7 Free Ways to Crush Small Business Week

Small Business Week Is Your Super Bowl

Hello everybody, welcome back to Underestimated. It is coming up on the Super Bowl for small businesses. Small Business Week happens every May, and it is coming up very quickly. Do you have a plan?

If you don't, I have come up with seven quick, easy things that you can do that don't cost any money and don't cost much time, so that you can take advantage of this really important week. Because it's the one time per year where the public is actively thinking about us and our businesses. We want to be found as they're considering us and thinking about how important we are to the country and to our communities.

So with that, let's get started and talk about these seven quick, easy wins.

Win #1 — Show Your Community Impact

Number one: the most obvious thing you can do — and whenever I say a social post, video is always better but not required — is remind the community why you're important to them. If you are a local business, you can talk about how long you've been in the community, how many people you employ, and what you buy from the local community to help you sell the thing that you sell. Do you rent office space? Do you sponsor the local Little League?

Remind people why you love your community and love being a part of it. Show them how you are a good community citizen. That's an easy one.

Win #2 — Remind Current & Past Customers You Exist

Quick, easy win number two is to remind your current and past customers that you exist and give them a reason to think of you this week — and hopefully stop by or make a purchase. Tell them it's Small Business Week.

These tips do not have to apply just for Small Business Week. They're good any time of year. This is just something special you can do during this one week to get yourself more well-deserved visibility.

If you've got their contact information, send something like “Come in and see what's new” or “Check out our new products page.” You can also offer an incentive. If you're a brick-and-mortar business, say something like, “Come on by, bring a friend, we've got free coffee all week.” You don't have to always discount to get people in the door, especially during Small Business Week.

Win #3 — Get Vulnerable & Build Trust

Quick, easy win number three is building trust with current, past, and future customers. The easiest way to do this is to let them into your world. Show them behind the scenes. I don't care if it's messy — messy gets the job done.

Film yourself sitting at your messy desk, talking about how exhausting something was or how invigorating a particular thing was. Share something hard. Be vulnerable. Vulnerable posts always get more attention and engagement, and they're great at building trust as long as it's authentic.

You can also share staff stories. Talk about the person who's been with you the longest, or your newest hire. Talk about a mentor who shaped you. Share a story about why you started the business. People need to see that what we do isn't automated like big corporations, and that real care and real human effort goes into the thing. That's one of the things that differentiates us.

Win #4 — Partner & Promote Other Businesses

Quick, easy tip number four: share promotions with other businesses. Maybe create a joint promotion, or just promote other businesses in your community. “Hey, while you're visiting us, check out our next-door neighbor” — and promote somebody who's not a competitor. Ask them if they'd do the same for you. Make it a whole thing.

If you've listened to my episode on free PR, my guest talked about doing an entire collaboration with Main Street where everybody promoted everybody and they created a destination one week a year. You can absolutely do that, but especially during Small Business Week.

And while you're posting: use the hashtag #SmallBusinessWeek and tag your local chamber of commerce and local organizations that will repost what you share. Check with your chamber to see what they're doing and how they can help you this week.

Win #5 — Make the Case for Thinking Small

Quick, easy win number five: share on social media, in your store, in your email list — wherever you can reach people — why they should think small versus big corporations. Maybe you personalize things in a way that a big corporation doesn't. Remind them that if you're a local business, you are their neighbor, part of the community. You hire local people. You serve local people.

Remind them why you're different this week of all weeks.

And while I'm at it — have you visited my vault full of small business marketing resources? Ninety percent of them are free, including a checklist for Small Business Week that is in the vault now. Check it out at thebuyerinsider.com/vault. This checklist has a few more details about how you can post and share the things I'm talking about in this episode.

Win #6 — Leverage Free Press Coverage

Quick, easy win number six: leverage the opportunity to get free press coverage. Send a quick note to local, regional, or state press reminding them it's Small Business Week and sharing something that might be of interest. It doesn't have to be a promotion — it can be a reminder about anything related to your business or the community you serve.

The more it has a unique angle, rather than just “hey, we're a business,” the more likely they are to cover it. This could be a unique collaboration, a fun promotion, or a community story. Small Business Week is in the same month as Mother's Day, so you can always tie that in as well.

And it does not have to be a formal press release. Message a journalist on LinkedIn, send an email — just reach out.

Win #7 — Plan Your Momentum After Small Business Week

And lastly, quick, easy win number seven: think about what you're going to do after Small Business Week so your momentum doesn't die. How are you going to keep this energy going? How are you going to keep the relationship you're creating with your community, your followers, your subscribers?

Keep it going throughout the year in a way that is sustainable for your level of time and energy — because if you're a micro business, I know you don't have a lot of either. You can start simply by saying, “Small Business Week was last week, but please keep us in mind — we're so critical to the community, and you are critical to us.”

So there you have it — seven easy wins. Check out the vault of free resources at thebuyerinsider.com/vault. There are so many things you can take advantage of that you don't have to pay for that will make a real difference in your business. Tune in next time for the next episode of Underestimated.