With Small Business Saturday just a few days away (November 29), small business owners throughout the country are putting the final touches on their holiday marketing plans.
For business owners like Dawn Noble, owner of La Provence in Rockport, Massachusetts, Small Business Saturday is the perfect day to connect with local customers at the start of the shopping season.
Each year, Dawn comes up with new ways to reach local shoppers and provide a memorable shopping experience that keeps customers coming back throughout the year.
We recently had the chance to catch up with Dawn, to find out how she is preparing for Small Business Saturday 2014.
Check it out!
(Can’t see the video? View it here.)
Hopefully, you’ve already thought of ways to take advantage of Small Business Saturday.
As you finalize your holiday plans, consider these five ideas from Dawn Noble, a small business owner who knows how to make the holiday count!
1. Invite customers through email
Leading up to the holidays, Dawn sends a series of emails letting customers know about all the holiday activities happening in and around her business.
Her latest holiday email’s subject line “Stress-free shopping in Rockport!” is a great example of how small businesses can differentiate themselves from their larger competitors during the busy holiday months.
2. Showcase your inventory on social media
As a retail store that specializes in French soaps, linens, glassware, and home decor, La Provence offers a unique shopping experience that’s worth a visit any time of year.
But you don’t have to make the drive to Rockport to experience everything La Provence has to offer. Dawn uses sites like Facebook and Instagram to give customers a look behind the scenes at La Provence. She shares photos of new holiday inventory, snaps pictures of customers, and even uses creative images to update customers on holiday hours and share information about upcoming events.
3. Get other business owners involved
Working with other local business owners, Dawn is able to make Small Business Saturday an event for her business and the local community. One of the ways she partners with other businesses is by hosting a holiday contest, where customers are entered for the chance to win prizes just by shopping small.
Dawn is also involved in planning other holiday shopping days to encourage people to shop locally throughout the month of November.
4. Extend your hours
In addition to offering a more stress-free shopping experience, Dawn also works hard to make shopping small more convenient. One of the ways she does this is by extending the store’s hours during the holiday season.
By opening earlier and staying a little later, she is able to make it easy for customers to fit holiday shopping into their busy schedules. Her staff assists customers with finding the perfect gifts in-store, and Dawn also provides the option to shop online.
5. Give customers a reason to come back
Small Business Saturday, and other major shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, are just the start of the holiday shopping season for a lot of consumers.
One of the ways that La Provence encourages customers to come back and shop with them again during the holidays is to provide a gift bag with additional incentives for repeat shoppers. A small token of your appreciation can inspire loyalty in customers and get them back for another visit before the year ends.
Looking for more holiday resources?
Over the last few months, we’ve been focused on providing advice to help small businesses and nonprofits prepare for the holiday season.
Use these resources to put the final touches on your holiday plans:
Preparing for the holidays
‘Tis the Season to be Preparing for the Season!
[Guide] Holiday Marketing 101: Simple Tips to Prepare Your Marketing for the Holiday Season
4 Tips for Keeping Your Business Organized During the Holiday Season
5 Ideas to Make This Your Most Profitable Holiday Season Yet
Planning your holiday email marketing
7 Email Templates to Help You Save Time and Drive Results this Holiday Season
30 Creative Email Ideas for Your Holiday Email Marketing
Holiday Email Marketing: How to Save Time, Reduce Stress, and Still Get Great Results
Beautiful Holiday Promotional Emails: 5 Design Rules to Follow
Creating a holiday social media strategy
How to Create a Holiday Social Media Calendar
How to Use Pinterest to Increase Holiday Sales
3 Ways to Drive Holiday Sales with Pinterest
How to Give Your Facebook Page a Holiday Makeover
Hosting a holiday event
How to Make Sure Your Holiday Event Doesn’t Fall Flat
The Value of Hosting a Holiday Event
Creating a holiday promotion
[Guide] A Simple Holiday Promotion Plan
How to Add Value this Holiday Season without Offering a Discount
How to Create a Great Last-Minute Offer for Small Business Saturday
3 Holiday Promotion Ideas for Businesses that Sell Services, Not Products
Why Small Businesses Should Expect More from Online Deals (During the Holidays and Beyond)
End-of-year fundraising advice
Is Your Organization Ready for #GivingTuesday?
10 Ways to Maximize Holiday Giving Online
35 Expert Tips for End-of-Year Fundraising
How to Make the Most of Year-End Donors
[Guide] Bringing Your Fundraising Online
Is your business participating in Small Business Saturday? This year we’re inviting people to show their support for small businesses by taking a #SmallBizSelfie. Learn how you can participate and encourage your customers to get involved too!
The post 5 Last-Minute Holiday Ideas from a Successful Small Business Owner appeared first on Constant Contact Blogs.