There is always a ton of hype about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but Small Business Saturday has been gaining popularity since its launch in 2010 and it’s worth making a fuss about. More and more consumers are putting their dollars into shopping locally so we want to equip you with some tips and tricks to leverage this special day.
Plan a Special Promotion
The holidays are a prime time to execute your best promotions of the year! Customers are in the shopping state of mind and always looking for a deal. So run the numbers and figure out what type of promotion will work best for your business and appeal to your customers.
Here’s a few ideas:
- BOGO – Buy one, get one free or 50% off
- Package deals – maybe a cut & color for 25% off OR 50% off a bag of beans when you buy a $25 gift card at your coffee shop
- Amp up your loyalty/rewards program – give extra points for shopping on Small Business Saturday
- Discounted membership for 3 months
- Gift with purchase
Plan an Event
Shopping is fun for some, but others dread it! So why not turn your business into a Small Business Saturday event to boost traffic and give people a mental break from spending money and hunting for the perfect gifts. You could have live music, snacks, a sidewalk sale, contests, kids activities and more! Get creative, have fun and make your business the place to be (and shop)!
Create a buzz
When you are excited about Small Business Saturday and your offerings, your customers will be too! Be sure to make time to get the word out!
Social Media
Let your customers know the deals you’ll be offering that day so they can plan ahead to make it to your business. Promote your events and deals on all your social media platforms. You could even put together a gift guide and share it on social media to help people find gifts for those hard to shop for people.
And don’t forget those hashtags…
Hop on the shop small bandwagon with these popular and trending hashtags!
- #shopsmall
- #smallbusinesssaturday
- #smallbusiness
- #supportsmall
- #smallbusinessowner
- #smallbizowner
- #shoplocal
Email Marketing
Be sure to use your mailing list to send out a campaign about the deals you will be having on Small Business Saturday and any events or contests you might be hosting. Email marketing is your direct link to engaged customers so don’t forget to send them a reminder to #shopsmall.
In-Person Promotion
If you are a brick and mortar business, now’s the time to start putting the buzz in your customers’ ears about your Small Business Saturday promotions. Use fliers, posters, and conversation to give them the heads up on why they should come shop with you.
Partner with Local Businesses
Small Business Saturday is all about supporting the small business community, so it’s the perfect time to collaborate with your fellow small business owners.
You could run collaborative deals, promote each other on social or through printed collateral and share each other’s promotions in your marketing emails.
Let’s do this
Lifting up your local small business community is what Small Business Saturday is all about. So get those deals and promotions ready, consider hosting an event, create excitement and be sure to spread the love by giving a shout out to your fellow small business owners.
Bonus…
Be sure to head over The Shop Small Resource Hub from American Express to get awesome templates from social media and downloadable posters. You can also add your business to their Shop Small map.
