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Small Business Saturday


A Super


It’s a big event geared in your favor. Here are some ideas to make it count. Megy Karydes


excitement in her store. As the owner of Peaceful Parlour in Geneva, Illinois, her shop hosts events almost weekly to generate buzz, but there’s one event in particular that draws a ton of traffi c with very little effort on her part: Small Business Saturday. “It was so easy to participate in Small Business Saturday,”


S


she says. “With a quick click of a button on the [American Express] Small Business Saturday website, I registered my participation and that also allowed me access to a number of free marketing tools. American Express has done all of the work from the advertising to the branding and marketing so for a retailer like me, it was great because I was able to leverage that brand to help drive traffi c to my store on that day.” That having been said, Ralish didn’t rest on her laurels expecting traffi c just because she was giving away free tote bags and had a sign on her door. She organized specials every hour that she shared in two email blasts to her


212 GIFT SHOP n Summer 2014


hari Ralish knows full well how busy the fourth quarter is for an independent retailer. She also knows how important events are for helping to generate


customers and made sure her signage was visible outside her store. Her actions netted her major media coverage in her local town’s newspaper which also helped drive traffi c on Small Business Saturday. Jessica Hammer, director of marketing for the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, recommends partnering with other independent businesses in the community to increase your chances for success during Small Business Saturday and any other day of the year. “A local women’s boutique here in Andersonville does [partnering with other businesses] very well,” says Hammer. She’s had a local whiskey distillery come in and offer tastings during one event, 10-minute mini massages through someone else and trunk shows with local designers,” according to Hammer. “Collaborating with other businesses is smart because


they may promote the event to their network which gives your retail store another audience,” adds Hammer. We asked Ralish and Hammer to give us their top tips


to promote Small Business Saturday. While these tips are great for SBS, some, as Hammer reminds us, can be used all throughout the year.


Tips for a Super SBS ➤ Sign up as a participant on Small Business Saturday’s website. This may seem obvious but some retailers think


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