Small Business Saturday is a great idea to help support small businesses, but one day isn’t enough. We need a Small Business Season! Join us.
Here’s how you can leverage this idea.
Why Small Business Season Is a Big Deal
Small businesses faced extraordinary challenges this year. From a global pandemic and business closures to implementing new ways to serve their customers with the safety of all involved, many small businesses were forced to tap into their reserves to remain open.
That in itself posed a problem because of a lack of reserves. According to JP Morgan Chase, “The median small business holds 27 cash buffer days in reserve. Half of all small businesses hold a cash buffer of less than one month. Moreover, 25 percent of small businesses hold fewer than 13 cash buffer days in reserve.” That means over 50% of small businesses wouldn’t last over a month on their reserves.
Add to that the employee shortage, supply chain issues, and the costs of everything increasing, and some small businesses may feel they are on the brink of extinction.
Our small businesses in 2021 (and beyond) need more than one day to show our support. They need an entire season! That’s why this year we are encouraging chambers of commerce, neighbors, business owners, and community leaders to support the call to action to Do Something Big and Shop Small this Small Business Season.
How to Participate in Small Business Season
There are many ways for you to support a Small Business Season. Some of these include:
- Sending out a press release to local news media and marketing your efforts. (See the Small Business Season template in the Resources section below.)
- Educating your community about the importance of small business to the economy and why those businesses need help now more than ever.
- Sharing Small Business Season images and content on social media.
- Encouraging community members to talk (and post) about their favorite businesses.
- Hosting a Shop Business Season Shop Local contest.
NOTE: Be sure to add #SmallBusinessSeason to your posts, images and blog posts.
You can find additional ideas for Small Business Season here.
Launch Small Business Season
Use the following resources to launch your #SmallBusinessSeason.
DropBox links
Images
We promised we will be releasing images every day for you to use on your social platforms, blog, enewseltter… bit.ly/smallbusinessseason21
Logos
Small Business Season Transparent Logos, hexcode, and printable option: bit.ly/sbslogo21
Articles on Small Business Season
Want to spread the concept of Small Business Season or find some resources to help you rally your community around the idea?
Check out our Small Business Season articles:
Small Business Saturday? NO, It’s Small Business SEASON!
Small Business Season Statistics and Stories for Marketing
This article provides ways to convince your community of the benefit of shopping small and in person during the holiday season.
6 Small Business Season Marketing Ideas for Chambers
Small Business Saturday is a good thing, but supporting small business isn’t just a day, it’s a lifestyle. This year–and all subsequent ones, if you ask us–let’s celebrate a season of small, a season of local.
Need some post ideas?
26 Ideas for Small Business Season Social Media Posts
16 Reasons to Shop Local Instead of Online
This article provides ways to convince your community of the benefit of shopping small and in person during the holiday season.
Note: Swipe these articles! We wrote them just for you. All of the images are attribution-free. The text has been optimized for the phrase “reasons to shop local” so you can use on your website or blog to help your community shop local this Small Business Season.
– be sure to customize the articles to link to any of your program offerings.
Small Business Saturday is a good thing, but supporting small business isn’t just a day, it’s a lifestyle. This year-and all subsequent ones, if you ask us-let’s celebrate a season of small, a season of local.
DropBox links
Let’s celebrate Small Business Season! We promised we will be releasing images every day for you to use. bit.ly/smallbusinessseason21
Small Business Season Transparent Logos, hexcode, and printable option: bit.ly/sbslogo21
Additional Small Business Season articles and images delivered each week to our Content Marketing Bundle subscribers: http://bit.ly/ChamberImagesReadyToUse
Images – examples of what you will find here
Let’s celebrate Small Business Season! Chamber Pros and business owners, we promised we will be releasing images every day for you to use in our Chamber Pros Community and Chamber Pros Create Facebook Groups as well as adding them to the Small Business Season dropbox folder. #SmallBusinessSeason
Small Business Season Images – PRINT OPTION
We had a request to be able to have something that can print and have hanging in all of their business windows. We recommended to ‘keep it simple’ (both for cost and for easy recognition). This is the result and they will be printing on 12×12 for their store windows.
BONUS: You have access to THIS also. We have put this higher res image into the Small Business Season Logo Folder for you (labeled “SBS – LOGO for PRINT” (If you need a specific format, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we can make that happen.)
Small Business Season Transparent Logos, hexcode, and printable option: bit.ly/sbslogo21
SEE WHAT OTHERS ARE POSTING
Check out what others are posting for Small Business Season. Click this hashtag – #SmallBusinessSeason
Press Release Template
Use the following template to customize your press release. Add your information in the <>.
<Date of Release or FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE> Chamber Logo or Contact Name <city/area> Chamber of Commerce Phone Email Do Something Big. Shop Small. <city/area> Chamber of Commerce Launches Small Business Season City, state. Today, the <city/area> Chamber of Commerce announced its launch of Small Business Season. The Season will run now through the end of the year. The Chamber encourages people to support the efforts of small business owners through purchases, reviews, and referrals. The <city/area> Chamber of Commerce also plans to celebrate Small Business Season by <insert program highlights>. The idea of Small Business Season is to encourage more shoppers to buy from our local small businesses. “With COVID, the employee shortage, supply chain slowdowns, and the rising cost of nearly everything these days, small businesses are facing unprecedented struggles and can really use our help. At the Chamber, we are encouraging everyone to shop small this holiday season and beyond. It’s estimated $68 of every $100 spent locally, stays local,” said <insert the chamber CEO’s name or another quote summing up the importance of the program and why everyone should participate>. “That type of smart spending helps everyone. That’s why we say, Do something big. Shop small. Shop local. We want to give everyone something to feel thankful for this season.” <insert last name> adds. <Insert data about your efforts or the small businesses in the Chamber’s area or give information about closures or openings in the area since COVID.> The Chamber invites everyone to explore the many small businesses in our area. In addition to buying from small businesses, the chamber encourages residents to share posts and post to social media by talking about their favorite businesses or where they’re spending their holiday budget. About the <insert Chamber Name>: <Chamber name> is <insert boiler plate language from Chamber> < If only the Chamber logo was used at the top, insert contact person’s name and info left aligned.> ###
