We’re nearly half-way through the year and now that the weather is finally starting to get warmer, it’s difficult to believe the holiday season will be here before we know it, but it will.
If you’re planning on hosting a Small Business Saturday or shop local holiday kick-off campaign right after Thanksgiving, you need to start planning now. It is not the type of event you can tackle over night. You need time to market and time to organize it to attract the largest crowd possible.
This two-part blog post gives suggestions on what you should be doing this summer, while tomorrow’s post takes you from the early fall through to the event.
Holiday Shop Local Campaign Timeline
Here’ a timeline of some of the things you’ll want to have in place by the end of the summer:
Now-July: Audition and Select Software
Figure out if there’s software that can make your life easier or make the shop local idea more appealing to a larger group of buyers. A local currency and gift certificate program is a great way to make shopping and gifting more convenient. Allowing shoppers to purchase the certs online will make local businesses more competitive in last-minute gift giving.
July-August: Line up Participating Merchants
Visit local merchants and get them on-board with whatever program or incentive you’ve chosen. Explain what you will be offering in terms of marketing assistance and what you expect them to do, particularly on social media. Make suggestions to them on how they can stand out through advertising opportunities you may have. When you visit, you may also want to suggest ways they can get involved with the program as a volunteer.
If you’re planning a shop local holiday campaign, don’t let your summer go by without setting up the preliminaries. Right now it feels like November is world’s away but in late October you’ll wish you had taken the time on your set-up. It’s not something you want to feel rushed.
Tomorrow we’re going to cover what your fall should look like when planning a shop local holiday campaign.
Image credit: morgueFile
