Small Business Tips
5 Last Minute Things to Remember for Small Business Saturday
It’s almost here — this year’s Small Business Saturday will be held on November 26th. With 2022 promising to be the biggest SBS yet, it’s imperative that entrepreneurs across the nation take advantage of this growing retail holiday. Even if you’re just learning about this special day now, the good news is that it’s not too late for you and your business to get on board.
Whether you’ve been planning for months or are throwing together an idea at the last minute, here are five things to keep in mind in order to have a successful Small Business Saturday:
Don’t give away the farm
Although some may view Small Business Saturday as the mom and pop shop equivalent of Black Friday, you shouldn’t feel like you need to offer the same sort of loss-leader deals that the big box stores can. Saturday may be a good opportunity for your business, but it’s not worth losing money over!
Put some careful consideration into what types of discounts you’re going to offer and, more importantly, the limits they will have. For example, you might only offer the biggest discounts to the first 100 customers, while still offering a more modest deal to subsequent patrons. Whatever you do, don’t give away the farm.
Try gift bundles
Another way to offer good value without giving up too much is to create gift bundles. There are several benefits to this approach, including the ability to move more merchandise while offering an attractive deal to customers. Plus, you’ll help take some of the guesswork out of the equation for shoppers by putting together these curated packages!
If you do go the gift bundle route, be sure to highlight the original value of the items so that customers can see how much they’re saving. When done right, these sets can be a big win.
Promote, promote, promote
If you haven’t already, now is the time to hit up your social media accounts and plug your participation in Small Business Saturday. The American Express site has some customizable assets you can use to help raise awareness and get customers excited for the day.
Additionally you may want to highlight a few special deals one by one so that you can continue to peak customers’ interest without sounding like a broken record. Another helpful tip is to create a graphic with all of your Small Business Saturday info and pin it to the top of your Facebook page or Twitter feed so customers can quickly find everything they need to know.
Stock and staff appropriately
Since Small Business Saturday is your big day to reach out to new customers, you’ll want to ensure that they have a pleasant shopping experience. This means having enough staff available to greet people as they come in, answer any questions they may have, as well as ensure that they get checked out in a timely manner.
Of course, with staffing challenges continuing to plague businesses across the country, this could be easier said than done. Still, whatever you can do to provide customers with the best service possible will go a long way.
Equally as important is making sure that you have enough stock so that everyone can get what they want. Not only will running out of certain items potentially cost you a sale but could also leave guests with a bad taste in their mouths, meaning they might not ever return. Considering that the clock is ticking on getting more stock in time, you might want to have a backup plan, such as rain checks or other “make goods” in mind just in case.
Give customers a way to keep in touch
Once again, you’re likely to see some new faces in your shop on Small Business Saturday — faces that you’ll want to see again. That’s why it’s a good idea to start an e-mail list and encourage customers to sign up while they’re there.
You may also want to create some fliers with your social media account information so guests can keep up to date on your sales and offers in the future. Even if guests have every intention of coming back, the truth is that they might simply forget. Your goal should be to not let that happen!
There’s no doubt that Small Business Saturday is a great opportunity for local businesses of all kinds to reach out their community and earn new customers.
However, in order to get the best results, you have to keep a few important things in mind. By carefully considering how sizeable your deals will be, promoting yourself in an engaging way, ensuring that you have enough staff and stock to meet increased demand, and opening the door to future communication with your new fans, 2022’s Small Business Saturday will surely be the best one yet.
