How to Get Noticed on Small Business Saturday [2019]

The hype over Black Friday gets bigger and bigger each year, but did you know that Small Business Saturday is also growing? In 2013, there were 1400 individuals and organizations that signed up as Neighborhood Champions to support small businesses. The last Small Business Saturday saw 7,500 signups (Source: American Express). That’s huge! Here’s how to get your local business noticed on this special small business holiday.

What is Small Business Saturday?

Founded by American Express and in conjunction with the Small Business Administration, Small Business Saturday aims to drive customers to the local shops and corner boutiques in their own communities to support small businesses in a season often dominated by big retail.

How to Get Noticed on Small Business Saturday

It’s good for people to shift focus to local businesses after Black Friday, but how do you get your business ready for the holiday shopping season? We have lots of Small Business Saturday promotion ideas for you. Here are just a few of the tools to help you get going:

Google My Business

Your first priority should be your Google My Business profile, as shoppers will be searching on Google and Google Maps for the businesses nearest them. Be sure to:

• Update your contact information so customers can easily visit or call you
• Double-check your hours
• Add photos of your business and products
• Create posts about your promotions and offerings

Google My Business is the most effective way to get noticed on Google, so make this your first step!

Email Marketing

Email marketing campaigns are another effective way to get noticed on Small Business Saturday. Put together a fun, festive email centered around holiday shopping and send it out the week before. Announce promotions, provide useful tips, and encourage readers to visit your website. Include a catchy subject line with a great offer and your message is sure to be a hit.

Retargeting

Retargeting ads are great ways to catch the attention of people on or before Small Business Saturday. Use them to get noticed by previous website visitors on other platforms such as Facebook or search engines. By reminding them of what they saw, you can effectively encourage them to return to your website.

Social Media

Be sure to post your Small Business Saturday offers to Facebook and Instagram. Include links to your offers in your Facebook posts (or in your bio for Instagram posts). If you’re not running any special promotions, you can still provide useful tips for shoppers or show your support for local businesses. Simply stirring up some engagement can be enough to get noticed by your followers and customers.

Also, use this time to add a little holiday sparkle to your profile and cover photos.

Video

We all get a little distracted this time of year, as the days get shorter and the excitement for food and fun builds. Consider this shortened attention span and turn your efforts toward video marketing. Check out this post on how to create effective marketing videos on a budget.

Listings

In addition to Google My Business, make sure your other free local business listings are up to date and optimized for Small Business Saturday. This will ensure you get found by nearby people looking for your products and/or services.

These are just a few of the many ways to get your business noticed on Small Business Saturday. For help creating a plan for your Small Business Saturday marketing, check out this post. And don’t forget to show your favorite e-commerce sites some love on Cyber Monday!

For more lead generation ideas to implement on Small Business Saturday, download our free eBook below:

This post was published November 2014 and updated November 2019.