November 29th marks the 10th annual Small Business Saturday! Last year alone, this day raked in a record high of $17.8 billion and 104 million shoppers for small businesses across the US. At the heart of this shopping tradition is the idea that consumers are investing their spending money into small ‘mom & pop’-type businesses where they can more easily observe the impact their purchases make on the business and surrounding community as opposed to purchases made from large corporate behemoths. It’s essentially Black Friday, but for the little guys. If you’re a small business, it’s crucial that you know the ways in which you can utilize social media to your advantage for promoting this day. Read below to find out how!
Let Your Voice Be Heard
As marketers, we often describe the role of social media as being the ”voice” of your company or brand. It’s an outlet in which, through your use of creative content, you can vividly paint a picture of who you are as an organization, what you stand for, and ultimately what values define you. Consumers want to feel good about their purchases; they want to feel like they are supporting a good cause and making a difference and shopping small provides them a perfect opportunity to do exactly that. With that in mind, it’s important, especially in regards to Small Business Saturday, that consumers get a feel of your mission and values from the content you share on social media so they can identify the fact that yours is a mission they align with and want to support. There’s many creative ways in which you can accomplish this.
Post Organic Photo & Video Content
When it comes to engagement and evoking a response from your followers, stocky content just won’t cut it in 2019. People want to see photos of your location, your products, and actual people that work and shop at or come into your business. Videos, particularly, are an excellent way to capture the in-store experience and give potential customers an idea of what they can expect when visiting your location. Client testimonial videos go a long way as well. Where as written reviews can seem impersonal, video testimonials allow viewers to see that this is a real person that supports your business- they can observe their energy & body language, and what better testament to how much someone cares about your business than to be willing to get on camera to talk about it?
The important thing to keep in mind with video content is that you want to produce quality content in regards to both the audio and visual elements and to keep the length of the video to 2 minutes or less to retain viewers’ attention. The good news is you may not necessarily need to splurge for a DSLR camera either! Most newer smartphones boast an impressive resolution and are quite capable tools when it comes to capturing quality content. A good tip when shooting video on your smartphone is to hold the camera lengthwise (horizontally) when filming, unless you are filming a story, in which case you can hold it vertically as normal to best fit the dimensions of the platforms on which you are posting.
Create a Facebook Event
A great way to drive awareness of your involvement in Small Business Saturday is to create a Facebook event for this day. You want to be sure to include all relevant details including your location, contact info such as phone number and email for any questions people may have, and a link to your website where you can direct people who wish to find out more about your products and/or services prior to the event. Any incentives or deals you are offering for this day should also be a focal point of this promotion in order to entice consumers to attend.
Facebook also allows users to publicly share the fact that they are attending or interested in attending your event and the ability to invite specific people as well, both of which are great for drawing in other Facebook users who, due to their friendship with users that have expressed interest in this event, are more likely to show similar interest. Lastly, though it may seem elementary, you want to ensure that all information on your Facebook page, website, and any landing pages you utilize for this event feature up-to-date contact info, address, and hours of operation to eliminate any confusion.
Cross-Pollinate With Other Local Businesses
Small Business Saturday is an event focused around community. A terrific means of promoting this and helping small businesses overall, while still serving to directly benefit your own business, is to find creative ways to join forces or “cross-pollinate” with other local businesses in your area. If you own a clothing boutique for instance, you can team up with a local deli or cafe to offer a promotion where people who shop at either store on this day earn a coupon which they can redeem at the other store. It can be something as little as a free small soda or 10% off a purchase of a set amount, but these offers can go a long way in driving cross-traffic to your location while also helping out your fellow neighborhood business owners. The relationships you build with these other businesses will also likely carry on well past that one isolated day which can open the door to word of mouth referrals and other synergistic opportunities moving forward.
The power of social media marketing is something that should be harnessed to promote your business not only on Small Business Saturday but every day of the week. For more tips on how to fully utilize the tools at your disposal to take your online presence to the next level, be sure to subscribe to our blog and our social media accounts where we provide valuable tips and information that you can apply to your business, regardless of your industry. For questions or to learn more about how we can help you in tackling your social media goals for your small business, reach out to us at info@adaptingsocial.com.
