After the excitement of Black Friday has died down, local companies are encouraged to take advantage of an event specifically tailored to garner them additional customers. Sponsored by American Express (and now joined by, among others, Twitter and Google), Small Business Saturday is meant to be a day for smaller organizations to get their share of the holiday season market.
According to Business News Daily, American Express estimates that last year’s event gave small businesses an additional 28 percent in sales. This is no small feat, especially considering the enormous discounts and deals that are provided by larger companies the day before. Here are some ways for commercial operations to take advantage of this newly-created promotion that takes place across the country.
Invite customers
Promoting Small Business Day in general is helpful, but it won’t draw people in unless they have an idea of the reasons why they’ll benefit from it. Companies should engage in social media marketing to begin with, and if they have a sizable stable of consistent and regular followers, they’re the perfect group to whom specific invitations should be offered.
Begin by sending out messages to these valued customers (while making it clear that they’re valued customers) ahead of any online or in-store announcements. This is one way to reward regulars and demonstrate once more why it’s worthwhile to be a follower or friend in the online world.
Outline potential savings
Offering vague descriptions of sales and discounts isn’t very effective. Rather, it is important to be very specific about which items will have lowered prices or what sort of purchases will benefit from being made on Small Business Saturday. It is also a good idea to use this event as a way to draw attention to deals that are consistently available throughout the year. In this way, organizations can ensure that they’ll be reaching an additional crop of consumers who might not ordinarily be aware of the discounts that make a company appealing.
Create an actual event
In addition to added value from purchases, small businesses would do well to make this particular Saturday an event in its own right. Contests, giveaways and games are always effective at luring in customers and keeping them inside a store or office long enough to make a purchase. Additionally, some level of competition or chance always intrigues people and will pique their curiosity on top of the interest that guaranteed savings already have.