Small Business
Saturday is November 29th this year, how are you prepping? Remember it’s not
just about the day or the holidays, but also about spreading the word about
your business. Use the ten tips below to complement your strategy; don’t
forget to connect with us for our 15 days of small business tips sent daily.
1.Create
a Strategy: Take a look
at your overall goals and then narrow down your goals for small business
Saturday. Your plan can be as simple as, “I want to achieve a higher rate of
foot traffic. I set a goal of 2x the amount of my normal daily sales amount of
($X) from foot traffic alone. I plan to offer convenience and personalized
shopping to incoming customers. I will provide free coffee outside my business,
a ready shopper staff member for customers that want holiday suggestions,
bundled gift options and free gift wrap with purchase. I will use my email
contacts, website, and social media to get the word out.” You then cover what
you want to achieve, how you will measure, what your message is, what channels
you will use to communicate, and how you will execute your message.
2.Invite: Before thinking about new customers,
focus on your existing customers. Get your email invite out to your current
subscribers engaging them to shop local at your business on 11/29, if you
haven’t already. Remember to format the message for your home page and
corresponding social channels. Remind your neighbors about your business. You
might find a potential partnership opportunity for a sidewalk sale or in-store
event. If you’re feeling ambitious you can help rally support for a street or
block wide event! Don’t forget to mention the big day and any special offers to
your customers shopping now to create anticipation.
3.Create
an Offer or Incentive: If
appropriate for you, pull together a special offer or incentive for customers
to buy from you on Small Business Saturday. Most importantly, make sure your
business can deliver on the offer. A great article on creating a last minute
strategy from Constant Contact suggests being very specific for example,
offering 15% off all new items, free coffee and cookies for guests while they
shop, free gift over a purchase of $50, or free wrapping. If it’s a finite
number of a giveaway item, be sure to say for example “for the first 100
shoppers” or “while supplies last.” If it’s a special contest, make sure to
have customers fill out an entry form so you can keep in touch in
4.Promote: Three tools to help promote: 1) Constant
Contact toolkit contains worksheets for creating a campaign. 2) The
American Express Shop Small site has free tools including signage and postcard
templates for your business as well as a banner for your website
5.Gather
your Resources: Now that
you have your offer and/or message, the Shop Small partners also offer many
useful and often free resources to help you spread the word. Don’t forget to
review the terms of the offers. Great resources from free poster printing with
FedEx to free online ads on Yelp as well as Bing (terms apply). Review the
offers that are best suited for your goals and business.
6.Reach
out to Local Media: Some
small business owners not only decide to start or run their business in the
same area they live, but also have incredible stories to share – all of which
appeal to local media. Try sending a press release to local media with a
grabbing tagline for example, “Local Santa Monica Resident Opens Small Shop,
But Thinks Big on Small Business Saturday.” Send the story behind how you
started your business, how long you’ve lived in the area, any special offers
for the day and invite media to interview your customers on the big day. Press
release template and guide
7.Bundle: As shares in her bundles often solve holiday dilemmas and lend to higher
transaction amounts when the right gifts are wrapped together. Consider
pre-wrapping products by theme for “him” or “her,” display bundles together,
bundle a service and product, pre-wrap gift cards with your catalog or
restaurant menu, or consider gift baskets at different price points. More tips
from Rhonda’s guide
8.Upsell: In two ways: 1) Increase the present
transaction size by asking, “Would you like to add X to your purchase?” or “Did
you get a chance to see X? It goes well with Y.” 2) Make it easier for your
customers to spend more often by keeping them in the know about your business.
It’s as easy as asking at the end of a transaction, “Would you like to be added
to our special offers email list? It is sent out X a mo/week/.”If you’re using
a tablet in store, make it easy for customers to check a box to be added to
your email list or consider offering a small discount on a future purchase if
they sign up. Tips on upselling from .
9.Staff: First and foremost, review your projected
sales for the holidays and assess whether you can hire seasonal staff. If so,
remind your staff that they are part of the shopping small experience, to say
“thank you” to customers, and to upsell. If you’re thinking about offering free
wrapping or beverages make sure you assign your employees duties on the onset
of the big weekend to assure “stations” are always staffed or stocked. Lastly,
in the event of unforeseen circumstances, you may want to consider having
“on-call” staff members or advising family or friends you may need their help.
10.Review
and Follow Up: After the
day is over, make a note of some aspects you would improve in the future and
ask your staff or customers their thoughts too. This will help not only
replicate actions that worked for next year, but also help your ongoing
marketing efforts. Did you reach your goal of 2x your normal sales from foot
traffic alone? Did your customers enjoy shopping with you and receive value
from your offers? Lastly, follow up with a simple “Thank you” email or note
showing appreciation for visiting and anticipation for seeing the customer
again soon. Consider including shots from the day and/or including one or two
upcoming offers in your email or note.
Source:http://smallbizla.org
