A typical Small Business Saturday conjures up images of smiling, happy people bundled up in hats and scarves, carrying crisply wrapped packages up and down the sidewalks of a small town square as a gentle snow begins to fall.
It’s a pretty picture — if you have a brick-and-mortar store.
If you’re an online-only business, however, you might feel a bit left out of the celebration. You won’t be passing out cups of hot cocoa to shoppers or helping little Andy pick out the perfect gift for his mom.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t participate in (and capitalize on) Small Business Saturday. Here are a few tips just for you.
Deck Your (Virtual) Halls
The fact that your store only exists on an internet server shouldn’t deter you from “decorating” for the holidays. Ask your graphic design team to create festive banners, landing pages and images for your website to get your visitors in a holly jolly mood.
Don’t stop there! Your social media pages, email templates and marketing materials can benefit from a bit of seasonal adornment, too.
Offer Wish Lists
During the holidays, people don’t often buy for themselves. But that doesn’t mean they’re not secretly drooling over your online offerings. Make it simple for them to share what they really want for Christmas by allowing them to create a wish list that they can send to their family and friends!
Wish lists are a great way to capture the attention of customers who might not otherwise have known about your small business. They make it easy to give the perfect gift. And, when you play your cards right, the person who only intended to purchase a one-off present for someone on their list could end up becoming a customer for life!
Go the Extra Mile
You work hard all year round to keep your customers happy, but it’s even more important to go the extra mile during the holidays.
They don’t call it the season for giving for nothing!
This Small Business Saturday, find a way to “wow” your shoppers. Offer free gift wrapping, expedited shipping or a surprise discount code at checkout. Send out personalized greeting cards. Include a small treat such as candy or corporate swag with every package. If you’re a service provider, consider offering a small discount for a later purchase. People will remember these special touches.
Make Shopping Fun
There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who love to shop, and everyone else. A startling number of your customers will fall into the latter category, so do what you can to add some excitement to the shopping experience!
Host a site-wide scavenger hunt. Let visitors to your site blow off some steam by tossing snowballs at cheeky elves. Randomly give away prizes or hold flash sales offering a deep discount on a popular product or service. The longer you can keep people on your site, the better chance you have of turning browsers into buyers.
Sell Your Story
At heart, Small Business Saturday is about shopping local — but when you don’t have a brick-and-mortar store on the corner of Main Street, USA, it’s hard to create that “local” feel.
The solution? Sell your story. Make it crystal clear who you are, where you’re from, and why you do what you do. Are you a stay-at-home parent selling your art on the side to put your kids through college? Do you bake your cookies and cakes from scratch in your own kitchen using your great-great grandmother’s recipe? Did you start your small business with nothing but a five-dollar bill and a dream?
People want to feel a connection with the businesses they patronize. Knowing their hard-earned money is going to someone just like them instead of into a billionaire’s pocket makes them more likely to give you a shot.
This Small Business Saturday, Join in on the Fun!
Small Business Friday falls on Nov. 30 this year, which means time is running out to put your plans in place. Don’t let the fact that you don’t have a physical store get you down; there are plenty of ways online-only businesses can make the day work to their advantage!
The clock is ticking. Are you ready to welcome holiday shoppers? If you’ve left things a little late this year, Mischa Communications can help! Contact us to get started.