4 Ways to Make Small Business Saturday Work for Your Business
Small Business Saturday is scheduled for the Saturday following Thanksgiving for 2016. The goal of Small Business Saturday is to bring more recognition to small businesses throughout the nation. Small businesses create around 67% of jobs in our economy. Often, owners of service-based small businesses think that because they don’t offer an actual product that they cannot participate and reap the benefits of Small Business Saturday. Here are 4 ways you can make Small Business Saturday work for your business.
Free Consultations
You can do this in a couple of ways. You could devote the entire day to providing free consultations in your office. This works well for Small Business Saturday because there’s a pretty good chance that most of your target market is busy at work during your normal hours of operation. Make sure that you have a sign or hand out flyers ahead of time to let people know that you’ll be providing free consultations on a first come, first serve basis. When you give the consultations, remember that it is about more than getting someone to sign up as a client. You are building a bridge and reputation of trust. Make sure that the information you give is genuinely helpful.
The second method that you can use for free consultations is to book a community room somewhere in your town. Libraries often have rooms that you can reserve for free. It’s important to reserve it ahead of time. Provide a seminar of some sort that is free and open to the public. If you’re a veterinarian, consider offering a seminar about pet health during the holidays. Some people who love their pets may not know what they should and shouldn’t feed their dog during the holiday food overload. If you’re a doctor, you could hold a free seminar about dealing with stress and illness. Lawyers could consider a free small business advice clinic. The possibilities of what you could do are endless. You could also partner with other small businesses in your area and set up a small indoor informational fair. A doctor and a lawyer could provide an estate planning seminar. The doctor could talk about the importance of advanced directives and other documents that affect healthcare and the lawyer could explain what people need to do in their state to have these legal documents in place.
Offer Online Specials
If you advertise heavily online or get the majority of your client leads from online, consider creating a Small Business Saturday special of some sort. You could use Facebook’s coupon system, tell people to just mention Small Business Saturday, or even use Groupon to create a special. You don’t have to make the expiration date on Small Business Saturday (although you certainly can). Just make sure that people understand that the offer is to celebrate this special day.
When you are creating your online special, don’t forget that a lot of times your target market won’t know what you offer for free on a regular basis. Coupons for a free consultation that include a value can really help your business. Use what you already have to your advantage.
Do Something for Existing Clients
Often, small business owners place their focus on acquiring new clients. Of course, new clients help your business grow. Yet, you must be careful not to ignore your base clients. Do something special for them on Small Business Saturday as an act of saying thank you. They are, after all, choosing to give their business to your small business.
Be a Snack Stop
If you have a physical location, be a snack stop. Offer free bottled water and small snacks for people who are out shopping. Use a sign or flyers to publicize that you’re doing this. When people come in for their free snack, give them an opportunity to enter a drawing for something free. Your entry sheets should include their name, phone number, and email address. Ideas for prizes include small gift cards to other local businesses, free consultations (again, even if you offer these for free, most people may not know), and small prizes or toys for children.
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