Get Ready for Small Business Saturday 2022, Nov 26

6 Ways to Prepare

With more than 50% of Americans reporting that they shop small during the holidays, you'll want to ensure your business doesn’t miss out!

Here are some ways to help you take advantage of the BIG opportunity that Small Business Saturday presents.

1. Embrace your identity as a small business

Highlight your identity as a small business! Tell your story: how did you get started? Remind your customers of ways you’ve gotten involved in local community efforts (or better yet, align with them to create mutually beneficial offers!). Share what makes your produces or services special and personal. Don't be shy about talking about what makes you different from the big box stores! This is the time to advertise any specials you have – and do it early because the season is in full swing.

This leads us to #2…

2. Craft a special Small Business Saturday offer or discount

It’s so important to have a great offer to help your business stand out from the crowd. Start thinking about your audience and what would appeal to them. Put up a poster in your window, write on a sandwich board, shout it from the rooftops! 

Here are some examples of offers you might want to consider:

• % percent discount on all new items

  1. Free coffee and cookies for guests while they shop

  2. Free gift with any purchase over $50

  3. 20 percent off your next purchase when you spend $40 or more

  4. Free gift wrapping

  5. Free color consultation with purchase

3. Email series

Let people know why shopping small is essential for your community. You can include a special offer or exclusive content to promote Small Business Saturday. Here's how.

Use a series of 3 emails to remind people to shop with you. This time of year is busy, so these emails are a great way to remind people and get them to take action to support your business:

• Email 1: Send an announcement email as soon as possible. Let them know that Small Business Saturday is coming up and why they should shop locally. Include the details about your offer.

• Email 2: Send a reminder email a week before. Remind them of the deadline and your offer, so they don’t forget.

• Email 3: A day or two before Small Business Saturday, send a last-chance email, so they don’t forget to shop with you and use your offer.

4. Promote Small Business Saturday on social media

Social media can help expand your reach. Start by sharing similar content used in your email series on social media. Use the content and offer you’ve added to your email campaign to promote the idea of shopping small. Next, create a series of three social posts, just like you did with your email series; an announcement, reminder, and last-chance reminder to keep the buzz going. Use the hashtag #shopsmall #smallbusiness and other similar hashtags to help increase visibility.

5. Prepare your store

Now that the word’s out make sure you’re stocked and staffed for success. If you have a master gift wrapper, you can delegate that task to them, while other members of your team can be assigned to helping customers or handling the register. If you’re holding down the fort by yourself, make yourself a quick To-Do list so you can stay on track even when things are hectic.