Everything you Need to Know about Small Business Saturday

What is Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is a non-commercial campaign that aims to acknowledge the success of small businesses and encourage consumers to swap their spending from a multinational to a smaller, local business. The day itself takes place annually on the first shopping Saturday in December but the campaign intends to have a lasting effect on the utilisation of small and local businesses.

Last year 16.5 million people shopped at a small business on the day, which was a 20% increase on the previous year. #SmallBizSatUK was the number one trending hashtag on the day and increased awareness by 33%.

How can you get involved in Small Business Saturday?

All kinds of small businesses are able to get involved in the day, be it a family business, local shop, ecommerce business, small manufacturer, or wholesaler. There are a number of ways to get involved.

For general information about the campaign there is an information toolkit available on their website and you can also download campaign logos to use on your website or social media page.

Download or send off for the free marketing pack which includes great advice for the day and comes with posters and a window sticker.

If you already have your day planned, let everyone know via social media by using the hashtag #SmallBizSatUK on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Why should you get involved in Small Business Saturday?

The vast majority of companies in the UK are small businesses - in fact they provide two thirds of all private sector jobs. Small businesses are often faced with the challenge that they don’t have a public profile and are unable spend large amounts on marketing campaigns compared to the likes of major corporations.

As a result, Small Business Saturday is the ideal campaign to celebrate small firms and support them in the advertising and showcasing of their products/services to their local community.

The campaign is an opportunity to look behind the scenes and allow the consumer to find out how their custom goes towards helping the local economy and establish how much further every pound spent with a smaller business goes in comparison to major corporations. The ultimate aim being to raise the profile of many small businesses and begin to get everyone thinking small comes first.

Suggested London itinerary to some of the small businesses we love:

Look Mum No Hands - 49 Old Street, London EC1V 9HXCrispin Shoes - 28-30 Chiltern Street, London W1U 7QGCondor - 49-53 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8PPBremont - 29 South Audley Street, London W1K 2PEHG Walter - 51 Palliser Rd, London W14 9EBSnowden Flood - Unit 1.01 Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, London SE1 9PHNom - 102 Columbia Road, London E2 7QBLuna & Curious - 24-26 Calvert Avenue, London, E2 7JPKatherine Hooker - 19 Ashburnham Road, London SW10 0PG

If you are a small business and looking to expand your reach, you can get a two-week trial with Shopify

Authors

Lydia Green

Lydia is one of our marketing experts at We Make Websites. After achieving her degree in Communications Studies at the University of Leeds she has gone on to write promotional and informative content for a London events company, and has now joined us to share her knowledge of marketing in social media. She is a keen traveller and lover of cats.