Thanksgiving is around the corner and with it comes the busiest retail selling day of the year; Black Friday. Big businesses are quickly throwing out all their Black Friday ads in the hopes of snagging the majority of the sales for the Christmas season.
It's difficult for small businesses to compete with this level of competition on Black Friday, so a second day has been set aside for them instead; Small Business Saturday, which is November 28th this year. This day is specially designed to support local small businesses, which have been instrumental in building the economy of the United States.
Small businesses play a vital role in the U.S. economy. In fact, it is estimated that over half of those employed in the United States work at a small business. As a whole, 86% of the businesses in the US with 500 or more employees are considered small businesses.
So, how can you make sure your small business is able to maximize profit this Small Business Saturday?
Apply Some Of These Techniques To Your Marketing Campaign
Give Gifts
One of the main reasons shoppers choose to venture out on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday is because they know they will be receiving great deals. Help to sweeten the deal by offering something a little more exciting. For example, advertise you will be giving away a free gift with every purchase or every tenth purchase. There are plenty of things you can buy in bulk at a fraction of the cost that will draw more customers to your store.
Be Vocal
To let your customers and potential customers know you will be participating in Small Business Saturday, it is important to communicate. Start by sending out email notifications and talk about the event in your newsletter. This is something you should do today and continue throughout the two weeks so your customers have time to get excited about the event.
Another area you should be vocal is on social media. Send notifications and make posts regularly in regards to your Small Business Saturday plans. You may even want to give your customers a sneak peek into the things you plan to have on sale for the special day. Or you may want to provide a special discount coupon good only for members of your online community.
Consider Online Sales
Offering specials for in-store purchases is a great way to get more people in your store on Small Business Saturday. However, many people prefer to make their purchases online these days. In fact, there has been an increase of over 55% in the number of sales occurring online during this season. In order to increase the convenience of your store as well as your sales, you may want to consider offering specials online as well as in your store. This could help you to capture some sales from those who do not physically make it into your store.
Inbound Marketing
Just as you do throughout the rest of the year, it is important to keep up with your inbound marketing campaigns. Focus your efforts by creating strong content and blog entries related to your business's plans for the big day. You should also make sure you keep up with your SEO efforts and share your posts on social media outlets to increase exposure.
Finally, don't forget to tell your customers “Thank You” for supporting your business on this special day. This is something your employees will need to do when they are interacting with the customers, but you should also make a point of thanking them on social media and through email after the event is over. This is one of the best ways to encourage your customers to continue shopping with your business and to come back next year when Small Business Saturday rolls around again.
For even more suggestions about how you can market for Small Business Saturday and to learn about the tools and strategies we have to offer, please contact us.
