Small Business Saturday happens every year on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, which places it on November 28th this year. It is meant to encourage consumers to "shop small," since many small businesses get skipped over for big box stores in the midst of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Small Business Saturday is a great way to kick off the busiest shopping season of the year for small businesses! Make sure you're prepared and make this your best Small Business Saturday ever!

Offer Online Deals

With the pandemic still in full effect, you may be wondering what Small Business Saturday will look like this year for your business. If you have an online shop, encourage customers to take advantage of the convenience of shopping at home by offering special online deals and free shipping. (If you don’t have an online shop, we can fix that!) It’s also a great idea to offer gift cards for future use. Many consumers are purchasing gift cards to support small businesses during the pandemic, even if they don’t need something right then.

Promote

Leading up to Small Business Saturday, make posts on social media to promote supporting local businesses, and be sure to use the official hashtag #ShopSmall. Let people know you’re participating in Small Business Saturday by sending emails to your current customers. If you’re offering any deals, make sure you’re sharing those as well! You want to make sure you give customers a reason to support you and show them why small businesses are important.

Resources

Take advantage of free resources available to you for Small Business Saturday! American Express, the founder of Small Business Saturday, offers all kinds of free graphics for you to use in-store and online, as well as a map where you can list your business. If you’d rather make your own promotional graphics, Canva is a great tool! Use their templates, or create your own designs from scratch.

Small Business Saturday may have to be a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it a success! Get prepared now and make sure your customers don’t forget to Shop Small.

Jeffrey Balch is a Marketing Specialist and writer for Atwill Media. He graduated
with honors from Arkansas State University with a degree in Graphic Design.

When he's not working, you can find him with a paintbrush in hand, reading a
good book, or at Target.