Small Business Saturday (coming up on November 26) is an opportunity to celebrate not only your business, but also your customers. Where Black Friday serves its own purpose (big deals, clearing inventory, mass hysteria), Small Business Saturday is a celebration of what it means to shop small and to be a small business owner thriving in today’s marketplace.
Get the most out of your Small Business Saturday by pulling out all the stops. After all, this day only comes once a year.
Think of Small Business Saturday as your very own celebration of small business success – and share that with your customers!
Send some emails or postcards to your local customers letting them know that you’ll be celebrating Small Business Saturday with any sales, special events or workshops, and offer them a little something for coming out to celebrate.
You can also partner with other local small businesses to host an event along your business’s block. This helps alleviate some of the cost of hosting a larger event while also allowing you to share customers with your neighbors.
Small Business Saturday isn’t just an opportunity to celebrate the wins that your business has had over the past year – it’s also a time to recognize and appreciate those loyal customers that have helped you with that success.
Customer appreciation goes a long way in the realm of customer loyalty. By showing your customers you care – whether that’s by making the day about them, offering prizes to your top referrers or social posters or offering special discounts to those who have been with you for a long time – you help to strengthen the relationships between your business and your customers, ultimately leading them to continue working with you.
If you’re hosting a soiree for Small Business Saturday, use it as an opportunity to create a library of marketing materials for your business. Take photos of your customers shopping and interacting with your staff, or snap some shots of them taking a class or receiving a treatment at your business, for future use on social or other pieces of marketing collateral.
You can also use live-streaming social media to get people excited about your business. For example, have an ongoing Instagram story for Small Business Saturday, or show off your event on Facebook Live. You can interview customers, ask them what they love about your business, and use those testimonials elsewhere in your marketing.
If you have specific sales or attendance goals for Small Business Saturday, tie a promotion to them to help you reach your goals. For example, you could offer bonus points to customers that contribute photos to a Small Business Saturday Facebook photo campaign that you’re running, or anyone that spends money with you that day.
You can also offer double or triple points to any of your customers that refer their friends to your business. This is a great way to increase the number of people coming through your door while also offering you a unique opportunity to show a potential new customer why sticking with you is so valuable – and fun.
Don’t have a rewards program? Offer prizes to the 50th and 100th person to come through your door or give discounts on specific items. Or, host a raffle for everyone that spends money with you that day.
Lastly, don’t forget to market the occasion! Rep your business on social with #ShopSmall or #SmallBiz, put flyers up on community boards around town to showcase your event and be vocal on social.
How are you celebrating Small Business Saturday? Let us know in the comments below.
