Michelle Owens, CEO of Small Buiness Saturday on how this occasion will help small companies break by way of
Black Friday and Cyber Monday will quickly be upon us. However what about small enterprise on Saturday? Going down within the UK on December 2nd, it is an annual occasion designed to encourage small companies to shout about what they do, whereas encouraging the remainder of us to contemplate buying or shopping for native.
That is the time of yr when Black Friday advertising goes into overdrive. Open your mailbox and you will find it groaning underneath the burden of particular affords. The identical applies to social networks, tv and the press. Black Friday adverts are in every single place. There isn’t a escape.
So this is the query. Going down simply days after this media onslaught, can Small Enterprise Saturday actually present a platform for SMEs to make their voices heard? I spoke to Michelle Owens, chief govt of Small Enterprise Saturday and Small Enterprise Britain to search out out.
The retail sector is gloomy
Describing itself as a grassroots, non-commercial exercise, Small Enterprise Saturday has been working within the UK for eleven years. This yr’s occasion takes place in opposition to a backdrop of continued financial uncertainty. Within the retail sector, gross sales fell barely year-on-year in October after a a lot bigger 1.1 % decline within the earlier month. In the meantime, inflation – the scourge of the retail sector – reached 4.7 % in October, sharply decrease than the earlier month however nonetheless properly above optimum ranges.
It is extra possible that the large names are specializing in altering stock by pushing Black Friday offers, however as Owens factors out, discounting is not one thing smaller native retailers can afford.
“Do not become involved in Black Friday. It does not assist small companies,” she says. It is principally for large corporations. Small companies cannot do an enormous low cost.”
Certainly, discounting to encourage further gross sales could be counterproductive, she argues, as the principle focus of most consumer-facing SMEs is to maximise income over the Christmas interval to offer the required monetary cushion for the quieter time of yr.
Advertising and marketing Assist
So how can small companies reap the benefits of Small Enterprise Saturday?
Nicely, there are some advertising benefits. The group is inviting small companies of all kinds – not simply retailers – to register on its enterprise finder web site and also will present a spread of promoting supplies and help. Nationwide tour – in partnership with BT (British Telecom) affords further advertising alternatives plus workshops and mentoring. Additionally supporting the initiative, American Categorical is providing money again on purchases from small companies.
Owens says small companies ought to reap the benefits of the chance to advertise themselves at a time when a nationwide marketing campaign is drawing consideration to what they do. “There’s rather a lot to be mentioned for small companies telling their tales,” she says.
Cooperation
So what does that imply in apply? In spite of everything, a neighborhood store, or maybe a small producer or internet design company won’t essentially have a big advertising funds. “You’ll be able to discuss to the native media,” Owens says. “Or put up your message on social media.
It might not be so simple as it sounds. Sure, social media affords free publicity and a method to work together with potential clients, however provided that you do it properly. This requires not solely a certain quantity of savvy about how social media works, but additionally time – a commodity that’s usually in brief provide. The identical goes for cultivating connections with native media and discovering angles that journalists can use.
The advertising help offered by Small Enterprise Saturday will help, however Owens suggests corporations can even unfold the advertising load by working with others. “You’ll be able to membership collectively together with your neighbors,” she provides.
This might imply actively selling one another’s enterprise or cooperating within the group of particular occasions. “You’ll be able to share advertising and share prices,” provides Owens.
Extra essentially, collaboration with friends additionally permits companies to get out of their very own bubbles and discuss to others about widespread issues and methods they are often solved.
Typically it could possibly really feel such as you’re the one individual going through sure challenges,” says Owens. “So it is useful to speak to others. So discover a tribe of individuals you may simply discuss to. There are many networking teams.”
Give clients a name to motion
In the end, in an effort to enhance gross sales, small companies should entice new clients. Owens says present clients can play a task by way of the ability of advocacy. “You need to encourage your present clients to share their experiences, ask them to inform their mates. Name your viewers to motion.”
And Owens argues that small companies are inclined to create optimistic sentiment. They’re native. They provide a personalised service, together with recommendation on the merchandise they promote. They know they’ve to take care of a loyal buyer base and this results in a superior degree of service. They transfer on. “And that is the case whether or not you are an online designer or a window cleaner,” says Owens.
Initiatives akin to Small Enterprise Saturdays usually are not a silver bullet, however they serve to remind clients of the significance of their native retailers. The problem for SMEs is to reap the benefits of the alternatives created by elevated consciousness to inform their very own tales.