Small Business Weekend Marketing Tips: Small Business Saturday, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday

Small businesses are the center and soul of the U.S. economy. They are also an important part of the community where they live. As a small business owner, you help people eat, dress, have fun, and prepare for life. Unfortunately, the rise of big companies that do everything has made it hard for small businesses to compete.  

The coronavirus pandemic made this problem even worse. Lucky for small businesses, there are a few marketing plans to help them compete with the big ones. Small Business Weekend is one of these projects. Seventy-seven percent of consumers told the Small Business Association (SBA) that Small Business Weekend makes them want to shop small for the holidays and the rest of the year. 

If you own a small business, participating in the celebration could significantly impact your holiday profits. Let's look at 12 ideas for marketing that you can use to help your business during Small Business Weekend.

What is a Small Business Weekend?

Small Business Weekend is a shopping holiday that began in 2010 with a campaign by American Express. Now, the goal is to allow small businesses to compete with big chains. The holiday falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which is perfect.  Small Business Weekend is on November 27 this year.  

You can bring in more customers with the right Small Business Weekend marketing ideas. Even though Small Business Weekend isn't as well-known as Black Friday, it's still a good idea to prepare for it. The SBA found that about 110 million people shopped during the event in 2019, which led to almost $2 billion more sales than the year before. 

Weekend Internet Marketing for Small Businesses 

Whether you have a storefront or only do business online, digital marketing can help your business. 

Send email campaigns 

Email marketing can help you stand out, and it's a great choice for small businesses that wish to make a big difference. At least a week before Small Business Weekend,  mailing lists should start. So, customers will know about the holiday and any sales that might accompany it. 

Make a statement on social media. 

Brand awareness can be helped by promoting a business on social media.  Customers will be more interested in your status updates if you use humor,  promotions, sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes looks, and information about your products. 

Use Instagram ads or Facebook ads. 

If you run a small business, you likely already have a social media presence. Ads on  Facebook and Instagram can be very effective ways to market. You decide how much you devote, so your costs can be as low or high as your budget lets you. 

Non-digital marketing for small businesses 

If you do most of your business in a physical location, these marketing strategies could help you. 

Utilize your community

Get to know people in your area by going to local events. You could sponsor a Little  League team, a 5K walk for charity, or a run. You could also give away things or services or help at charity events. At community events, you can naturally talk about your business. You can show your support while making your customers feel good about buying from you. 

Organize a party. 

Shoppers like to be involved and moved by what they see. You can make plans ahead of time for an event, such as an evaluating demonstration or a hands-on,  interactive activity. You can keep things simple for a Small Business Weekend promotion by playing music outside your store or putting up balloons. The goal is to make your store fun, so people will want to stop by independently. 

Serve your customers. 

Have you ever assisted a buddy or family member in moving for the whole day because they offered to purchase your lunch? Or have you ever driven five miles to a  certain coffee shop to use a coupon for free coffee? Shoppers like getting free food.  During this pandemic, use single-serve canisters with lids if you want to give out bagels from a local bakery or other snacks. You can also ask restaurants in your area how they make sure their food is safe. 

Get a billboard. 

Because although digital advertising is the norm now, don't underestimate the power of a billboard. Let's say you don't have enough money for a big billboard. If that's the case, it's fine. You can get the same result by posting flyers in communal spaces, parks, coffee houses, libraries, and supermarkets around the neighborhood. 

Advertise in the newspaper. 

Newspapers are a great way to reach out to people in your area. Use Small Business  Weekend to get the word out and advertise your business in your local paper.  Restaurants, bars, and cafes can use the weekend entertainment section. On the other hand, service providers usually do better if they focus on classified ads. 

Small Business Weekend advertising and marketing 

When it comes to advertising, all businesses can count on it to bring in customers.

Use your current customers as your best marketing tool. 

Positive word of mouth is the best way to sell something. Your happy customers are  the best and biggest way to market your business. Reaching out to current and past customers is a cheap and easy way for a small business to market itself. Please tell them to return to your store and tell their friends about it. A 10% off coupon could be a small incentive if they already like your business. You can show them how to sell your business. 

Contact the news media. 

Getting mentioned in the news may seem like a big job, but local reporters are always looking for new stories. Help them out by getting in touch with them first.  You can ask them to include you on their list of participating businesses, do an interview, or come to your store to broadcast. Assist a Reporter Out (HARO) is another place where you can sign up as a source or an expert in your field. 

Give a special discount. 

Try to think strategically instead of giving a 20% discount on everything in the store.  For example, you could offer a deal to anyone who chooses to follow you on social networks or signs up for your trade journal. 

Work with other businesses. 

Teaming up with other businesses works best if you have a storefront and are close to other small businesses. Try to work with other owners of small businesses to spread the word about Small Business Weekend and get people excited about it.  After all, it is best for everyone if as many individuals as possible go shopping.

How To Participate In Small Business Weekend

Now that the holidays are here, it's time to shop for many people. Many big shopping days are coming up, and our favorite is one of them. This post will discuss how you can spend your money on purpose this holiday season to help small businesses and your local economy. 

How and why Small Business Weekend started 

During the recession of 2010, American Express came up with the ideas of Small  Business Weekend and the Shop Small Movement to get more holiday shopping at small businesses. After the first event went well, the movement started to pick up speed.  

Business owners and local officials promoted Small Business Weekend all over the country. In 2011, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution in support of the day with no votes against it. Also, in 2011, business groups, non-profit trade groups, cities, and public officials came together to form the Small Business Weekend Coalition.  

This group encouraged everyone to shop at small businesses during the weekend.  Nationwide, people jumped in to help their communities by signing up as 

Neighborhood Champions and planning events and activities for Small Business  Weekend and beyond. 

How to Plan for Success in Business This Year 

This year's Small Business Weekend occurs on November 27. Here are some hints to assist your business during and following the big day! 

Before Small Business Weekend 

Make your business known. 

If you haven't already, ensure that the information about your business on the  American Express Shop Small Map is up to date. This map is made to help customers quickly and easily find a list of smaller companies in their area. Putting your biz on this map makes it more visible online and lets Amex Card Members know about it for free through targeted marketing. 

Benefit from exclusive discounts. 

The Shop Small Movement is important to a lot of different groups. This is why  Google, FedEx, Dell, and other companies have special deals for small businesses like yours. You can locate a list of some of these offers, which are meant to help you reach out to customers, compete online, improve operations, and more by clicking here. 

You can get free graphics and change them to fit your window, webpage, or social media pages. 

American Express makes it easy for your business to promote Small Business  Weekend by giving you premade graphics that you can change and use online or in print. The best part is that you can download and use them all for free! Here on the  American Express website, you can change the look of your materials in less than two minutes. 

Plan a kickoff event! 

Holiday shoppers today want to find great gifts, but they also want to have fun while shopping. You can give them what they want by holding a kickoff event for Small  Business Weekend.

This doesn't have to be a big party with live music and catered food. You could do that, but sometimes smaller things feel more personal. Here are some small ideas  that can make people very happy: 

● As people enter the store, offer them small drinks or baked goods.

● Offer a discount depending on the number of customers (e.g., the first 100) or the time of day. 

● Set up an activity in your store that shows how some of your best products or services work. 

● Partner with other smaller firms or charities and feature them in your store.  This is a wonderful way to celebrate the giving season! 

Promote your business to both new and old customers! 

The best way to ensure your business does well during Small Business Weekend is to talk about it everywhere. Use the above-mentioned digital materials on social media to get people to shop at your small company. You can also use this and other materials to make emails about Small Business Weekend. 

During Small Business Weekend Get involved with special events in your area. 

Small Business Weekend is a time to shop locally and support small businesses. It is also a time to help communities grow. Take some time to help out while you and your society are celebrating small businesses. 

If you are putting on your event, you probably won't be able to attend it in person.  Instead, send a shout-out on social media or tell your customers that when they're done at your business, they should go to the home decor store down the street. 

Customers need to be reminded to get their gift cards! 

During the holidays, gift cards are a reduced, high-reward way to make more money for your business. 44% of shoppers say that a gift card makes them want to go to a  store they normally wouldn't.  

And don't forget that people typically spend approximately $59 more than their gift card is worth. Encourage your customers to buy a gift card for a friend, friend,  relative, or themselves before leaving your store or restaurant. 

On this special day, you should stay open later.

Having longer hours is a great way to keep making money during Small Business  Weekend. This is likely to be the busiest day of the year for you. A few additional hours of work could make a big difference in sales. 

Find strategies to keep your employees pumped up and looking forward to the day. 

We've already said that it's likely to be a busy day. That means the team members will be tired and maybe even stressed out. Try your best to ensure everyone enjoys this day. 

During the day, you could give your staff snacks or drinks or even hold a friendly selling competition with a fun prize. The promise of a bonus check or an extra day off can keep your staff motivated and ready for work. 

After Small Business Weekend:

Take a break and pat yourself on the back. 

You did it! Give yourself and your team a chance to get back on your feet. If it was a  very busy weekend, you might want to close on Monday or cut back on hours to allow your team more time to rest. 

Thank your employees and express gratitude for their efforts. 

Small Business Weekend can only be a success if everyone works together. Show your squad how much you enjoy all their hard work in a way that makes sense for them. This could be a handwritten note with a gift card to a coffee shop, a small bag of vacation treats, a free result, or more time off. 

Look at the books and figure out how well the campaign worked. 

Of course, you won't know how well your efforts worked unless you do some analysis.  Take a little time to sit down with your books after the weekend. Watch what proceeded well and what didn't. This can help you figure out your plan for the coming year and give you a starting point for your future work.