The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is spreading awareness of Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24, 2012. This is the day that falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, traditionally the busiest shopping days of the year.
Small Business Saturday began three years ago and encourages consumers to patronize their local brick and mortar retailer.
American Express, one of the originators of this event, continues to promote it utilizing social media and public relations tactics growing from an original 1 million ‘Likes’ at their “Shop Small Business” Facebook page to 3 million this third year.
TIA says the second year of Small Business Saturday was successful. More than 100 million shoppers came out to support small businesses and consumer awareness of the day was measured to be 65%, over double the 30% awareness from 2010. Additionally, over 15,000 small businesses took advantage of the free $100 in advertising offered on Facebook.
The success of the small business promotion hinged on social media sharing, tools provided by American Express to small businesses to promote the day on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and support from celebrities.
This year, American Express has expanded the toolkit and is including customizable signage for small businesses to promote Small Business Saturday, a $100 advertising credit on Twitter, and a host of other promotional ideas and tips.
“Shopping small supports the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America great and invests in our own communities,” says Randy Groh, TIA president.
Merchants can take advantage of $100 worth of free advertising by signing up to participate on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page. The signage, logos and other materials are available free of charge at www.smallbusinesssaturday.com .
