Two business owners share tips for how to reach new and existing customers this Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is fast approaching. For small business owners, the shopping event is an opportunity to encourage new and existing customers to support local businesses in their community.
This year’s Small Business Saturday, which falls on Nov. 30, marks the 10th anniversary of the holiday. Last year, 104 million shoppers spent a record high of $17.8 billion during Small Business Saturday, according to the 2018 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey produced by NFIB and American Express.
To help generate attention on the big day, two business owners share tips for how to market your small business ahead of the event.
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Offer and Promote Discounts on Social Media
Consider offering incentives like one-day-only discounts and posting Small Business Saturday promotions on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Bryan Clayton, CEO of GreenPal, a lawncare booking platform, says GreenPal posts ads on Facebook to promote a $10 Small Business Saturday discount for customer sign-ups.
“When are we launching our service in a new city during the off-season in November or December, we will offer a holiday discount for 25 percent off snowplowing, and that has really worked out well for us as well,” Clayton says. “We call it a holiday discount, but we offer it to get the market rolling and to tie the discount to people’s energy and excitement for the holidays.”
Keep in mind your audience to ensure you post to the appropriate platforms.
For example, Jake Lane, director of growth of on-demand brake repair service NuBrakes, uses Nextdoor, a neighborhood-centric private social media platform. Nextdoor advertising conversion rates are relatively higher than other social media platforms because users on the site usually own a home and are using the platform to find local services, says Lane.
Join the Group(s)
Clayton and his co-founder and CTO Zach Hendrix devote two to three hours per day to searching Facebook group discourse for potential customers seeking lawn care, pest control, or other services and engage with users.
“In Facebook groups, the conversation a lot of the time, at a local level, is ‘I need help with this’ or ‘I’m looking for the best place to buy this,’” says Clayton. “We started monitoring those conversations and engaging … and what we started noticing is that this was actually generating visitors who were actually signing up to use the business.”
Search for Facebook groups relevant to your business to ensure your Small Business Saturday outreach is effective.
Pitch to Local Media
Are the Small Business Saturday events at your business newsworthy? Reach out to local news channels and newspapers to be featured on TV or in an article.
Lane recommends searching online for local news outlets, bloggers, and publications covering small businesses and pitching them about your company’s involvement in Small Business Saturday. To find interested outlets, search for variations of the phrase “Small Business Saturday in [Your City]” and look for writers who might be compiling roundups about the event.
“If you have a really compelling story or great Small Business Saturday offer, it doesn’t hurt to try and get some people to push it out for you,” says Lane.
Take Advantage of Small Business Saturday Resources
As sponsors of the event, American Express offers small business owners free marketing resources for the big day. Want to host a Small Business Saturday event? Download event planning checklists and action plans to help rally businesses and champion the cause.
You can also customize and download free posters, social posts, and email templates through the Shop Small Studio to help attract customers on Small Business Saturday and show off your small business pride.
To learn how to get involved as a Neighborhood Champion or participating business, visit American Express for more information.
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Dell supports small business during Small Business Saturday by offering NFIB members savings on computers and technology to grow their businesses. Learn More>>
