Small Business Saturday can be one of the best days of the year for independent entrepreneurs, small local businesses, and startups. How can you make the most of it?
Small Business Saturday
This year is the 17th anniversary of Small Business Saturday. It has done so well in the US, that other countries have been adopting it as well. It comes right after Black Friday, which typically sees larger retailers unleashing massive sales and advertising campaigns. With all the pressure to shop small, and local, it’s a great day for entrepreneurs, startups, and smaller businesses to get noticed, and get in on the sales action.
How do you do that?
Support Small Businesses
The first thing to do is to support small businesses yourself. Lead the way. Start making a list of items you could use, and that you can buy from smaller online and local brick and mortar businesses. Look for those entrepreneurs who are really making an effort and who deserve your support, and more attention. Get out and shop them. Post your purchases online to Twitter and Instagram.
Create Your Own Sales Specials
Whether you have a product or service which helps small business owners, or you are one, create your own deals and sales. This may even be a more profitable day to target than Black Friday. You don’t have to give it all away, though do keep lifetime customer value in mind. Even if you make nothing on gaining a new customer, you will if you do a great job, and keep them coming back and generating new referrals for you. Consider a percentage off of your normal sales price, a flat dollar amount discount, or include a free upgrade or add on.
Collaborate with Other Small Businesses
You don’t have to do it all by yourself either. You can blend together supporting other small businesses, and your own sales by collaborating with others. You can bundle sales promotions together. Each giving up a little bit, but creating a lot of value together. For example; a real estate agent, mortgage company, title company and home inspector, all working together could offer up small rebates each, but create thousands in savings for small business owners who sign contracts during Small Business Saturday weekend. If you also collaborate on marketing, you can all save, and do a lot more marketing and achieve more reach and a better ROI. 5 of you together can slash the costs dramatically. You can do this online, locally, or event host an event on Small Business Saturday itself, and get the local press out.
Unleash the Content
This is one of those moments when it can be great to create and publish some extra themed content. This could be a special report, new video, an infographic, blog post or article, or a barrage of social media posts reminding people of the day, supporting others, and letting the public know how you are participating. Note that the official hashtags for this day are #smallbusinesssaturday and #smallbizsaturday.
Don’t Overlook Other Holidays
At this time of year there is also Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, and the end of year holidays. Leverage all of them, or find the one which suits your business best, and really invest in dominating it.
Create Your Own Day
Small Business Saturday was actually created by American Express. You may or may not see that as a positive thing. Yet, there is no reason why you can’t create your own special day of the year. We have national coffee day, grandparents’ day, bosses’ day, and many others, but there is room for more good ones. Why not National Buy A Home Day? Or National Invest In Something New Day? Be creative.
Summary
Small Business Saturday is a great day. It’s good for small businesses. It can be great for your venture too. There are many ways to support and participate in it. Let us know what you are doing on Facebook or Google+!
