{"id":872,"date":"2013-11-19T17:30:05","date_gmt":"2013-11-19T17:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=872"},"modified":"2013-11-19T17:30:05","modified_gmt":"2013-11-19T17:30:05","slug":"get-the-most-out-of-small-business-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/get-the-most-out-of-small-business-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"Get the most out of Small Business Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AMEX_Shop_Small_AllText_RGB_Solid_Logo\"<\/a>What big promotional activities and specials are you planning for the upcoming Small Business Saturday<\/a> on November 30? Many participating small business owners \u2013 33 percent \u2013 plan to offer a free gift with purchase to reward Shop Small buyers, according to the second annual Small Business Saturday Insights Survey<\/a> conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and American Express.<\/p>\n

Whatever the incentive, many small business owners polled plan to pull out all the stops to get customers into their shops for Small Business Saturday, which falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and is now in its fourth year. That\u2019s because 70 percent expect the holiday kickoff to be helpful in attracting new customers and so are relying not only on social media (33 percent) but also traditional paid TV, print and radio advertising (18 percent versus 9 percent in 2012) \u00a0to bring in buyers.<\/p>\n

Small business owners also are doing their part to promote a sense of community.\u00a0 Among those aware of Small Business Saturday, 73 percent say they make it a point to hire employees from their neighborhood and 39 percent are planning to collaborate with other small businesses in community events.<\/p>\n

\"That's<\/a>

That’s me on the right Shopping Small at Black Hats Cats, a favorite local shop of mine.<\/p><\/div>\n

Promote the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a participant in Small Business Saturday, you can get free downloadable marketing materials<\/a> from American Express to draw shoppers into your store. Materials include Shop Small logos, signage, and templates for social media campaigns.<\/p>\n

Some other things to consider if you haven\u2019t already<\/p>\n

Pump up the social media volume: <\/strong>Post information about your Shop Small specials on your social media pages starting now if you haven\u2019t already. Ask what your followers are looking to buy for gifts and what they hope to get.\u00a0 Have some fun with your followers as you build anticipation about the day.<\/p>\n

Email marketing:<\/strong> Send out a special email to customers and prospects on your list this week or early next with a reminder and a coupon to print out and use.<\/p>\n

Plan an event:\u00a0 <\/strong>Everyone loves a party so get one going in your business. Decorate your windows and inside your store to capture the festive mood, serve refreshments and turn on some tunes or hire a local band or musician.<\/p>\n

Contact local media and bloggers:<\/strong> Local media will be looking for Small Business Saturday stories. Contact them and let them know what you have planned and invite them to cover your event and talk to customers about their reasons to get behind your local business and others.<\/p>\n

Take advantage of special offers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n