is their market position?

These are usually micro and small businesses, or entrepreneurs. Due to the nature of their offer, they usually focus directly on the end user, the buyer, and not on another company.

What is important to support small businesses?

What characterizes these businesses is that they do not have much money to invest in marketing goals and build their brand. What is the best advertisement for such businesses is what is called Word of mouth, or a person-to-person recommendation. Most often, such small businesses need a recommendation to a wider audience, and this is done most quickly and easily with the help of influencers or Internet personalities who, through their followers on the Internet and social networks, can convey their service to a larger number of people, in full effect.

It is important to nurture and support these businesses and to orient ourselves towards buying products from local small businesses, while with a small gesture we pay great respect and appreciation for someone else's huge work and passion.

In the past year, Halkbank, in accordance with the new situation, adopted a series of adequate measures to help the economy, especially small businesses. It was organized through the media awarding vouchers for products and services to a large number of small businesses - catering facilities, florists, beauty salons, sports centers and others, bank clients.

Additionally, together with Mastercard a campaign "At our expense" was created with which all individuals, new or existing customers, received a voucher worth 500 denars if they become users of a new product, along with Mastercard debit card. The vouchers were a kind of support to the local clients of the bank branches which at that time were working with limited working hours and attendance. This support of local businesses for the Bank was an investment of over 25.000 euros. The Bank also supported the artists by purchasing photo rights from the art authors from the Photo Union of RSM.

For all legal entities, from the smallest micro to corporate companies, Halkbank has adopted measures and prepare a package of products that he shared with his clients - legal entities.

There are other alternatives to help. Lately, more and more companies and individuals are appearing who wholeheartedly want to help smaller businesses. What should lead us all to this goal is the need to jointly overcome the crisis in which we are all. We all need to be part of solidarity, to do good for ourselves for small businesses that are trying to survive in these unpredictable times.