What is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is an annual one-day event conducted on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in November to promote small businesses.
American Express founded the event in 2010 as a way to support small companies following the Great Recession. The United States Senate approved a resolution promoting Small Business Saturday in 2011, and the event has since grown in popularity, with participants from all 50 states.
Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, customers may already be shopping online or at well-known retail companies in preparation for the holidays. By concentrating on small enterprises, the event hopes to emphasize their value in local communities and prevent them from being overwhelmed by larger corporations.
Why Small Business Saturday is important for small businesses?
The primary objective of this event is to improve income for small companies throughout the Christmas shopping season. According to the figures given by American Express, the event appears to have been a success in terms of accomplishing that aim.
For instance, it was found that customers spent $19.6 billion in support of small companies on Small Business Saturday in 2019. This amount surpasses the $5.4 billion spent on Black Friday and the $9.2 billion spent on Cyber Monday, all of which took place over the course of the same weekend. Approximately $120 billion has been spent on Small Business Saturday by Americans collectively since the event’s debut in 2009.
This is crucial because, according to American Express, 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small company in the United States stays in the local community. By purchasing locally, customers may contribute to the growth of small companies and foster a more vibrant local economy.
How should your business be promoted on Small Business Saturday?
Try to make it an event – What better way to commemorate your status as a small, locally owned business than to host a party? Involve your employees, customers, friends, and family.
Methods for Attracting Attendees to Your Event
- With festive decorations, transform your business into a sight to see and immerse yourself in the holiday mood.
- Invite a local band to perform for a couple of hours at your business.
- Engage the entire family with activities such as games, face painting, and picture booths.
- Invite a local celebrity or political person as a special guest.
Offer a special discount – Everybody knows that this is the weekend of insane deals and deep discounts that buyers look forward to all year. Profit from this expectation by providing one of your own.
Reward for participation – Involve your clients by providing them a special discount or present for participating in a Saturday activity at your store. This might be as easy as a complimentary hot chocolate or a 25% discount on one item.
Connect your business with a local cause – How about supporting a local company and a charitable organization at the same time? Join forces with a cause that you are passionate about. Use the event to raise money by providing a percentage of your sales or to show assistance by donating an item of need for every transaction over a specific amount at your business.
Try to spread the word through your customers – Your existing consumers are your most vocal supporters. Encourage them to join and invite their friends and family in the weeks building up to it. Additionally, urge them to spread the word about the event via social media. Utilize brand-related hashtags in addition to mainstream Small Business hashtags.
Reach out to Press – Local news stations and other community media like Small Business Saturday and will almost certainly dedicate special segments to showcasing local companies. Make contact with them early to indicate your interest in participating!
Run Local Ads – A sure-fire approach to spread the word is to use a local advertising campaign.
- Advertise on Facebook and Instagram with a sponsored social media ad.
- Run a Google Ads campaign with a specific audience in mind.
- Place an advertisement in your neighborhood newspaper.
Run a Giveaway – There are several methods for growing your small business online. You have a variety of alternatives, from social media to pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to content marketing. However, have you explored the possibility of employing freebies to help expand your business?
Concern about the expense of giving away free items or services is warranted, but giveaways are an excellent method to raise awareness of your brand and inspire trust in it. Believe it or not, they require little cash and provide a great return on investment.
Through a giveaway, Beard Brand was able to garner over 700 likes, follows, and subscribers. Similarly, a $5,000 food giveaway resulted in a 22% boost in sales and 600 new Facebook Likes.
You need to choose what you’re going to measure so that you can determine whether your giveaway was a success. Bear in mind that the freebie is not intended to generate sales. The majority of freebies enhance brand recognition and aid in the growth of your online following. You can use giveaways for Small Business Saturday to at least increase your brand awareness.
There are many other ways to promote your business through Small Business Saturday. It is a great opportunity and it is one of those events where small businesses are at focus. You also need to do be prepared for handling the spike of customers on your store. Plan everything in advance because even the tiniest of mistakes can greatly impact your brand value. Contact us at Fitzgerald Tech Solutions to find out how we can help!
Matt is the founder and CEO of Fitzgerald Tech Solutions. He is well versed in web design, system administration, and all things tech.
