Over the course of a week in April 2025, global markets have been rocked by one of the most disruptive economic policies announced by the US in close to a century. As stock markets tumbled, the White House stood by, and sometimes doubled down, on its new policy, but luckily for businesses across the country, bond vigilantes made enough noise to force a retreat.
Even so, it wasn’t a full retreat. Coming away from the retaliatory tariffs board, there’s still a ten percent tariff on all goods coming into the US, and the weakening of the dollar made purchases more expensive. All other measures were, welcomingly, given a 90-day pause. That gives small businesses in Georgia and beyond three months to work out how to wrangle the new state of play and to try to maximize growth while the going is still fairly good.
Small Businesses Across Georgia Hit by New Tariffs
Small businesses make up 99.9 percent of firms in the US, each of them employing 500 people or fewer, and many will be feeling the pinch of the instated and impending tariffs. After all, many have relied on the cheap and accessible trade of items from overseas to enable their healthy profit margins and grow as a result. States across the US, Wired reports, don’t foresee their small businesses moving manufacturing despite the tariffs.
More locally, Georgian small businesses have gone on record about their issues with the new rules. Atlantucky Brewing, for example, are grateful for the hold on the reciprocal tariffs, but they’ll still likely need to rely on Europe for their grains and aluminum even once the tariffs come into force. Leisurewear and bedsheet company BamBlu makes use of bamboo fabric, but China and the US going head-to-head will incur significant additional costs now.
Naturally, economists have been pulling their hair out over the self-inflicted harm caused by the announcements. From the Metro Atlanta Chamber, as 12:26 WRDW reports, chief economist Dr. Jerry Parrish has said that they already know the move will harm “businesses, workers, and consumers alike.” Another local business, She Prints It, says that at just a 54 percent tariff on Chinese goods, fees will have to be passed down.
Looking to Expand the Customer Base While the Going’s Good
As a baseline, small businesses that import – which is a huge chunk of them – will now be facing ten percent tariffs. In a few months, that figure will increase multiple times over. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many are trying to leverage key marketing strategies now to increase their consumer bases and build a larger audience that will, hopefully, stay loyal once the heftier tariffs come into play.
Now, there is a template from a relatively new industry in the US that has laid the blueprint for acquiring and retaining customers over long spells. That industry is iGaming, and as is listed by BonusFinder US, these businesses are more than happy to put up big bonuses for new customers. With eye-catching offers like a 100 percent match or ten days of free spins, they get their foot in the door. From there, the promos flow to loyal players.
Now, simply having such offers on a website is not enough, especially in the crowded online marketplace. So, businesses need to look to digital marketing to get the word out and reach as many potential customers as possible. Instagram has become a hot favorite for this, but Google Ads, Facebook advertisements, and even short promos to show during YouTube videos offer a clear path to more customers with relative ease.
The new tariffs are going to bite small businesses in the US the most, so those that can should consider implementing high-tier marketing schemes and loyalty schemes to acquire more customers and keep them through the rough spells to come.
