How to Promote Shopping Local & Small Business Saturday (It’s not too late!)

For ten years, Small Business Saturday has drawn people away from the shopping malls and big box retailers to the doorsteps of small, mom and pop businesses – the types of businesses who line Main Street and make an indelible impression upon our lives. Wyoming is full of charming downtowns lined with restaurants and shops carrying unique treasures that you can’t find in a chain store. Our downtowns are enjoyable places to visit because of the small business owners who have invested in creating something special. Small Business Saturday is our opportunity to support them. 

Community Leaders Can Promote Small Business Saturday

It’s not too late to promote Small Business Saturday, and to encourage local shopping. The event will be held on November 30th and American Express has created multiple tools that can be used to create social media posts and promotional material. 

The Shop Small Studio lets community leaders and business owners customize prepared marketing materials in less than two minutes. Everything can then be downloaded and printed off or saved in digital form and used in website and social media promotions. They are also offering a free trial of social media creation tools that can be used as part of the campaign. Click here to get started. 

We suggest running a promotional campaign that includes social media, website promotions and an email blast. If you have time, print out signs and hang them throughout town to remind people to shop local on November 30th and throughout the holiday season. 

Why Shopping Small Matters

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, even more so than many people realize. According to the Small Business Economic Impact Study completed by American Express, small businesses keep 67 cents of every dollar received within the local economy. That’s significant. In addition, they found that spending money at one small business can lead to the creation of jobs in other businesses. For example, for each dollar spent at a small business, an additional 50 cents in local business activity is created. In addition, every ten jobs at a small business supports an additional seven jobs within the community.

Community leaders who wish to see economic growth should spread the message and educate the community as to the significant impact they can make in growing the economy. By simply choosing to spend money at local retailers, instead of big box stores or online, community members can help to create local jobs in retail and other industries. 

Shopping small pays. Spread the word! 

References

American Express. (2018, November 13). Small Business Economic Impact Study. Retrieved from American Express: https://about.americanexpress.com/press-release/another-reason-to-shop-small-on-small-business-saturday

National Federation of Independent Business. (2019, November 18). The Influence of Small Business Saturday. Retrieved from National Federation of Independent Business: https://www.nfib.com/content/news/alabama/the-influence-of-small-business-saturday/

https://www.nfib.com/assets/The-Influence-of-Small-Business-Saturday.pdf