Every year, local, independent companies promote their products and services on Small Business Saturday to connect with buyers and leverage spending habits during the holiday season.
It’s a significant part of a busy holiday shopping weekend and a cost-effective way for businesses to reach new leads and reconnect with dormant customers.
In this article, you’ll learn about Small Business Saturday and how you can make the most of it to drive new revenues from existing and potential customers.
What is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday is an annual shopping event held on the Saturday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The holiday encourages consumers to support local and independent businesses.
Although it’s often associated with restaurants and B2C retailers, many small B2B companies participate, too.
Many businesses use it to offer discounts and take advantage of pre-Christmas spending. They’ll typically announce their participation with Small Business Saturday slogans.
For example, a small web design studio might use the event to attract new customers and boost sales with existing clients. They could promote offers through email and social media, using messages like, “Get your website holiday-ready with a free audit this Small Business Saturday!”
Their campaigns highlight the personal service and tailored solutions small businesses provide. They motivate prospects to inquire or purchase with special offers like discounts or free consultations.
Activity doesn’t always need to focus on offerings. For example, long-lasting temporary tattoo designer Tattly included a small logo in an email campaign and used the opportunity to promote a local retailer they work with.
B2C and B2B businesses can make the most of Small Business Saturday by connecting and entertaining prospective customers or offering discounts to those further down the buying funnel.
Note: American Express started Small Business Saturday to encourage credit card spending at these businesses. It has now spread to small business support of any kind and is quickly gaining popularity worldwide.
Small business slogan ideas for B2B and B2C
Small Business Saturday slogans are catchy phrases and messages that grab consumers’ attention and persuade them to buy in-store or on your website. The right slogans help your business stand out, allowing you to connect with customers and sell more products and services.
Companies use their slogans across different marketing channels like:
Email subject lines. Compelling subject lines can boost open rates.
Social media. Make quality content more engaging and findable with Small Business Saturday hashtags.
Websites. Capture visitor interest immediately with on-site banners, countdown clocks and pop-up messages highlighting your special deals.
Digital ads. Small Business Saturday slogans could boost responses to your online pay-per-click and social media paid-for campaigns.
In-store signage. Attract more foot traffic with eye-catching window displays and posters featuring Small Business Saturday slogans.
These channels can help you attract attention and highlight the unique advantages of buying from local, independent firms.
They can draw attention to your locality:
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Others emphasize the sense of community:
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Many slogans showcase uniqueness and exclusivity:
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Some promote the connection between the business and the end-user:
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When used effectively, slogans stick in the minds of your audience and create a lasting impression that prompts them to choose your business on Small Business Saturday.
5 quick tips to create your own Small Business Saturday slogan
Slogans should align with your company brand and reflect the priorities and interests of your potential customers.
Here are five tips to create the best Small Business Saturday slogan for your business.
1. Know your audience
Spend time identifying your audience’s specific interests to determine what resonates with them about buying from small businesses (is it the uniqueness of the products or driving money into the local economy?).
For example, if your audience values sustainability, a slogan like “Shop small, shop green” could appeal.
Draft several iterations of your slogan and test them in a small sample first (e.g., A/B testing email subject lines).
2. Be authentic
Reflect on what makes your business valuable to your buyers and lean into it for your slogan.
An Oregon business known for its craft could say, “Nothing beats Oregon-made – shop Oregon Carpenters this Small Business Saturday.”
3. Keep it concise
Use a simple slogan that’s easy to remember and share. Shorter slogans are also easier to fit onto social media graphics and in subject lines.
Write down several variations of your slogan and then try to shorten it to the most essential words.
For example, you might want to say something like, “Shop at small businesses this Small Business Saturday to support local business owners and families”. You could shorten this to something like, “Shop small, support your community”.
4. Create emotional appeal
Emotions are a key player in memory recall, so use them to your advantage and create a slogan that sticks. Consider how you want customers to feel when interacting with your business and reading your slogan.
For example, a slogan like “Together, we thrive – Shop small” can inspire community pride. Alternatively, “Only this Saturday!” can create urgency.
5. Stay consistent
Once you’ve created your slogan, use it everywhere to reinforce your message. Include it in your social media headers, email campaigns and signatures, in-store signage, etc.
You may feel you’re overusing it, but it takes an average of eight touchpoints for someone to convert. Many people on your email list or who follow you on social media may not have seen your Small Business Saturday slogan yet.
Consistent messaging like this will also help your audience feel like you’re organized and trustworthy, making them more likely to want to purchase from you.
Is Small Business Saturday worth taking part in?
Small Business Saturday is worth participating in because of the volume of sales it drives yearly.
In 2023, US consumers reported an estimated spending of $17 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday.
Plus, it stimulates the local economy. The 2022 Small Business Economic Impact Study found that $0.68 of every dollar spent on Small Business Saturday stays in the local community. It also has a knock-on effect, creating further spending in the community by those benefitting from the sales.
Small Business Saturday is an important part of the holiday season that national and local media heavily promote. According to American Express, 59% of people who are aware of Small Business Saturday visit an independent retailer or eat at an independent restaurant on the day.
Local, independent businesses should join and bring their own Small Business Saturday ideas to the day so that they can benefit, too.
11 Small Business Saturday marketing ideas and tips
The upsides to taking part in Small Business Saturday are significant. Here are 11 ways you can make it a success for your company.
1. Create starter packages
Starter packages are great for driving Small Business Saturday sales because they offer customers an affordable way to try your services.
Bundle together products or services that naturally complement each other and price them attractively. Be careful not to price the package so low that it might devalue one or more products or services. If customers will pay the normal price for future purchases of the same bundle, be upfront about it.
Starter packages are excellent for getting first-time customers over the line. They build trust in your brand and can start many lasting client relationships.
2. Offer special deals for greater commitment
Get an immediate boost in revenue by offering deals that reward customer commitment.
For example, you might offer two months free or an additional service to customers who pay for a year upfront. An accountant could include free estate planning for clients who prepay for a year of bookkeeping.
Special deals like these boost your cash flow and deepen client reliance on your services, lowering the churn risk.
3. Give a free gift for email newsletter sign-ups
Offer a free gift or giveaway to boost email newsletter sign-ups, and you’ll gain permission to send updates and promotions directly to your audience.
Choose a useful and relevant gift for your audience. For instance, an e-book on property protection is a smart choice if you install intruder alarms. Retailers can clear slow-moving stock by gifting items that don’t sell well. Be sure to send a thank-you email and promptly deliver their gift.
A well-chosen freebie creates a positive first impression and endears you to potential customers, helping keep your brand top-of-mind.
4. Provide a free trial
Free trials give potential customers a chance to experience your products or services firsthand so they can ease any doubts they might have about whether they’re the right fit.
Give prospects enough time to get to know your product or service so they can see the benefits for themselves. Answer any questions they ask during the trial promptly. Always follow fast at the end of the trial to close the deal.
Free trials show your commitment to customer satisfaction, confidence in what you provide and readiness to demonstrate value before asking for a purchase.
5. Schedule free consultations
Free consultations help you position yourself as a knowledgeable, trustworthy partner for clients who want your products or services but are still determining what they need.
Use each consultation to fact-find and uncover their pain points. Keep the consultation brief so you hold their attention and always focus on what matters to them. Follow up with a summary of your recommendations and a call to check if they need more help.
For high-ticket or business-critical purchases, free consultations give clients the clarity they need to make confident choices. They build trust in your company and can create profitable long-term relationships.
6. Run daily deals
Daily deals create buzz and urgency ahead of Small Business Saturday, helping you build momentum and excitement with your target audience.
Showcase your products and services to appeal to a wide range of clients. Use clear, compelling messaging so clients immediately see the value in each deal. Track the success of each offer to fine-tune your approach and maximize sales.
Daily deals keep engagement levels high, giving clients a new reason to connect with you every day.
7. Promote discount upsells and cross-sells
Review your existing client base to discover upsell and cross-sell opportunities to boost revenue, build client loyalty and increase customer lifetime value.
Tailor each offer to clients’ needs and past purchases. Present each deal so customers see its relevance and ensure your team is ready to address any questions.
Customers’ purchases can highlight other challenges your products and services can solve, too.
8. Set up a market or exhibition stall
Take out a stall at a market or exhibition to benefit from valuable face-to-face interactions with your target audience. This is a chance to build rapport and trust with potential customers in a friendly, approachable setting.
Choose events that attract your target audience for maximum impact. Make your stall eye-catching with clear signage and displays, and offer easy-to-carry promotional materials like brochures or samples that prospects can take home.
A prominent presence at a market or exhibition stall is great for securing appointments and driving sales from potential customers.
9. Host a webinar
Webinars are a powerful way to educate potential clients and showcase your company’s expertise on important topics.
Focus your presentation on a specific customer challenge or pain point. Offer clear, actionable takeaways that attendees can remember easily. Invite questions during and after your presentation to make the webinar interactive.
A well-executed webinar establishes your business as a trusted resource, making it more likely that attendees will reach out when they’re ready to buy.
10. Add a countdown timer to your website
Adding a countdown timer to your website creates urgency, drawing attention to time-sensitive offers and prompting visitors to act quickly.
Display it prominently so all visitors see it, and set it to count down until the end of Small Business Saturday so everyone knows when the offers run out. Test it on both desktop and mobile to ensure it works properly.
Countdowns tap into the fear of missing out, speeding up purchase decisions, increasing your sales and helping you attract new customers.
11. Share valuable educational content
Share educational content – such as blogs and white papers – on your website, social media channels and email campaigns to appeal to prospects who value expertise.
Focus on high-value, digestible areas of interest and address common questions and concerns, highlighting areas where prospects need help. Include actionable tips and insights that readers can apply, demonstrating your expertise.
Educational content is a powerful tool for generating inquiries, driving website traffic, building credibility and getting sign-ups for your email list.
Marketing your Small Business Saturday offers
To get the most out of the big day, plan what you want to do as far in advance as possible to have everything ready in time.
When it’s over, examine what went right with your marketing campaigns and what could improve next year.
Here are some tips to help you market your Small Business Saturday deals.
Segment your database to target your messaging
Segment your client database to create Small Business Saturday deals for different audiences. Personalizing your offers makes them more relevant, boosts engagement and drives higher conversion rates.
Here’s how you can segment your campaigns:
Existing clients. Reward loyalty with a discount or an add-on service as a thank-you for their ongoing support.
Lapsed customers. Re-engage them with a special reactivation offer to encourage a return.
Prospects who haven’t bought before. Offer a free consultation or a trial to help them get comfortable with your services.
New cold leads. An exclusive Small Business Saturday starter package could be an ideal way to introduce them to what you offer.
Creating targeted campaigns for different segments will make your Small Business Saturday promotions more effective and impactful.
Use email marketing to scale your reach
Email is a cost-effective way to connect with business decision-makers and consumers for Small Business Saturday. The right email will inform, engage and motivate potential customers to contact you.
Campaigns by Pipedrive is Pipedrive’s built-in email marketing platform. It offers a drag-and-drop editor and ready-made templates that make email design easy. You can send campaigns directly from Pipedrive and track their performance with built-in analytics.
To improve your Small Business Saturday email campaign results, consider:
Strong subject lines. Boost open rates with attention-grabbing subject lines like “Small Business Saturday One-Off Deals” or “Free Website Audit This Small Business Saturday”.
Professional-looking emails. Use Pipedrive’s mobile-ready templates to create attractive emails that load quickly on any device to increase engagement.
Monitoring your results. Access Pipedrive’s email analytics to see which subject lines, offers and messages work best so you can refine your future marketing campaigns.
Automating follow-ups. To keep your brand top-of-mind, set up automated follow-up emails in Pipedrive for prospects who opened or clicked but didn’t respond.
Including incentives to buy now. To prompt an immediate purchase, include a special discount, a discount code or a coupon redeemable in person or at your online store.
Keep anticipation high and stay visible until Small Business Saturday with targeted email campaigns.
Use social media marketing to get found and stay connected
Social media is a great way to reach business and consumer audiences for Small Business Saturday, promote your deals and increase website traffic.
Successful social media marketing strategies include:
Using stand-out visuals and headlines. Eye-catching images, videos, infographics and shout-out headlines like “Exclusive Small Business Saturday Deals!” encourage users to click and share your content.
Choosing the right hashtags. Use hashtags like #SmallBusinessSaturday, #SmallBizSat and #ShopSmall to make it easier for business owners and consumers searching for deals on social media.
Tracking performance. Monitor which post types and offers generate the most engagement to fine-tune your campaign and increase reach.
Follow up on engagement. Make sure your reps follow up and interact with prospects who like and comment to start conversations that may turn into leads. Pipedrive’s EngageAI plug-in track when chosen prospects post or comment on LinkedIn, providing authentic and insightful responses.
Post fresh new content regularly so your company stays front and center on each platform, keeping interest and interaction levels high.
Weave Small Business Saturday into sales calls
Two-way conversations build rapport and trust. A phone call can give prospects the answers they need to convert into customers.
For better sales call results:
Prepare your team. Ensure your sales reps know about each Small Business Saturday offer and are ready to answer prospect questions confidently.
Personalize each call. Have reps review each contact’s history before calling so they can tailor conversations directly to prospects’ needs, increasing the chances of conversion.
Follow up on every interaction. Set alerts in Pipedrive whenever a prospect clicks an email link, visits your site or comments on one of your firm’s social media posts, so reps can respond quickly to keep the conversation going.
Call each customer and prospect at least once – these calls are prime opportunities to pitch your Small Business Saturday deals and update your customer records on Pipedrive with fresh information.
Appeal to urgency with SMS marketing
Text message marketing connects you quickly and directly with clients. Since people check their phones regularly and often read texts they receive immediately, it’s perfect for last-minute Small Business Saturday promotions.
Make sure you have permission to send texts to customers first and then focus on these four strategies:
Keep messages short and clear. Be concise and include a call to action like “Claim your Small Business Saturday discount now!”
Time your messages right. Send texts when prospects are most likely free, like during lunch breaks or after work hours when they’re more likely to check their phones.
Offer text-only deals. Create special, time-limited offers for prospects and place a link in the text so they can purchase immediately.
Respond in real-time. If a prospect replies to your text message with a question or a comment, ensure your reps respond immediately to start a two-way dialogue.
The Pipedrive WhatsApp integration lets you run SMS campaigns, automate responses and chat one-on-one with clients within Pipedrive. It also has templated messages, and you can set email alerts to notify you when prospects reply.
Using the right strategy, SMS can boost engagement, drive quick sales and turn last-minute interest into loyal customers.
Final thoughts
Small Business Saturday isn’t just for local independent retailers and restaurants. Every B2B or B2C company can take advantage of the opportunity the day delivers.
The trick is to ensure what offers you want to promote and to whom you’ll promote them. Plan and spread your activities in the run-up to Small Business Saturday rather than just focusing all your efforts on the day itself.
Manage your SBS sales and marketing strategy through Pipedrive. Click here for our 14-day free trial.
