Ready, Set, Think Small: Small Business Saturday® Quill’s Guide to Maximizing Your Business on the Most Important Day of the Small Biz Calendar Table of Contents

Overview Online Social Media 3 Presence 6 11

Community Signing Off Sources 15 19 21 Overview OVERVIEW 4

About This Guide

Small Business Saturday® gives small businesses the opportunity to take one shopping day out of the year and use it to build a loyal, local following. Business owners are in the position to set themselves apart and show the community what they’ve got! Patrons can purchase unique goods and bolster local business. Since 2010, Small Business Saturday® has provided millions of business owners the chance to connect with their community on a larger level and encourage them to return.

Small Business Saturday® goes beyond just that one day out of the year. It helps set the pace for the year ahead and earn you long-term customers.

At Quill, we know how much power small retailers already harness in their communities. Many of the strategies we’re going to So we thought we would share some ideas about how Small Business Saturday® can discuss in this guide will go beyond just help you thrive even more. In this guide, you’ll find a number of ways to make the most Small Business Saturday®. They may out of Small Business Saturday® and use it as a springboard for greater success this apply to broader goals for your business. year—and the next…and the year after that. You might not be able to build an online store or gain a major social following in a matter of weeks, but it’s our hope you You’ll walk away with some see this guide as a resource to help Engaging awesome tips and ideas Your Online Leveraging with the you in the long-term, so that when next you can start using today. Presence Social Media Community Small Business Saturday® comes around, We’ll be talking about: you’re prepared. Ready? Let’s go! OVERVIEW 5

About Small Business Saturday

Jump Into Small Business Saturday®

Move over, Black Friday! Step aside, Cyber There’s no doubt about it, Small Business Saturday® is having an Top 10 Cities Monday! Small Business Saturday® lets local impact across the country. Let’s take a look and see which cities Interested in businesses shine during the holiday shopping and regions have the most interest in the holiday.* Small Business season. If you’re not familiar with Small Business Saturday® Saturday®, we’ll give you some background on this major event on the retail calendar. If you are familiar with Small Business Saturday®, great! Minneapolis We will give you some tips on how you and your Portland business can parlay one major shopping day into a flood of loyal customers year-round. Boston

New York Originally launched in 2010, Small Business Saturday® offers an alternative to the corporate Philadelphia hustle and bustle of large-chain retail store San Francisco domination that kicks off on the day after Thanksgiving. Credit card company, American Los Angeles Express, helped to promote the event after they purchased advertising on Facebook—which San Diego they then distributed among their small business Phoenix account holders (awesome, right?). In addition Denver to setting social media ablaze with the hashtags #SmallBusinessSaturday and #SmallBizSat, American Express also gave new customers rebates and incentives to spread the word. *From Google Trends, showing which cities and regions are searching the most for Small Business Saturday®. Online Presence ONLINE PRESENCE 7

Your Online Shop

Setting Up Your Online Shop Is Important and Easy!

In 2013, Americans spent over $5.7 billion on Small Business Saturday®. While brick-and-mortar stores are at the heart of Small Business Saturday®, many local businesses stand to increase their Small Business Saturday® earnings by beefing up their online presence. As the holidays approach, people tend to buy more online. By having a web Why Should I Have an • What products will you offer online? Do you want to put your entire inventory online? Or do store, you increase your chances of doing a greater ECommerce Site? deal of business—not just on Small Biz Saturday, you want to only offer a small sampling of goods but throughout the duration of the holiday season… Your actual store is open only from 9-to-5, but your on your website? Do you want to have a few and beyond! virtual store is open 24/7! If you’re a local business online exclusives to incentivize purchases? without an ECommerce site, you’re doing yourself • What about shipping? Keep in mind that you’ll a great disservice. If you don’t have one, don’t be responsible for shipping these items to In this section, we’ll be reviewing a series worry! It’s simple to start amplifying your online  customers, so you may want to consider what of steps for you to set up an online store presence and maximizing your potential to reach items can be shipped and which ones must be and establish an online presence. new customers outside of your local community. purchased directly from your brick-and-mortar store. You’ll need to have a plan in place to How Do I Get My ECommerce ship items ordered from your website in a timely manner. Site Up and Running? Once you know what you’ll be selling on your site If you’ve already got a brick-and-mortar store, and how you plan to ship it, it’s time to get started. you know just what it is you want to sell. When you’re putting together the online version of your store, there are a few things you need to take into consideration before you set it up: ONLINE PRESENCE 8

Do I set up my own online store or use an existing platform? We’ll explore both paths and what you need to set each one up!

Choose Your Own Small Biz Adventure: 1 The Path to Setting Up an Online Store Setting up an online store with your very own address (domain) on the internet ;;Make sure your site is shopping-cart ready. This is where you may need to will help customers visit you any time they like. It can be more pricey and time enlist the aid of a professional developer or designer. It’s crucial to have your consuming to set up your own website than it is to opt for a pre-existing platform. ECommerce site’s inventory system and shopping cart plugins accurately You’ll have more up-front costs, such as paying for your domain name, hosting set up. This will be the record you use for accurately reporting business, an account, and a web designer if you’re not technically proficient. Your web looking at revenue, and (oh, yeah!) ensuring your customers get the goods designer can help you to install a shopping cart system to track your inventory they purchased! An accurate shopping cart system is essential to keeping and other items that will help you maintain your business’ online presence. customers happy and coming back for more!

If this option appeals to you, here’s what you need to get the ball rolling! We understand that setting up a website can seem daunting. Luckily, services like Jimdo have emerged to provide a more turn-key solution to website ;; The first thing you’ll want to do is register Choose your domain name. building and management, helping guide you through website creation by a domain name. Make sure the desired name of your store is available providing templates and other ready-made aspects. These services are for purchase. Example: AwesomeStuff.com not one-size-fits-all, so we suggest you shop around for the service that

best suits your needs and budget. If your name is already taken by another ECommerce site, you can choose a variation on that name. Example: Awesome-Stuff.com or AwesomeStuff.net

;;Pick a web hosting site. Once you have your domain, you’ll need a site to host your website on. Sites such as GoDaddy.com, FatCow.com, and SiteGround.com offer a number of hosting packages. (In many cases, you can purchase your domain name from your web hosting site.) Hosting packages can cost between $40 and $200 per year, depending upon how large a site you’ll need to purchase. ONLINE PRESENCE 9

Do I set up my own online store or use an existing platform?

Choose Your Own Small Biz Adventure: 2 The Path to Working with an Existing Platform Existing ECommerce platforms such as CafePress, Etsy, and Ebay give small businesses the opportunity to sell their wares online without having to maintain their own website. The work of actually building your own site is done for you. The downside is that these larger existing platforms often take a percentage of your sales.

Depending upon the type of merchandise you’re selling and levels of customization for your online store, different platforms may be more beneficial to you than others.

It’s up to you to weigh the options available for each of these platforms, and determine what will serve you best—not just in the ramp up to Small Business Saturday®, but in the months and years to come! ONLINE PRESENCE 10

Increasing Online Visibility

Chances are, many new customers will try How will my customers find me? Not only can you learn more about your existing your products and services on Small Business customers, you can find out how to reach your ideal Saturday®. After the holiday, people will be talking If your content is descriptive and valuable, customers, too! about how wonderful you are and want to check searchers might find you via Google when they are out your offerings. It is very important to make looking for your product or service. For example, Get ready, because this whole online marketing thing sure that when these people are looking for you, if someone does a search for “where can I buy a really works. Prepare for the rush by making sure you they can find you. Once they find your website, dog collar in [insert city],” Google might show them have all of the supplies a healthy retailer needs! it is important to make sure they can find the your website if you have content focusing on all of Now that you know a little more about your information they need. your great dog collars, and how this differentiates business’ online presence and what you can do you from other stores in the city. Google is the most popular place people go when to prepare for the big day and beyond, let’s take they are looking for something. If you help Google Google is pretty friendly toward local businesses. a deeper dive into expanding your reach on social ® understand your business, it will be able to point In fact, they even offer a free service to local media on Small Business Saturday . customers your way. merchants around the globe called Google My Business. American Express Says: Based on information you provide, this service How can I help Google help me? There’s a lot you can do without ever being helps you to get found online, connect with Be conversational when you are writing content online, though a combination of online and customers, and offers your business a beefier about the overview of your store, and product offline marketing will likely be your strongest presence on Google. Based on information about descriptions. Google and other search engines combination. the searcher’s location, your online—and brick-and- love original and valuable content. Why? Because mortar store—will appear on the Google search -Small Business Saturday® humans do, too! Each page should have distinct results pages, Google Maps (hello, satellite view!), spokesperson, Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle explanations of a product and its benefits (and and on Google+ social media accounts. If your even manage to have a little fun while doing so). business has more than one location, you can add Think about how you would describe your product all of your locations to this service. No sweat! to a real-life customer. Think about the usual questions people have about your products. Those Another benefit of Google My Business is that it conversations ARE your web content. All you need allows you to browse user reviews online, pulling to do is type it up! Don’t just copy-paste product in reviews from Yelp and other review sites, and descriptions across your site, anyone can do that. also gives you more insights into your customers. Social Media SOCIAL MEDIA 12

Leveraging Social Media

Don’t underestimate the value of social media. Facebook: Get It Into Shape % ;;Cover Photo: It’s the first thing you see on a Facebook page. Updating 81 of your small and medium your cover photo with an image related to Small Business Saturday® serves as a type of announcement to your Facebook fans. Need some inspiration? sized competitors are using The Shop Small site has pre-made logos and imagery you can use, but don’t social media to drive growth. be afraid to get creative and design your own! ;;About: Make sure all your information on the “About” page is up-to-date, Social media is an extension of your business—it’s your voice, your way especially your location, hours and contact information. of connecting with the community, and Small Business Saturday® is all ; Now your page looks the part, but is it acting it? Show your about community. Social media enables you to collaborate with neighboring ;Content: support for Small Business Saturday® well ahead of time—at least a businesses on this critical shopping day, and gives your audience an invitation week. Highlight new products and special deals, start a day-by-day post to participate, too. countdown to November 29th, or create an event to promote a community celebration of Small Business Saturday®. Is one of these posts gaining serious traction? “Pin” it to the top of your timeline, or “star” it to expand the In this section, we’re going to review three major social networks—  image. A regular posting schedule—1-2 posts on social media per day is Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest—and how they can be utilized for often recommended—will help put your content into motion. Small Business Saturday®. ;;Offers: Facebook provides so many possibilities to enhance your business on Small Business Saturday®, but don’t forget one of its most important features for retailers: Facebook offers. By expanding the reach of discount opportunities, offers give your social media fans a reason to engage your Facebook page, and actually bring them to the store itself. SOCIAL MEDIA 13

Leveraging Social Media

Twitter: Join the Conversation Ramon Ray @ramonray • The National Dialogue: In November of last year, there were over 352,000 Small business and technology evangelist/publisher tweets related to Small Business Saturday®, a 65% increase from 2012.

Twitter is the place where your dialogue with the Small Business Saturday®  Jim Blasingame @JimBlasingame community can really take off. To first get a sense of how this massive Small business expert, author and speaker conversation is playing out, take a look at the @ShopSmall Twitter account. Being exposed to the national conversation will give you some great ideas beyond social media.  Rieva Lesonsky @rieva CEO and founder of GrowBiz Media, Hashtags help to categorize Tweets and allow people to follow specific small biz advocate and journalist conversations. There’s a list of hashtags used just for Small Business Saturday® conversations on Twitter:  Anita Campbell @smallbiztrends #SmallBusinessSaturday CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends #SmallBizSaturday #SmallBizSat  Barbara Weltman @BarbaraWeltman #ShopSmall Small business advocate, author and publisher Other small business-related hashtags are: #GoLocal, #ShopLocal, #SupportLocal and #BuyLocal. • The Local Dialogue: The national conversation on Small Business Saturday® Beyond @ShopSmall, there are many voices on Twitter that are starting is important, but don’t forget about the local ones, which are just as important conversations on small business topics. Here are 5 influencers important. Tack the hashtags mentioned earlier onto the end of tweets on small business topics we suggest you follow: announcing small business events or special deals at your store, along with hashtags unique to your community. Give shout-outs to other neighborhood businesses taking part in Small Business Saturday® by tagging their Twitter accounts and retweeting their content. This will encourage them to do the same for you! SOCIAL MEDIA 14

Leveraging Social Media

Pinterest: Show Off

• What Makes it Different? You can post images on Facebook and Twitter, but Determine what you have and what you want, and this will help you better Pinterest is unique in how it can showcase the visual aspects of your business. understand how to first step into the frontier of social media. It may also If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, it allows you to create “boards,” which act help to organize a schedule of content, or use free management tools like as categories for “pins,” or the individual posts. Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule posts ahead of time.

• Create a Small Business Saturday® Board: Maybe your retail store already You won’t know your capabilities in social media until you try, and there’s no has some boards for “new products” or “neighborhood events.” Now is the harm in trying. See what works and what doesn’t. Track your time and test time to create a “Small Business Saturday®” board to bring it all together. its effectiveness. Put a spotlight on some brand new products you have in stock and specific pages on your website, or follow other boards related to Small Business Saturday®. The content on this board can be very similar to what you’re sharing on Twitter and Facebook, as long as it features an engaging visual— American Express Says: in fact, let your followers on other social media networks know about your What I love about social media is that it’s quick, efficient and gets to Pinterest presence, and cross-promote content across your networks. the point. It also connects businesses, communities and customers together. In a fairly fast, simple and essentially cost-free way, social • Group Boards: Pinterest has a very important community-oriented feature media can raise a tremendous amount of visibility to not only Small ® perfect for Small Business Saturday —“group boards.” Invite your fellow Business Saturday®, but the businesses participating in this celebratory neighborhood organizations to create a collective board, and everyone will kick off to the holiday season. Team work really pays off here—even have incentive to share it on their social media channels. for independent business owners!

We know, you’re busy, and concerned about the time required for social media. -Small Business Saturday® spokesperson, Well, there’s no hard-and-fast rule for this. According to a study by Vertical Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle Response, 25% of small businesses spend 6-10 hours per week on social media. However, it all depends. What are your resources in terms of time and personnel? What are your goals in terms of visits you’d like to drive to the site? Also, who are you trying to attract through social media? Community COMMUNITY 16

Engaging with the Community

Although your customers are the VIP on Small Business Saturday®, it is important to create connections with neighboring businesses, and even local media journalists and reporters.

Whether it’s the corner bakery or a newly renovated surf shop in the middle of the block, supporting your fellow small business owners can help foster on-going relationships that positively impact your brand and your place within the community.

By running similar initiatives and joint promotions with neighboring small businesses, you can help support each other’s goals while getting your customers excited about the products and services that you sell.

We have a few ideas to help you get the ball rolling, so that when Small Business Saturday® comes along, the community camaraderie along the main street in your town is bustling. This will last long after the holiday has come and gone!

Planning a town-wide event or starting a string of promotional strategies can get the community excited. If you need some help, American Express started the Neighborhood Champion program to aid you in planning an event to rally your community for Small Business Saturday®. If you missed the submission deadline this year, don’t worry! At least you will know to look out for it next year. The Small Business Saturday® Event Kit includes branded merchandise and swag to help with your efforts. You’ll need to provide some business information like your name and address, rally other local businesses, and share your plan ideas. COMMUNITY 17

Engaging with the Community

Celebrate Together!

Nothing excites the community like clearing out These activities are a great way to engage the the streets to set up space for a fun event. Why community. However, you should show everyone not create one for Small Business Saturday®, and what makes your store unique, as well. Stand out invite your neighbors and fellow small businesses? with activities only your business could offer. Fire up the grills, set up the games and turn up the If you’re a bookstore, host a book reading for music. Throwing a block party gathers the entire kids in the neighborhood or serve free coffee. community in one place, where everyone can rally If you’re a gift shop, give a free gift wrapping class. around what makes your neighborhood great. If you’re a salon...give out champagne! This is a Spice up your block with these ideas. given, but don’t forget to promote your store’s special deals alongside these special events. ;;Invite food trucks to come and serve up their finest

Source: Small Business Marketing Tools ;;Bring in the petting zoo

;;Have local breweries set up shop

;;Display balloons and signage outside of the stores Show everyone

;;Did somebody say moon bounce? what makes your

;;Hire a musician to entertain shoppers store unique. Stand

;;Create a contest and do a raffle drawing out with activities

;;Set up a station for face painting only your business could offer. COMMUNITY 18

Engaging the Community

Partner Up For A Local Cause American Express Says: A communal event like this can also allow you to raise money for one of your Pro-Tip—Begin A Community Countdown and Spread the Word! local nonprofits, and get small business owners spreading the word about their Business owners can get their towns geared up for Small Business upcoming initiatives. Starting these conversations can help make your next Saturday® by partnering with their local media to begin a countdown ® Small Business Saturday a success with a cause behind it. Remember to get to Small Business Saturday®. Whether it’s a daily paper—online or creative. If one of your local nonprofits is a dog shelter, bring those puppies out! off—that dedicates a 29 day countdown beginning with November 1st, or a local television or radio station that commits to counting down the Give Them A Reason To Come Back! days during their broadcasts, this extra attention can go a long way. Incorporating this same “countdown” idea within an individual When community members are coming into your store, give them something business owner’s email blasts, websites, social media and store special like a coupon. Why not give them two, and invite them to come use it signage can also help spread awareness about this year’s upcoming at another time? Talk to customers about what makes you different, and what Small Business Saturday®. Finally, spreading the message through products or services you have coming down the pike. Have a sign-in book for everyday conversations can go a long way, as well. Whether it’s at people to write down their names and email addresses, and don’t forget the a local school event, during business hours or between friends, candy bowl next to it. talking about Small Business Saturday® and how it’s the celebratory kick off to the holiday season for small business owners can be very powerful. If one of your -Small Business Saturday® spokesperson, Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle local nonprofits is a dog shelter, bring those puppies out! Signing Off SIGNING OFF 20

The End!

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of Quill’s Small Business Saturday® guide! We hope you’ve So are you ready? gained some valuable insights that will help you November 29th is coming up soon, and it’s your take advantage of such a crucial shopping day. day. It’s time to harvest all your creative ideas, all Moreover, we hope that some of the tactics and your energy, and show everyone your potential. strategies we’ve discussed will inform the overall But remember, no man is an island. Don’t just approach to running your business and engaging show your potential, show the potential of the with the community. business next door, your patrons and the whole neighborhood. They’re the ones who will help If this guide has helped you create an online store, small businesses continue to thrive. gain a social media following, or rally together with your neighboring businesses, that’s great! But don’t let that momentum stop after November 29th. Small Business Saturday® should be the spark that keeps you and your community going.

Ultimately, we hope you go beyond this guide, and figure out new and inventive ways to embrace Small Business Saturday®. Sources SOURCES 22

Sources

Still hungry for more Intro Social Media • SmallBusiness.com Wiki • BizTech: 25 Small-Business Twitter Hashtags Small Business to Follow ® Saturday knowledge? ECommerce • Scott’s Local Business Blog: The Go-Getter’s Guide to Small Business Saturday® 2014 Take a further look • Hongkiat: Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Your Online Shop • 5 Small Business Saturday® Tips into some of the great From Facebook • Life Hacker: How to Set Up Your resources we used Own Online Store • American Express: Shop Small as inspiration for (Personalize Your Marketing Materials) this guide. Community • Small Business Saturday® UK: Social Media Guide 2014 • American Express: Shop Small (Be a Neighborhood Champion) • Entrepreneur: This is How Small Businesses are Using Social Media • Small Business Marketing Tools: How to Promote Small Business Saturday® • Raka Creative: How Much Time Should You in Your Local Market Spend on Social Media For Business?