Small Business Saturday is the first Saturday after Thanksgiving Day in November each year; however, it can be celebrated anytime during the year. Our Small Business Saturday tools should be shared widely. Here are our top 10 must-have promotion items that will help you promote the event.
We’ve pulled together all of the tools you’ll need to run successful marketing campaigns to help Small Business Saturday grow into a nationwide celebration. We’ve included the most recent 2017 Small Business Saturday CRM, Powerpoint Templates, Facebook Ads, Printable Social Media Posters, Storefront Posters and Flyers
How did Small Business Saturday begin?
Over the last few decades, the big holiday consumer event known as Black Friday grew to strongly favor big-box stores, and small businesses could hardly compete on their own.
In 2010, American Express launched the first Small Business Saturday as an initiative to refocus holiday spending on small and local businesses. By 2011, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution supporting Small Business Saturday, and in 2012, President Obama championed the event for the United States. That same year, Small Business Saturday in the UK was launched.
Today, Small Business Saturday has become a staple in the American holiday shopping furor following Thanksgiving and is gaining traction in the UK for the first Saturday of December.
But that doesn’t mean the holiday needs to be confined to just the United States and the United Kingdom. Small businesses everywhere can tap into the ever-growing support for independent business success around the world.
If you’re a customer-facing small business owner—even if you aren’t a retail business—you can still benefit from Small Business Saturday. Throughout the rest of this post, you’ll find tips and examples of creative small business promotion strategy to prepare your business for the big day. You’ll learn how to make sure your small business is armed to collect all your in-store and online customer leads throughout the entire holiday shopping weekend, and how to make the most of them throughout the new year.
Small Business Saturday Promotion Strategies
Marketed by AMEX Open (the small business arm of American Express), Small Business Saturday is supported with TV advertisements, online ads, social media and more.
Promotional themes used for Small Business Saturday include:
- Shop Small
- Buy Local
- A day when we all shop small
- A big day for small business
- Celebrate America’s small businesses
The overall promotional effort is aimed at encouraging customers to support their local communities and businesses on one dedicated day a year. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and help keep local communities growing.
Here are some basic promotional strategies small businesses can use to maximize the day:
Communicate with customers to spread the word. Get the word out early by communicating often with customers and your community through Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters, on your website and in person at your store. Your most loyal customers can become your biggest advocates and help spread the word to new customers in your community.
Promote your business with a cause. Connect your business with the cause of local community support – not just support of your local business. Emphasize the fact that supporting your business and other local businesses is an investment in your community.
Take advantage of co-promotions and free marketing tools offers. Visit Small Business Saturday on Facebook for free access to marketing and promotional tools like in-store signage, e-marketing materials and other special offers/incentives.
You can also take advantage of the Small Business Saturday Checklist for more ideas, resources and promotional tools. Or, download a full marketing resources kit from American Express that includes logos, signage, social media templates and more.
Online marketing for Small Business Saturday
Digital marketing can leverage your business whether you have a brick-and-mortar store or operate entirely online.
1. Send email blasts
You can set yourself apart with email marketing, and it’s an excellent choice for small businesses that want to make a big impact.
Email newsletters should start at least a week or two before Small Business Saturday. That way, customers are aware of the upcoming holiday and promotions that may come along with it.
2. Be loud on social media
Social media business promotion can be effective for brand awareness. You can incorporate humor, promotions, sneak peeks, “behind the scenes” looks and product information into your status updates to engage customers.
3. Use Instagram or Facebook ads
If you own a small business, you probably already have a presence on social media. Facebook and Instagram ads can be powerful marketing tools. You have control over how much you spend, so your costs could be as little or as much as your budget allows.
Non-digital small business marketing
If you primarily do business in a physical location, you could benefit from these marketing techniques.
4. Leverage your community
Connect with your community by participating in local events. You might sponsor a little-league team or a 5k charity walk or run event. You could also donate goods, services or volunteer at charitable events. Community events allow you to promote your business naturally in conversation. You can promote your support while helping patrons feel good about supporting your business.
5. Make it a party
Shoppers love to feel engaged and inspired. What better way to do that than with a party? You can pre-plan an event, like a product sample demonstration or an interactive, hands-on activity.
You can also keep it simple by playing music outside your store or putting up balloons for a Small Business Saturday promo. The point is to make your store a fun atmosphere, so customers naturally want to stop by.
6. Feed your customers
Have you ever spent all day helping a friend or family member move because they offered to buy you lunch? Or driven five miles out of your way to use a coupon for free coffee at a specific coffee shop?
Shoppers love free food. If you’re offering bagels from a local bakery or other snacks during this pandemic, stick to single-serve containers with lids. You can also check with local restaurants about safe food protocols to get some ideas.
7. Rent a billboard
Even though digital advertising dominates these days, don’t discredit the influence that a billboard can have.
If you don’t have the budget for a full-blown billboard, that’s okay — you can get a similar effect by posting flyers around the neighborhood in community spaces, parks, coffee shops, libraries and supermarkets.
8. Place a newspaper ad
Newspapers are an excellent way to reach your local community. Spread the word with Small Business Saturday marketing and promote your business in your local paper.
The weekend entertainment section is good for restaurants, bars, and cafes. Meanwhile, service providers usually have better luck focusing on classified ads.
Conclusion
Help your small business get involved with Small Business Saturday, an enormous shopping event to celebrate and support small businesses across the country. This toolkit includes background information, a simple way to measure participation, social media graphics and easy tools that you can use to create a Small Business Saturday social media campaign.