Regular visitors to these pages will know that as a small business web design company ourselves, we are strong advocates for local businesses. Local businesses is the lifeblood of our community. A few weeks ago we talked about the importance of shopping locally and the many benefits it brings. With Small Business Saturday approaching on November 24, it is a good time to refresh the message and talk a little about how web design in New York can focus on our small businesses?
What is Small Business Saturday?
Small Business Saturday provides an opportunity for businesses and residents to get behind their local businesses. This day allows folks to support and to recognize all the benefits small businesses bring to the local community. It is an initiative that was originally set up by American Express in 2010. An effort to serve as a counterpoint to the excess that is Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In the intervening years, the US Small Businesses Administration (SBA) has picked up the idea and run with it.
Small Business Saturday takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Thanks to its national reach but global presence, the SBA has really been able to give the project some impetus over the past few years. The SBA’s Small Business Saturday efforts have been successful due to its network of district offices that are spread across the United States.
Of course, Small Business Saturday is an ideal time to get out into the local community. Spend some time and money at local businesses. But there’s more to it than the hard economic factors. It also represents the perfect way to take a step back from the commercialization of the holiday season. It’s a time to focus a little on what Thanksgiving and Christmas are really all about. Visiting local businesses, whether it is physically or via their online presence, and taking a little time to understand their story can be a humbling experience. It rapidly makes you question whether saving a few cents here and there by shopping from the online retail giants is really worth it.
Small Businesses Can Get Involved
Small Business Saturday is not just about the customers checking out their local businesses. There is plenty that businesses themselves can do to spread the word. We discussed specific elements of small business web design a few weeks ago. One of the aspects mentioned was to keep the site current and active with regular new content. Show your support for Small Business Saturday with an announcement on your website, reminding customers to mark the date on their calendars!
This is also a great time to get social in a virtual sense. Small Business Saturday was one of the first campaigns to be led by a social media campaign. Back in 2010, the event raised more than a million likes of Facebook and almost 30,000 Tweets. Social media has grown exponentially since then, so be sure to let your friends and followers know you are supporting this year’s event. Encourage your friends to do the same thing.
A Local Initiative With A Global Following
As a web design company in New York with a mixture of local, national and international clients, we completely understand that modern business dynamics can be complicated. But we have also witnessed that the concepts of a global marketplace and a local focus are not mutually exclusive. It is incredible to see how the concept of Small Business Saturday has spread, and even the UK will be having its own Small Business Saturday on December 01. Businesses across the pond are incorporating references into their small business web design in readiness for the day.
Surely, it will only be a matter of time before it spreads even further, and this local initiative will have a truly global following. Wherever you live, and whatever you do, remember to support your local businesses on Small Business Saturday!
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