{"id":5848,"date":"2013-11-11T07:11:57","date_gmt":"2013-11-11T12:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.123print.com\/?p=5848"},"modified":"2016-07-27T21:57:57","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T21:57:57","slug":"get-ready-for-small-business-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/get-ready-for-small-business-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Ready for Small Business Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SmallWith Halloween behind us and Thanksgiving on it\u2019s way, the most important 96 hours of holiday shopping will be here before you know it. I\u2019m talking about Black Friday<\/a> on November 29th, Small Business Saturday on November 30, and Cyber Monday on December 2nd. Since Saturday\u2019s focus is on small businesses, let\u2019s concentrate on that.<\/p>\n

Confirm What You Know
\n<\/strong><\/span>Don\u2019t 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\u2019re not sure, just ask them. Knowing when and where to communicate with your customers will be crucial to your holiday sales success.<\/p>\n

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Go Outside Your Comfort Zone
\n<\/strong><\/span>Now that you\u2019re feeling confident about where and when to advertise your Small Business Saturday\u00ae deals, it\u2019s time to define them. For inspiration, let\u2019s consider a quote from Will Rogers, \u201cWhy not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.\u201d<\/em> So rather than go with the same-ol\u2019 same-ol\u2019, why not come up with a promotion that might make you feel a little uncomfortable \u2014 but will attract attention and bring people in the door or onto your website. Maybe that would be offering a deep discount or a free trial. If it\u2019s a one-day, Small Business Saturday-only offer, you can manage the risk and test it to see what kind of rewards, or \u201cfruits,\u201d it will bring to your small business. Remember, these are the busiest 96 hours of shopping in the year. You have to do something extra to get noticed. Plus, a 24-hour offer will create urgency.<\/p>\n

The More the Merrier
\n<\/strong><\/span>Here\u2019s another quote to consider: Variety is the spice of life<\/em>. In other words, don\u2019t just come up with one offer or promotion. You have a range of customers with an assortment of interests, and different offers will appeal to different people. Try multiple holiday marketing strategies to see which ones work best. Then learn from that and apply it to future promotions.<\/p>\n

Learn from Others
\n<\/strong><\/span>If you\u2019re looking for more ideas, The American Express \u201cShop Small<\/a>\u201d website is chock full of tools, support and inspiration. From logos you can add to banners<\/a>, postcards<\/a> and brochures<\/a>, to video case studies of promotions that worked for other small businesses last year. You can even have your small business featured in their Shop Small\u00ae neighborhood listing!<\/p>\n

Start Now
\n<\/strong><\/span>You\u2019re lucky, because Thanksgiving is late this year, so Small Business Saturday falls on November 30, 2013. That gives you three weeks to prepare. You need to settle on your special offers today and order your marketing materials<\/a> sooner than later.<\/p>\n

Do you already have your Small Business Saturday marketing in place? If you have anything you can share, we\u2019d love to hear it. Or maybe you can tell us what worked for you last year or ideas you saw that have inspired you for this year. If so, please comment below, tweet<\/a> us, or leave a message on our 123Print Facebook<\/a> or Google+<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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