Today we want to talk about how to grow your community and how to reach those important local customers. Small businesses are the heart of every community, and each company started as someone’s dream. As we head into the holiday season, here are some ideas for Small Business Saturday and how you can be part of the action.
We all have favorite small businesses; we can’t imagine them being gone from our lives forever. However, fewer small businesses are opening and staying open. To be successful requires an abundance of grit, passion, and determination. And in the challenges of 2020, local small businesses have taken an extra big hit.
For every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S., approximately 67 cents stays in the local community. So when you Shop Small on Small Business Saturday—and all year long — you can help create a significant impact. [hint: you can share this stat on your social media]
A few ways to support small businesses:
- Sign up for their email list and learn about their special offers
- Take the time to leave a testimonial for them on Google or Yelp
- Order from them online
- Take a photo on your next visit and share on Instagram
- Share their social media posts
- Buy gift cards for teacher gifts or friends
Small Business Saturday is a community event, so go out of your way to celebrate other small businesses participating in the shopping day. Re-tweeting them and sharing their social content is a great way to show your support. It’s likely; they’ll return the favor too.
How to grow your community
How can you get your business out there for Small Business Saturday? Here are a few ideas for your dry cleaning business:
- Make sure your contact information is correct on your website and social media. How can people contact you?
- Research your community hashtags. These could be for your drop store location, city, or the nickname of your community. Examples #Boston #Fenway #NewburyStreet – make sure to check the hashtags to ensure that you want your content to be in the group.
- When you post, tag the location of your business on the social posts.
- For Small Business Saturday, use #shopsmall #smallbusinesssaturday leading up to and on November 28th.
- Partner with another small business nearby to create a road trip for Shopping Small. Example: Stop by Flower City Florists, Squeaky Clean Dry Cleaners, and Mike’s Donuts for your Saturday Small Business trip. You could create a punchcard or discount when you got to all locations.
- Create a special for the weekend or day.
- Design social media posts leading up to Saturday and let people know why they should visit you on this date for something exclusive or unique.
- Grab the free resources on American Express’s Small Business Saturday page.
- Follow @shopsmall on Instagram to keep up with all the latest #ShopSmall news and ideas.
Remember, when you support small business, you’re supporting a dream. Being an active part of your local community online is great to help grow your customer base. Use this opportunity to connect on social media with other local small businesses and see how you can support each other.
Good luck creating a Small Business Saturday event for your business! We can’t wait to see what you make.
