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100 Million-Plus Consumers Shop Local on Small Business Saturday

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Big retailers have Black Friday and the online retailers have Cyber Monday. And, for the past three years, small business owners have their kickoff to the holiday shopping season during that same busy weekend with Small Business Saturday.

American Express started Small Business Saturday in 2010 as a way to help generate more awareness of local, small businesses. Last year, over 100 million consumers shopped in small, local stores as well as at small online storefronts. "Shop Small" is the mandate on November 24. It is also the main website for the initiative.

Keep reading to learn about the consumer perk of $25.

The program is more than just a marketing campaign for American Express, although it certainly qualifies as that, too. But they offer marketing materials, signage, loads of tips, and even a free online advertising program (while supplies/advertising dollars last). It is on a first-come, first serve basis.  I downloaded some of the materials just to get an idea of what was included and there were some useful items to display in your store windows/doors as well as logos to share on your website. In addition, there are email and social media templates and tips to help you communicate with customers.

I strongly encourage small business owners to add a contest or giveaway in their marketing efforts. It can be inexpensive to hold random drawings for store visitors or customers and give one of your products as a prize. People love to hear about deals, special offers, and coupons and if they will be out shopping why not give them a bigger reason to come visit your store.

To manage these efforts on social media (Facebook or Twitter), via text messaging, or email, I recommend Fanminder with its free service. You can upgrade to a premium level for the holiday season and then go back down to free.

Consumers Get Perks For Shopping Local

For consumers, there is a perk, too. American Express is offering its card members the opportunity to get a $25 statement credit when they enroll their eligible American Express® card and then use it to spend $25 or more in a single in-store transaction at a qualifying small business location on Small Business Saturday. The number of enrollments is limited, of course. Visit the Shop Small website for details on consumer enrollment  November 18th. Tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter, too.

UPDATE: I forgot to add a cool infographic that Shop Small produced. Check it out here.

Local Corporation, a local media company that connects local merchants and online consumers via digital marketing products and services, offered a good post filled with tips for those getting ready for Small Business Saturday that was published in the Washington Post. You can read the full post here, but my two favorite tips are below.

Make sure consumers know who you are: Websites are a standard showcase for local businesses and they’re a great way for local customers to get a taste of your business, products and services. Remember a website requires key ingredients such as prominently placed local phone numbers, email addresses and a form for customers to reach your business. Having your hours, driving directions, address and a map are also critical.
Be mobile-enabled: Forty-five percent of Americans 18 years old and older now own smartphone devices, according to data from Pew Research, so don’t forget to ensure your small business Website looks great when viewed from a mobile device.  -- From Local Corporation blog post

Some of these seem obvious, but I hear from a lot of small business owners and they often don't have time, or don't make time, to keep their websites up-to-date and many don't even have a site, if you can imagine. So a mobile-enabled site is even further down the list, however, new tools show up every day to help you manage your website.

As you prepare for the holiday season, let me know what you are doing to get your small business ready. I joined in on a Small Business Trends tweetchat last night and got a ton of great suggestions. My favorite came from marketing expert Ivana Taylor (@DIYmarketers) who suggested, for gift giving ideas, that you buy from your client and share that gift with other clients. It allows you to patronize a client's business and network a bit, too.  You can read the full stream via transcript at FedEx, which sponsored the event, at this link. You can also click on the hashtag to read it via Twitter.

Full disclosure: As I have shared before, I am a contributor at American Express OPEN Forum. I was not paid to share this message, but believe it is a great opportunity for small business owners to get people to shop local this holiday season. I am also the product review editor at SmallBizTrends.com, one of the top small business sites on the web.

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