Small Business Saturday 2015 is a month away (11/28). Are you prepared? It’s not too late. Here’s what to do…
1. Identify the big draw. Small Business Saturday isn’t just another Saturday. The goal is to celebrate small, local businesses and to give people a great alternative to the madness that is Black Friday.
That said, providing a simple “alternative” won’t necessarily be enough to attract shoppers. Give them reasons to stop by other than the fact you’re a local business. Think…
- Sales – the bigger and splashier, the better
- Extended hours – make it easy and convenient for people to drop in
- Exclusive offerings – sell something that will only be available on that Saturday in-store
- A wonderful retail experience – offer free coffee and pastries in the morning, wine and cheese in the afternoon, maybe even free chair massages
2. Determine whether you’ll team up with any nearby businesses. There’s power in numbers, as the saying goes. If you combine forces with other local businesses in the area, you could cross promote to their audiences and split/share marketing expenses. For example, when you send out an email to your list, you could include an offer or two from other area businesses (and they could do the same when sending an email to their lists).
3. Create your must-have marketing materials. At a minimum, plan on the following:
- Three promotional emails: The first should go out in early November announcing the line-up/plan for Small Business Saturday. The second should go out a few days before Thanksgiving. The third should go out early on Saturday morning. If you have time, you could sneak one in on Black Friday as well.
- Social media It’s better to draft and schedule these now since Thanksgiving week is so hectic. Follow the email schedule outlined above: start pre-promoting in early November, but get more aggressive with your social outreach Thanksgiving week, especially on Black Friday and throughout the day on Saturday, 11/28. During the actual event, be sure to take pics of your store and patrons throughout the day and share them on places like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You could even tell people to be on the lookout for coupons that are available only through social media.
- In-store signage and flyers. Make sure you have signage in the store (especially at all registers and customer service areas) reminding people about the big day. Starting in early November, consider including a flyer with each customer purchase (put it in the bag or hand it out when you give a person his or her receipt).
- Promotional products to use as giveaways. Remember, promotional merchandise keeps advertising your business long after the customer has left your store. Here are some tips on choosing the right promotional product for your particular store.
4. Consider wildcard ideas. If time and budgets allow, you could also consider:
- Advertising on Facebook. The nice thing about Facebook advertising is you can create targeted ads based on people’s location and interests. Plus, you can set your daily budget. Run the ads right before Thanksgiving, throughout Black Friday, and through the first half of Saturday. When people click on an ad, they should land on a website page where they can download an exclusive coupon (only people who come from the Facebook ads would have access to the coupon).
- Holding a raffle. Big raffle items (e.g. hard-to-get concert tix, sporting tix, popular toy of the year) can be a big draw. Just make sure you promote the raffle items on all of your marketing materials.
- Creating a charity tie-in. It is the holiday season, after all. Consider using Small Business Saturday as the kick-off event for your holiday charity fundraiser. For example, if you own a clothing boutique, encourage people to bring in their old winter coats for a clothing drive. For each coat they bring in, they’ll get $10 off something in your store.
5. Keep up with what other businesses are doing. Consider liking the Small Business Saturday Facebook page, which is bound to serve up lots of ideas leading up to the big day. You can also check out previous articles we’ve written, including six easy ways to promote Small Business Saturday and strategies that other small business owners have used to great success.
How are you going to celebrate Small Business Saturday 2015? Share in the comments!