It’s hard to believe, but Small Business Saturday is celebrating its eighth anniversary this year. Created by American Express in 2009 as a way to help small businesses boost revenue during the financial crisis, the holiday went into effect the following year. Since 2010, sales on the Saturday after Thanksgiving have gradually increased to the point where shoppers no longer need incentives from the credit card company to shop on Small Business Saturday. In fact, in 2016, 112 million people ventured out to shop on Small Business Saturday, up 13% from 2015. So with Small Business Saturday right around the corner (November 25), how can your small business utilize social media to incentivize shoppers to visit your store? Here are 6 promotional ideas to get you started.
Tell Them You’re Participating in Small Business Saturday
Not every small business participates in Small Business Saturday, so let your customers and everyone on social media know that you’re going to take part. Take advantage of American Express’ online marketing material and branded signage on your website and all of your social media platforms. In addition, when posting and tweeting use the #smallbiz and #shopsmall hashtags.
Create Small Business Saturday Event Pages on Facebook and Google+
Generate some excitement for Small Business Saturday by adding photos and videos of your business to dedicated event pages on Facebook and Google+. This is a great opportunity to tell your small business’ story by providing behind-the-scene shots and videos. And for those followers who accept your invitation on your pages, make sure you contact them when you have promotions and other events in the future.
Get Visual with Instagram and Snapchat
If you have an Instagram and/or Snapchat account for your small business, you can utilize short videos and photos to show followers how you are preparing for Small Business Saturday. In addition, you can preview some of the deals and promotions you plan to offer that day. Pay attention to how the big box stores “leaked” their Black Friday ads this year. You can ride that same excitement.
Also, Instagram now offers a shopping feature in which businesses can tag products in their posts. By doing so, when customers tap on each product’s tag, they can see:
- What the product looks like
- Product description
- Product price
- A link to your website so that they can purchase the product.
Run a Photo Contest
Instagram and Snapchat are also excellent platforms for further showcasing your products or services in advance of Small Business Saturday. Ask your customers and followers to take pictures of themselves with your products or services to illustrate how they use them.
Then, whoever submits the best photo will receive a prize or discount on Small Business Saturday. If you have a brick and mortar store, ask the winner to come in so that you can take photos and videos, which you can then use to further promote that product or service.
Shoot a Video Tutorial
In leading up to Small Business Saturday, use video as a means of promoting your small business by offering your followers tutorials on your products or services. In addition, you can create videos that showcase you and your employees on the job, which can help your followers and customers better identify with you. You can include a link that customers can click on to receive a downloadable coupon they can use for Small Business Saturday.
Livestream Small Business Saturday
During Small Business Saturday, use Facebook Live or other video streaming tools to showcase your small business. In real time, you can take your followers and customers on a virtual tour of your business, provide product demonstrations, and interview on-site customers about their experience with your products or services and ask for their feedback. This is another great way to engage with your customers and get them talking about your small business.
Finally, don’t forget to give visitors branded swag, especially if they’re first-time shoppers with you. Make their experience memorable.
Leave a Reply