
Sponsored by
American Express,
Small Business Saturday is held each year on the Saturday that falls
between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year that Saturday is
November 24th. While it may seem like you have plenty of time left, it’s
important to start preparing your website for the big day.
Each year, American Express seeks to help small businesses by
encouraging patronage of small businesses. Customers who register their
American Express cards to shop at small businesses on November 24 will
be given a $25 credit for each registered cardholder. Customers need
only register their cards ahead of time to qualify for the refund.
Today
- ‘Like’ the official Small Business Saturday Facebook page.
This will not only sign you up for ongoing updates and reminders about
Small Business Saturday, it will also provide information about
participating in special contests hosted for small businesses.
- Sign up for ShopSmall to receive ongoing communications about Small Business Saturday, including advice on how your small business can participate.
- Evaluate your small business’s online presence, taking into account
local customers who might be searching for you for the first time
through sites like Yelp and Angie’s List. Make sure it’s easy for those
customers to find you.
October
- Utilize the many ad tools available in the Small Business Saturday Toolkit.
These include signs and tutorials on small business marketing
activities like creating a Facebook presence and uploading a YouTube
video.
- Work with your web designer to make sure your website is ready for
the influx of traffic. Decide which specials you’d like to offer and
create banners and signage. The toolkit can help with this.
- Promote the $25 American Express credit and let customers know you
are participating in Small Business Saturday. You’ll be amazed how many
customers hold American Express cards and will be willing to shop if
they know they’re getting a $25 credit.
- Create a way to capture customer information to a database. As you
receive a larger-than-usual influx of customers on Small Business
Saturday, take advantage of the opportunity to get information on those
customers that you can use for future mailings.
November
- Finalize website testing and optimization.
- Hang Small Business Saturday signage prominently in your store’s window and/or near the cash register.
- Promote your Small Business Saturday special offers on your company’s social media sites.
- Don’t forget your current customers. Contact them to let them know
about the special offers you’ll have for Small Business Saturday.
When it comes to promotion, it’s never too early to start preparing.
Thanksgiving weekend will be here before we know it and with so much
competition for attention, small businesses are more challenged than
ever to make an impact on Small Business Saturday.
http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2012/09/countdown-to-small-business-saturday-time-to-start-preparing.html/
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