5 Tips to Help Merchants Have a Successful
Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is November 29, and the National
Federation of Independent Business/Florida, the state’s largest small business association,
reminds retail shops, restaurants, and mom and pop shops to take full advantage
of the day that strives to make Main Street the most popular place for holiday
shopping .
“Small Business Saturday is
a great opportunity for local shops and restaurants to not only profit from the
post-Thanksgiving shopping rush but to showcase their businesses and find new
customers who’ll return throughout the year,” said NFIB/Florida Executive
Director Bill Herrle. “Our small business owner members look forward to this
day every year for a boost in sales and the opportunity to promote their
businesses and the one-of-a-kind service and products they have to offer.”
Local merchants can make the most
of Small Business Saturday by:
- Promoting the event to their regular customers.
Put a sign in your shop and flyers in bags reminding folks to come back
the Saturday after Thanksgiving for special deals,
and remind customers that shopping small can be a lot less
stressful and a lot more pleasant than shopping at the chain stores. - Showcasing the merchandise that would make a great
gift.
Your customers will be looking for presents for themselves as well as for
their friends and family. You might want to put a group of items on a
table with a sign saying it would be perfect gift for Dad or a great gift
for the grandparents. Restaurants can do the same thing by
offering Small Business Saturday specials and
promoting gift cards. - Stealing a page from the Black Friday playbook and
offer “door busters.”
The chains know a great way to drive shoppers into their stores is by
offering special deals at different times of the time. There’s no
reason a small business can’t do the same thing. - Staying on top of your social media.
If you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, be sure to post
often and promote any Small Business Saturday deals.
You should also consider spending a few bucks to promote your posts. That
way, people will be more likely to see them. Also, register your Small
Business Saturday details at https://www.nfib.com/small-business-saturday. We’ll share them on our website and with our
225,000+ Facebook fans and 94,000+ Twitter followers. - Partnering with other businesses.
There can be strength in numbers. You could partner with other merchants
to buy advertising promoting the neighborhood as a shopping destination,
or you could team up with other businesses on in-store promotions such as
buy a dress here, save 10 percent on shoes down the street.
Whatever
you do, you can’t afford to ignore Small Business Saturday. Last year, shoppers spent $5.7 billion at locally owned
shops and restaurants on Small Business Saturday, according to a
survey conducted by American Express and the NFIB. Last year’s total marked a
3.6 percent increase over 2012’s event.
“We
encourage small business owners to make the most of Small Business Saturday and
we encourage shoppers to support their local communities by visiting retail
stores, restaurants and other mom and pops that are in their neighborhoods on
November 29th,” Herrle said.
Learn more at https://www.nfib.com/small-business-saturday.
