Small Business Saturday is the Saturday following Thanksgiving (November 26 in 2016). Originally sponsored by American Express and promoted in conjunction with the Small Business Association, even President Obama helps promote Shop Small Saturday to help local businesses get more sales that day. But you don’t have to have a sale to benefit and use #ShopSmall to grow your business. You can offer an open house, food, massage, holiday cookies and coffee or other opportunities to wish your customers a happy holiday.
By using the hashtag #shopsmall you can reach beyond your list of past customers and leads to reach consumers who are shopping that weekend or looking for local deals. To help you figure out how to tie in an event or sale, you can download ideas and tips, as well as customize the #shopsmall logo by visiting the website: shopsmall.com. Because that day is promoted by multi-media nationally and any participating small business (retail or otherwise), you will be visible to all their followers. And you don’t have to take American Express to participate. Businesses can add their event information to the shopsmall.com website search so their event, promotion or sale can be seen by local shoppers.
The #shopsmall event is nationally promoted by many entities including local chambers of commerce, retail centers, American Express, and neighborhood associations. By tying your promotion or event into the hashtag #shopsmall, people who follow Instagram or Twitter hashtags can easily find the local participants and see your event. In addition to the website, you can also connect with the #shopsmall Facebook and Twitter feed to reach even more folks who follow the event #shopsmall but maybe did not know about your business or sale. And don’t forget to ask your local small business organization if they are offering anything for their ShopSmall promotions that can include your local deal or event.
To help figure out what type of event you can do, see shopsmall.com for suggestions on how to expedite a welcome or selfie station, neighborhood scavenger hunt, dining night out, and more. Get creative and brainstorm with your staff to determine how your business can best take advantage of this opportunity to grow your business by reconnecting with your past and potential consumers.
Once you have defined your offer or event, remember to cross promote by using your social media (create a Facebook event page) and a template Email Marketing Campaign to create invitations to join you and to provide online promotions you can use as Facebook ads to reach beyond your past customer list as well. If you need help with ideas or to learn how to implement these tools to launch and promote your #shopsmall event, contact us at 310-791-6300. Or email us for a free event planning guide at tmade.mkt@verizon.net.
For more information on improving your business marketing or your website performance, contact Tailor-Made Advertising to review and improve your efforts. Liz Harsch has been helping business owners maximize their marketing budget since 1988. For more information about Liz or Tailor-Made Advertising, visit tailormadeadvertising.com. Liz is a valued Marketing speaker and trainer for SCORE, SBDC, Constant Contact, Chambers of Commerce and Small Business Groups on Traditional and Online Marketing, Social Media, Analytics or Email Marketing for your organization, email her at tmade.mkt@verizon.net or call 310-791-6300.
