Wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday gives local businesses a chance to compete with major corporations during the busy holiday season, and there’s no better way to spread the word than social media.
Free to use and accessible to all—social media is a small business’s best friend when it comes to drumming up enthusiasm for your brand and driving more sales this holiday season. That’s why, in anticipation of the biggest small business shopping event of the year, we’re sharing 5 social media tips to help make this Saturday a success:
1. Post about your participation.
First thing’s first. While Small Business Saturday is now in its 8th official year, it’s not yet as well known as its flashier counterparts, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s up to you to encourage your followers to get out there and support their local businesses.
American Express, which founded Small Business Saturday, offers a whole host of downloadable materials to help you spread the word and promote your business. Use these free templates in your social media posts and profiles during the leadup to Saturday’s main event.
2. Encourage your followers to #ShopSmall.
Hashtags help social media users follow updates relating to a certain topic, so using and engaging with popular hashtags can be a great way to get more exposure for your business.
The official Small Business Saturday hashtag is #ShopSmall. Much like potato chips, however, you can never have just one hashtag. Other popular hashtags for the day are #ShopLocal, #SmallBizSat, #DineLocal, and #SmallBusinessSaturday. You could also choose to create a custom branded hashtag for the day and encourage your followers to use it if they’re participating in the festivities!
3. Showcase potential holiday gifts.
Let’s face it; Christmas shopping is hard. What do you even buy for that aunt who you only see twice a year?
Give your followers a hand with their holiday shopping by curating a list of customized gift recommendations for each person on your hypothetical customer’s shopping list. Then post pictures of your collections to Facebook or Instagram and encourage people to stop by and check your products out in person on Small Business Saturday.
4. Offer incentives.
Small Business Saturday is about supporting the local economy, not scoring the best deals. Leave the deep discounts to the likes of Walmart and Amazon.
Instead, try using smaller incentives to get people in the door. Let people know ahead of time that you’ll be holding a raffle or giving away prizes to people who stop by, post to social media, or make a purchase throughout the day.
5. Post live updates.
Don’t let your social channels fall silent when Saturday comes around. Encourage people to get in on the fun by using Facebook and Instagram to share quick videos or photos of the event, and don’t forget to tweet out a last-minute reminder to your followers on Twitter.
As millions of Americans take to the streets this Saturday to support their local businesses, #ShopSmall is sure to be trending. Make sure you’re part of the conversation.
As always, Michaels Wilder is here to help manage your social media presence, not just through the holiday season, but also year-round. It may be Christmas cookie season, but we don’t take a cookie-cutter approach to marketing. Our digital marketing experts are dedicated to helping you tell your story in the way that best meets your unique business needs. Give us a call today, and see what a little “Wilder Thinking” can do for your business.