After the turkey, the football games, and the Black Friday frenzy, there’s a special day set aside to support local, neighborhood businesses…

It’s easy to overlook Small Business Saturday with all the noise of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but there’s no doubt its popularity has been on the rise since its launch in 2010.

To put it into a dollar amount…

American Express recently reported that consumers have spent over $120 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday in the last 10 years!

With those kinds of numbers — and with more and more consumers on board with “buying local” — Small Business Saturday is a big opportunity for small business owners and service providers.

Whether you’re a salon owner, massage therapist, or an esthetician, it’s a time to boost sales, gain new clients, and come together with your community.

Small Business Saturday 2023 is November 25.

To help make sure you’re ready, we put together the best tips and tricks for getting the most out of such a fun and supportive day.

How to Prepare for Small Business Saturday:

How to Prepare for Small Business Saturday 2023

Plan a Promotion

It’s the time of year when your clients are on the hunt for presents to give their friends and family, and… maybe a special deal for themselves. And who doesn’t love a good deal — especially around the holidays? 

When it comes to creating a discount or a holiday package deal, there are lots of directions to go.

You can offer a classic BOGO deal, or you can create a package deal — say five haircuts for the price of four — that you sell only on Small Business Saturday. 

Have a loyalty program or rewards system for your clients? Great!

Research shows that nearly 80% of holiday shoppers are members of some kind of loyalty program, so coming up with a special deal to attract those customers is a great way to boost revenue around the holidays. 

Pro Tip: Schedulicity has all the tools you need to create promotions and market those promotions. With Deal Manager, you can create deals to share, then send them out to clients using all the handy Email Marketing options.

Plan an Event

You can turn your place of business — your salon, barbershop, yoga studio — into a special Small Business Saturday event to get more traffic through the door. Maybe have a DJ on hand, include activities for kids, or simply provide food and drinks for folks who stop by! 

And of course, if you’d prefer to limit the number of people in the space at one time, you could have the event outside your studio or salon as a kind of “sidewalk sale” event — which is a great way to catch the eye of potential clients.

Create Excitement

Excitement is infectious. So if you’re excited about Small Business Saturday and what you’re offering, your clients will share the same enthusiasm!

To start, get the word out to your clients and community…

Social Media 

Let your clients know the deals you’re offering when they’re digging through their feed looking for gift ideas for the hardest ones on their holiday shopping list. Promote your Small Business Saturday deals and events on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook by creating posts that lead to your website or a landing page offering a deal.

Don’t forget those hashtags…

There are some great Small Business Saturday hashtags out there that you’ll want to be sure you include in your social media posts. Here are the top hashtags you want to use this year:

  • #shopsmall
  • #smallbusinesssaturday
  • #smallbusiness
  • #supportsmall
  • #smallbusinessowner
  • #smallbizowner

Email Marketing

Plan ahead with engaging email marketing campaigns. They don’t have to be too complicated — just a gentle reminder to #shopsmall on this upcoming Small Business Saturday. 

If you have some great deals coming up, or if you’re planning an event for that Saturday, get your clients excited with all the details laid out in the email. Outline what you’re offering and what your business is doing to celebrate Small Business Saturday!

In-Person Promotion

It may seem a little more old school, but nothing beats word-of-mouth marketing. So the next time you have your clients in your salon or studio, don’t forget to mention Small Business Saturday and your upcoming holiday promotions.

Partner Up with Local Businesses

Since Small Business Saturday is all about supporting and lifting up other small businesses in your community, it’s the perfect time to make a friend with a local business and support each other.

Here’s a suggestion from the folks over at Behind The Chair: find a local business you love and promote each other’s businesses — especially any holiday offers you each have going on. 

You and your new business partner (and friend!) could also include each other’s deals in your regular newsletters and holiday marketing emails.

Webinar host Missy Megginson promoting her webinar for Small Business Saturday.

Make It Personal for Your Clients

It’s likely you won’t be the only salon or spa in your community offering Small Business Saturday discounts and special events.

So, to help your business stand out, you’ll need to think of ways to personalize the experience for clients.

This could be adding a personal touch to products you sell, or you could give away a special treat at checkout to help them remember the experience.

Extend Your Business Hours

If you have the bandwidth, or the staff to help out, it’s worth extending your open hours on Small Business Saturday.

Since it’s likely to be a busy day, you can give your sales a little boost by staying open for clients longer than you normally would, giving clients more time to stop by.

Share the Love

The great thing about small businesses is the heart and passion they bring to their communities. Clients and others in your community feel that from your business, and we’re sure you feel that same energy when you’re shopping at local stores in your neighborhood.

So why not take the time to share with others the pride you take in your community and give a shout out to a local business or two? This could be a social media post or an email marketing blast. 

Either way, if you’re lifting up your community, your business will be lifted up, too. 

Bonus Resource…

As American Express came up with the whole Small Business Saturday idea, they also have some great resources to help you prep, such as templates for social media posts and downloadable posters. 

They even have a handy “shop small” map where you can add your business to help customers find you in your area.