Happy Small Business Saturday! Started back in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday is the day after Black Friday and two days before Cyber Monday. Everyone is encouraged to buy from small businesses and support their local entrepreneurs. (more…)
As if the holidays are not rushed and chaotic enough, this year the holiday shopping season is super short — just 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas! Hanukkah begins the day before Thanksgiving, a full 11 days earlier than last year. Fewer days to shop could mean fewer sales if you don’t have a plan. We’ve previously shared tips to prepare your small business for Black Friday and ideas for Small Business Saturday, now let’s consider Cyber Monday. Adobe Digital Index is predicting the highest-ever U.S. holiday season online sales including $2,270 million of those sales on December 2, 2013, Cyber Monday. That’s a 250% increase over the average daily online sales. Since the Black Friday and Small Business Saturday blogs offer some great holiday marketing advice, we decided to…
With Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving on it’s way, the most important 96 hours of holiday shopping will be here before you know it. I’m talking about Black Friday on November 29th, Small Business Saturday on November 30, and Cyber Monday on December 2nd. Since Saturday’s focus is on small businesses, let’s concentrate on that. Confirm What You Know Don’t just assume that you already know your customers and prospects. Re-evaluate what you know. What motivates them and where do they find out about your sales and offers? Is it the newspaper? Radio? Email? Direct mail? Social channels? If you’re not sure, just ask them. Knowing when and where to communicate with your customers will be crucial to your holiday sales success. (more…)
We tried to help you prepare for the holiday rush in October by offering “Holiday Marketing Timeline” suggestions and then asking, “Is Your Business Prepared for Black Friday?” At this point, there’s nothing you can do but hope you’re ready. Thanksgiving was yesterday, Black Friday is today, Small Business Saturday is tomorrow, then you might get a day of rest before Cyber Monday kicks off — with lots of folks shopping mobile. That’s a sales-packed 96 hours! Is it any wonder small businesses are optimistic? Last week, Bank of America released its November 2012 Small Business Owner Report. It’s a semi-annual study that looks at the concerns, aspirations and perspectives of small business owners across the country. The study found that small business owners are excited about owning their small…
