The growth of black businesses and the black community as a whole is crucial for the economy’s growth. However, the major concern for those businesses is the lack of support for them. It eventually causes them to close down in a year or two.
That is also the reason why so many channels are starting to pop up. Their aim is to promote black businesses and increase their discoverability so that they can sustain themselves for the long term. Some of the popular channels include business directory websites, mobile apps, google maps, etc.
In this blog, we are going to cover some of these popular channels. The aim of this blog will be to make you aware of the popular platforms that you can browse to provide support to black businesses.
What Are The Popular Channels To Shop Black-Owned Businesses?
There are various platforms that are available for discovering black-owned businesses. These include:
- Mobile Apps
- Google Maps
- Black Owned Business Directories
In today’s world where social media has taken over the world. So why not use it to your advantage? There are plenty of tools and resources available on the internet to help you achieve that.
The Best Mobile App For Discovering A Black Owned Business
Mobile devices are the biggest tool that is available to a major part of the population. And that is why businesses are trying to cash in on that with the use of mobile apps. Keeping that in mind, there are apps coming up that are making it easier to find black businesses.
One of the apps that stands out from the crowd is “Blapp”. Let’s tell you everything we know about the app.
Blapp is a mobile application that is available on Android and iOS devices. The aim of this app is to make black-owned businesses more discoverable. No matter where you are in the US, you can use this app to find nearby black businesses. It can
- Showcase all nearby black-owned businesses on the map or through a list
- Search for all the products and services that the black business offers
- Filter search results based on the category you select and display relevant results
If you are also looking for nearby black-owned businesses, download the app from your respective app stores.
Best Black-Owned Business Directories
Another way to make a black business easier to find is by listing it on a black business directory website. There are many popular directories with the motive of providing black businesses with a platform to support them. And while we can not expect these directories to make a big impact on the economy, they can certainly push them towards change.
Keeping that in mind, we will get you through the best directories available for black-owned businesses.
ShopBlck.net
Shopblck.net is among the emerging platforms for black-owned businesses. It is a listing website for black businesses and provides marketing solutions as well. The aim of this directory was to create a platform where any black owner can list their business and join a community that strives to grow by helping each other. Its ultimate goal is to fight against racism by making them financially capable.
There are many features that you can access by listing your business, such as
- You get the chance to interact with similar businesses and some big business owners. They can provide you with the right guidance for the problems which they have overcome to succeed.
- Inclusive growth is also one of the important features of this directory.
- Their website is easy to navigate and user-friendly. Thus, making it easier for customers to search for whatever they need. There are many different categories of products and services on the platform.
- For small business owners, they also help by providing them with marketing and business-related solutions.
Also Read: The Best Ways To Find And Support Local Black-Owned Businesses
ByBlack
ByBlack is an extensive directory for black-owned businesses. It was developed by US Black Chambers with the help of American Express. They also provide certification to the business owners. And one great feature of this directory is that any black business can join the directory and list itself for free.
The information that a business needs to provide includes the following:
- Name of the business and the owner
- Website, phone number, and address of the business
- Category
- Description
- NAIC/Industry code
And one of the conditions for joining the business is that the business should be majority owned, operated, and managed by a person of Black or African American person(s). Joining this directory can get the business either or both of the listing and certification at no extra cost.
Black Directory
Black Directory is another known directory for businesses that are owned and operated by black people. The directory ensures that every member of their community has the same playing field. Their aim is to strengthen their community members and make them capable enough to obtain contracts from the government. It will also ensure access to capital from big institutions like JPMorgan Chase.
Another good aspect of this directory is the continuous growth of black businesses by creating a strong network. Black owners can also get marketing opportunities for their businesses.
The directory has more than 50,000 customers in its email list. The audience is local as well as of national origin, which only the members can access. There are different tiers of membership. Higher tier members, such as the Diamond members, can receive mentoring from successful leaders in the black community.
How Helpful Are Google Maps?
Google Maps are also among the great ways to find black businesses, especially after the introduction of features where businesses can identify themselves as black-owned or minority-owned.
You can simply search for nearby businesses, and google maps will identify the ones that are black-owned if they are registered as one.
Conclusion
With the introduction of so many platforms on the internet, finding black businesses has become a lot easier. We hope that these platforms will help you in supporting black businesses throughout the United States.
In the meantime, you can check out our other blogs on the website if you are looking for similar content.