November 28 is Small Business Saturday

According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, spearheaded by American Express and NFIB, last year 110 million shoppers spent a record high of almost $20 billion patronizing small businesses—all in one day! And now, when so many small businesses are impacted by the global pandemic, it’s even more crucial to be strategic about how your brand can harness the momentum of the Small Business Saturday.

Falling on the busiest shopping weekend of the year, Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to encourage shoppers to make a conscious effort to put their dollars towards small businesses in their local communities and online. The campaign launched in order to help small businesses gain additional exposure and to change the way consumers shop within their own community during the holiday season 

Even though holiday shopping and gathering looks different this year, there are many ways to participate in Small Business Saturday, and there are no wrong or right ways to go about getting involved. We’ve outlined a few suggestions that emerging and established brands can use to take advantage of the #ShopSmall movement. 

Ideas for Participating in Small Business Saturday During COVID-19

Optimize Your Website

You can’t avoid it—customers are shopping online, nearly 88%, and even more than before now that in-person shopping is a little more challenging during the pandemic. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly and easy to use, you are at a high risk of losing business. Don’t let your outdated or clunky website decrease your profits! Review your entire website from top-to-bottom to ensure that your images are clear, your copy is easy to read, and the website is simple to navigate. Make sure you have easy-to-find, clear calls-to-action so that your website visitor is not confused or frustrated.

Offer Something Special

If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, consider hosting a drive-through holiday shopping spree where customers can shop from the car for easy-to-grab items. Extend your hours for off-peak shopping hours so that you can reach a wider audience of customers while also maintaining social distance. If you are allowing customers to shop in-store, share your safety and cleaning protocols with your customers so that they can rest assured they are safe while shopping. Run an online business? Extend a special promotional sale to your customers to incentivize them to #shopsmall. Service-based businesses can offer a once-a-year service or consultation. More and more, we’re seeing creative partnerships popping up in celebration of small biz—consider partnering with another business in your area to cross-promote your services or products. Whatever you choose to offer, keep it simple and easy to fulfill. 

Be More Accessible

Even if you run an online business, or you’re only operating online during COVID-19, consider adding more customer service hours to your team calendar. This helps your customers feel more taken care of and more likely to complete a transaction if they know they’re supported when deciding to purchase.

Give Thanks to Your Customers

Small Business Saturday comes on the heels of Thanksgiving, so it’s a perfect time to show some extra appreciation to your customers. Consider extending a thank you postcard, email, or better yet, an event invitation to your most loyal customers.

 

Celebrate Other Small Businesses in Your Community

Show your support by promoting other local small businesses in your area. Chances are, they might return the support, increasing your exposure to potential new customers. If you want to build even more community support, team up with local business owners in your town to host a Small Business Saturday event. Invite your customers, neighbors, colleagues, and other local community members to attend a virtual kick off party to access special promotions, savings, and special activities.

Update Your Look and Feel

This time of year, when it’s natural to pause and take stock, is an ideal time to shift attention to investing in a brand refresh. Whether it’s a more relevant color palette, refined logo design, or updated website, leverage the energy of Small Business Saturday and unveil your new, enhanced branding. 

Join in the Conversation

However you choose to participate in Small Business Saturday, be sure to join the movement on social media. Include the proper hashtags in your posts—#SmallBizSat, #ShopSmall, and #SmallBusinessSaturday—and engage with others’ content as well. Tag us @lookandfeelbranding so we can stay updated with your goings-on! 

Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity for small companies to spread the word about what they do, and how they positively impact the community. The adage a high tide floats all boats applies here; when you support your fellow small business owners, everyone wins. Plus, you never know where your next significant partnership, lead, or long-term customer can come from. Use the suggestions above to participate in Small Business Saturday, extend your reach, and set yourself up for increased sales and engagement as you approach the end of the year.

Looking for more ways to end the year on a successful note? 

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