On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, people across the country will celebrate Small Business Saturday. Community members will flock to their favorite local spots in support, but how can you ensure that your business is capitalizing on the big day? Here are tips and tricks to prepare you and ensure that you are making the most of Small Business Saturday.

Hashtags

Don’t underestimate the power of social media. Using hashtags on days like this one will help expand your message reach and serves as an easy way for promotion and discovery. #SmallBusinessSaturday, #SmallBizSat, #ShopSmall are just a few of the popular hashtags you can include in your social media posts. Creating a hashtag branded to your business also allows you to easily search and engage with your customer's across different social media platforms.

Email marketing

First things first, keep it simple with an intriguing

subject line

to ensure that those on your list have no choice but to open your email. You want to create hype around Small Business Saturday, but you also want to educate your customer base on what it is and why they should participate. Incentivize them with a feel-good message and ensure them that they are making a difference.

Start early

Getting social posts and emails out early, announcing your Small Business Saturday participation, will excite your customers and allow you to stay top of mind over the long holiday weekend. Using your own custom graphics along with the standard Small Business Saturday graphics on social media will also help you stand out and get your message across to your client base. The sooner you reach out to your customers the better. Consider sending out messages one to two weeks before Small Business Saturday.

Incentives

Keep the buzz going, by offering incentives to those who come in the store with either an email you sent or a post that they tagged you in. This will drive customers to your business and keep the conversation going online. Discounts, coupons, and freebies are great things to offer online and motivate customers to visit your business.

Create online advocates

Your employees and current customer base are your best advocates, so get them active online as well. Whether it’s sharing a photo from your store or forwarding a promo code to a friend, they can help widen your audience for Small Business Saturday by tapping into their followers and connections online- the more the merrier!

Make it easy

You want to make your customers’ experience as seamless as possible. One easy way to do this is by making sure your website and social profiles are up to date for the big day. Little things like making your website mobile friendly and having “Shop Now” capabilities on your social channels can make a big difference to the customer. The fewer clicks to get to the end result, the better, remove the friction.

Partner up

Partnering up with another local business in your area is a great way to spread the word and cultivate more customers, while also giving you the opportunity to tap into their customer base with your email and social media marketing efforts.

Stay connected

After all is said and done, don’t lose contact. Thank your customers for their contribution and show results of the impact they made by continuing to engage on social media and email. This goes back to providing a seamless customer experience. Showing your appreciation and giving customers a reason to come back in the future is key to staying top of mind.

So, while you’re business is gearing up for the holiday sales, don’t lose sight of the importance of online marketing and try out these tips to ensure you are getting the most out of Small Business Saturday and throughout the holiday season.

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