By Jim Gustke
Small Business Saturday looms large on the horizon, and given how it falls on Saturday, November 29 – between Black Friday and Cyber Monday –that means your small business has a tremendous opportunity to generate revenue and create lasting relationships with customers. By your very nature as an entrepreneur, you are nimble, agile and able to work quickly, so there’s still plenty of time to gear up for Small Business Saturday and make the day a big success for your business.
One of the best ways to prepare is to advantage of technologies that are available to promote your business’ participation in Small Business Saturday – from use of social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook, to creating an email blast and promoting the day on your website. Free online tools, such as social media management platform Hootsuite and website hosting service Weebly, will allow you to pre-schedule social media posts ahead of time and free you up to spend more time engaging in conversation.
There are also plenty of tools available that will simplify day-to-day processes, so you can focus on interacting with your local community and spreading the word about Small Business Saturday. Are you using organizational cloud-based tools, like Google Docs? These tools can help you stay organized through document sharing and keeping track of to-do lists on the go. Another example is a Voice-over-IP (VoIP) business phone service like Ooma Office that connects through your existing high speed Internet access and provides features like virtual receptionist, extension dialing, and more, helping to present a polished, professional first impression for those contacting your business.
A number of these tools are right at your fingertips and can be quickly and easily set up to make the most of your small business’s holiday shopping kickoff. So even though Small Business Saturday is less than two weeks away, there is still plenty of time for you to ensure that your Small Business Saturday is a success! Start promoting the shop local movement via your social media pages, website and email blast; sign up for easy to use technology tools and apps to simply your day-to-day tasks; and most importantly get out in your community to interact with your potential customers. Ready, set, go!
Jim Gustke is the VP of Marketing for Ooma, a leader in smart home and business communication systems. Ooma is an official supporter of Small Business Saturday and an advocate for small businesses 365 days a year.
