Small Business Saturday is right around the corner, so we thought we’d share some of the great resources you can use to get the most traffic to your small business this holiday season!
Last year, we hosted so many great interviews with Small Business experts like Derek Halpen, Kristi Hines, Mari Smith and so many others that we thought we’d highlight some of the things we learned from those interviews since so many of the ideas are more applicable than ever!
Small Business Expert Interviews
Some of the most influential people in the Small Business world have given us their advice on how to make Small Business Saturday the most effective day of the year for your business as well.
Derek Halpen (@derekhalpern) is an expert web marketer and founder of Social Triggers. He gives his take on how to use the internet to grab customers attention.
“The main way local retailers can benefit from the internet is through email marketing. They need to get all of their customers on an email list because that changes the way the local business dynamic works. Instead of sitting back, and waiting for your customers to come to you, you can email them and entice them to come to you. Email marketing essentially empowers people to control the foot-traffic in their own store.”
Kristi Hines (@kikolani) is an online marketing consultant and blog auditing specialist. She explains that the easiest way for small businesses to use social media is through Twitter.
“Any small business, even local, can be taking advantage of simple Twitter search queries. You don’t even need a fancy tool – just go to Twitter.com and type in keywords related to your industry in the search box.”
Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs and the co-author of the best-selling book Content Rules. Ann provides her feedback on how local businesses can use the internet to drive customers through their doors.
“The web offers near limitless opportunities for local businesses to connect with new customers and deepen relationships with existing ones. But I guess if I had to focus on one way, it would be to create content that tells your story. That means focusing on the value you offer – the thing that you stand for as a business, your point of view, your “mission” – and focusing on creating content (like a blog, a Twitter feed, perhaps a Facebook page) that puts flesh on the bones of your story.”
Dave Fleet (@davefleet) is the Vice President of Digital for Edelman in Canada. He gives his take on how listening can further benefit and grow your business.
“I think listening tools are most businesses’ potential new best friend. Whether you use free tools like Twitter Search or paid tools like Radian6, by listening to online conversations you can gain insights about customer perceptions, identify point-in-time needs, find opportunities for customer service, conduct market research and more.”
Mari Smith (@MariSmith) is a social media leader and respected, followed commentator. She provides advice on how to use social media sites such as Facebook Place Pages to gain the respect and attention of current and potential customers.
“Build out an active Facebook Place Page. Over time, you can have an active community of raving fans. You will need resources to post content and engage with the fans regularly. Consistency is key. As more and more people see you actively participating on Facebook, they’ll be more inclined to engage with and share your content.”
Jim Kukral (@JimKukral) is an internet marketing expert and small business thought leader who is very influential to the small business world. He explains what type of marketing can be the most effective for marketing your small business.
“One of the best tools that most small business owners don’t do well enough is using the power of word of mouth marketing. Small businesses need to provide content that their customers can share with others. Content examples could be videos or ebooks or articles or podcasts or webinars. Let your customers spread the word for you, for free.”
Want More?
Check out some of these resources:
- Lessons Learned from our Small Business Saturday Q&A series
- American Express offers some wonderful promotional resources for small business owners
- Constant Contact has put together a great Small Business Saturday Toolkit for small business owners
The more you know, the more your small business can benefit! Stay tuned for more information on Small Business Saturday as we get closer to the big day!
