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Promoting your Business through Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday Our Town America New Mover Marketing

Halloween has passed and the holiday season is in full swing. While there are many opportunities to promote your business this holiday season, one of the more unconventional ways is through the Small Business Saturday event hosted the Saturday after Thanksgiving (it falls on November 26th this year). While Black Friday is a day for big-box retail stores to thrive and Cyber Monday is focused on online retailers, Small Business Saturday, which made its debut in 2010, encourages consumers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. The U.S. Small Business Association reported that 28 million small businesses account for 54% of U.S. sales. So, small businesses actually mean BIG business to our economy, as they help shape communities throughout the country. The fourth annual Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and American Express, reported that 55% of U.S. consumers are aware of Small Business Saturday. Even more exciting is that 83% of U.S. consumers said that Small Business Saturday encourages them to Shop Small year-round1. Last year, over 95 million consumers shopped at local businesses on Small Business Saturday, spending over $16.2 billion dollars2. This year, Small Business owners are hoping to see that number rise. With so many small local merchants struggling to compete against bigger businesses year-round, the hope is that this annual event will gain momentum and can help accelerate Q4 sales through the holiday season. There are numerous ways for small businesses to promote their business through this event, as well as through the holiday season. Below are a few suggestions: Become an American Express Neighborhood Champion Run ads with in-store promotions to drive visits on November 26th Reach prospects via email marketing with promotions for November 26th Run a special promotion on your monthly new mover gift certificate If your business is located in a mall or shopping area, station an employee outside to give away free samples of your product or service to people passing by Join forces with other small business owners in your area and in your local new mover package and hold a weekend “sidewalk sale” Give shoppers the luxury of getting a free foot or shoulder rub if they buy something on November 26th Provide entertainment. Hire musicians to play in your store/restaurant, or outside of it to attract customers in. Something small business owners should consider is that Millennials are actually the #1 group planning to shop at small businesses on Small Business Saturday3. As many people know, Millennials seek uniqueness and individuality. In order to successfully reach this audience, small business owners should emphasize what makes their store distinct. Aside from the obvious warm welcome and great customer service that is needed to keep any customer happy, rare, one-of-a-kind products and gifts should be put on display for this age group. Personalized gifts and products featuring inspirational messages are extremely popular amongst Millennials. So, small business owners are urged to meet these criteria in order to boost Small Business Saturday sales. To become an Our Town America sponsor, please complete a Contact Form, or sign up online with our New Movers on Demand portal! 1Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey; 2Business Wire; 3SalesFuel Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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How Small Businesses Can Generate Revenue During Off-season

Small Business Our Town America New Mover Marketing

Let’s face it, every business has a slow season. Businesses located in vacation destinations are a more extreme example. Most try their very best to make the most of their yearly revenue during the in-season months, and sometimes struggle during the off-season to generate revenue at all. This can generate quite a bit of stress on the business owner. Especially for small businesses. But it doesn’t have to be so bad. There are few things that you can start to include in your marketing plan that just may help you increase your revenue during the off-season. When looking for ways to connect with new customers, you’ve probably heard many times that you need to “Be Creative”, “Pay Attention” to their needs and “Create Excitement” around your small business. Sounds like a full time job all by itself, doesn’t it? Well, it’s actually not as tough as it may seem. Direct mail can help you make those connections and, in most cases, is a very easy turnkey option that helps generate great results. Let’s take a look at a few ideas to help you get started. Your existing customer base is an excellent resource for generating revenue during your slow season: Referral Campaigns – These can help bring in additional revenue by targeting the friends and family of your current customer base. Creating a Direct Mail Postcard campaign that offers incentives to refer others, such as friends and family, is actually accomplishing two very key tasks at once. First, you’re rewarding your existing customer base and showing them that you value their business. Second, you’re bringing in new faces that will give you potential access to a brand new set of customers! Everyone Wants a Great Deal – In order to reach customers that you haven’t seen in a while, or that have not responded to your previous offers, you need to get creative. Offer something really great, a chance to enter a drawing for FREE merchandise such as an iPad, movie tickets, etc. Direct Mail works very well for this type of campaign and can really help get these customers back through your doors. Events – During your off-season you can always generate excitement about your business by hosting various events. For example, you could create a direct mail campaign announcing that you are having a special “Local Residents Only” shopping day and extend discounts beyond what you would offer your seasonal customers. Direct mail is a huge help for these types of campaigns because it will allow you to target a very specific demographic, which will generate a better response. Now that you have some ideas on how you should be targeting your existing customer base, what about bringing in new faces, beyond just friends and family? Finding and targeting people that are new to the area and are actively searching to replace the services for businesses just like yours is where direct mail really goes to work for your business. When people move, they have to replace the businesses they use to frequent, such as their family dentist, hair salon, grocery store, auto mechanic, dry cleaners and even their favorite places to eat. By using direct mail to target these new movers, you’re reaching out to a very important niche market. Getting the new mover through your doors first gives you, as a business owner, an advantage over your competition. Doing this will help your business establish a more stable revenue stream for the future, turning the new faces in town into loyal customers for years to come! Brittany N. JohnsonBrittany is the head of Our Town America’s corporate marketing department. She specializes in digital and print media, social media, and public relations. […]

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Auto Dealer Best Practice: Welcome Newcomers to Town

Lake Norman Infiniti Our Town America New Mover Marketing

The average American will move about 11 times in his or her lifetime, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For auto dealers, that statistic represents an opportunity to connect with newcomers, potentially bringing in new revenue and building loyalty. The question for dealers, though, is how to bring those newcomers into the showroom or service center. […]

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Our Town America Helps Coloradans Transition after Moving

CBS Denver Our Town America New Mover Marketing

Denver ranks among the nation’s fastest growing cities* and that means countless parents who just moved to Denver are scrambling and stressing as their children head off to brand new schools.   And according to a study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, these local parents have reason to worry, as kids who move to a new area are more likely to under-perform in school and develop behavioral problems. […]

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New Mover Marketing for Dentists: A Case Study

Our Town America New Mover Marketing for Dentists:

Dentists who measure the dollar value of their patients say that a single patient can be worth an average of $1,000 in the first year.1  In fact, some dental practices have told us that the value can be as high as $5,000.  Whatever your estimate happens to be, the potential revenue is available from every new person who moves into your area. But how do you capture that revenue? […]

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Philadelphia Back to School Stress-Busting Kits by Our Town America

Our Town Philadelphia on FOX 29 New Mover Marketing

Philadelphia ranks among the nation’s fastest growing cities* and that means countless parents who just moved here are scrambling and stressing as their children head off to brand new schools.  And according to a study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, these local parents have reason to worry, as kids who move to a new area are more likely to under-perform in school and develop behavioral problems. […]

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Our Town America Back to School Kits Provide Relief for Minneapolis Families

Our Town America on FOX Minneapolis New Mover Marketing Back to School

Minneapolis ranks among the nation’s fastest growing cities* and that means countless parents who just moved here are scrambling and stressing as their children head off to brand new schools.   And according to a study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, these local parents have reason to worry, as kids who move to a new area are more likely to under-perform in school and develop behavioral problems. […]

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Dentists can Rely on the Mailbox with New Mover Marketing

According to the United States Census Bureau, nearly 40 million people move every year, meaning countless people are moving away from local cities and towns each year.1  This can spell trouble for your dental office, which could lose dozens of loyal patients each year due to population moves. Patients may be loyal to your practice, but their loyalty will be useless if they move miles away. […]

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