Here are some fresh ideas—and a little encouragement—to shop and support small businesses. They are vital to the health of our community. Please share this post with friends, family, and, most importantly, small business owners.
If you are a small business owner, it is once again time to prepare for Small Business Saturday®. It always falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It was started in 2010 by American Express to help promote shopping local. One year later, the Senate approved a resolution to support the Shop Small movement and was supported by local officials in all 50 States. It is always the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year it falls on November 28th. It has continued to grow and gain traction with a day focused on promoting shopping at local brick and mortar along with online.
Don’t just think about what you’ll do for Small Business Saturday—plan your entire holiday marketing campaign. Think beyond this one day: what specials will you offer, how will you manage inventory, what reasons will you give customers to return, and how will you create an overall experience that helps you grow your business into 2027 and beyond?
Hard to believe but the weekend after Thanksgiving is right around the corner and the time to start planning and marketing is now!
1) Leverage AI – US Chamber of Commerce is sharing The Practical Playbook for Small Business Owners, which includes survey results on social media’s growing impact on small business. An eye-opening statistic from a 2025 survey: 98% of small business owners said they used social media in the past year and that it had a positive impact on their business.
Here’s another easy-to-implement resource: “13 ChatGPT Prompts That Could Help Grow Your Small Business.” You’ll find ideas for writing email copy, analyzing your business, and more. One of my favorites from the list: “Strategize ways to increase my [product/service/company]’s engagement on [social platform]. I want to target [audience or demographic] over [amount of time].”
Simple prompts like this can help you quickly generate ideas and test new approaches.
2) Update Marketing Collateral with Fresh Ideas and Free Materials –AMEX provides a wealth of free content along with ideas you can customize to standout. Their site has expanded to include a wider range of campaigns—Fourth of July, End of Summer, Back to School, and more—with creative social media ideas to level up your engagement and attract more customers.
This expanded portfolio supports a longer-term, ongoing theme of shopping local instead of a one-time event or season. Use social media hashtags such as #ShopSmall, #SmallBusinessSaturday, #SmallBizSat and create a regular cadence to share your message. Make this a year-round initiative, not just a holiday push.
3) Be Found and Team up – Work with nearby businesses to create a game, scavenger hunt, or incentive to visit multiple locations. Offer something special for Small Business Saturday that you wouldn’t do at any other time of the year.
Check and ensure you are listed on the Shop Small Map® and create a listing if you are not. Team with your local Chamber of Commerce and other trade alliances. Many are considered Neighborhood Champions and last year’s list can be accessed via the site. Consider donating prizes such as gift cards to shine a spotlight on your business. Successful marketing drives foot traffic and, ultimately, repeat business.
Think through
I always encourage everyone to support small and local businesses year-round. Let’s do our part to keep our neighborhood businesses thriving. They’re often the first places organizations such as school sports teams, music programs, and other groups turn to for sponsorships. Let’s return the support.
With new tools such as AI and other free resources, there’s no excuse to avoid “working on your business vs. just in your business.” Use Small Business Saturday as a kick-start to set yourself up for a successful year-end. Make “shopping local” part of your overall marketing message and year-round campaign. 2027 is coming up fast—think differently.
Would love to hear your ideas and success stories. Feel free to post comments or email them to me. Small Business, Big Lessons® – Shop local and small business year-round!
Gregory Woloszczuk is an entrepreneur and experienced tech executive that helps small business owners grow their top and bottom line. Gregory believes in straight talk and helping others see things they need to see but may not want to with a focus on taking responsibly for one’s own business. He and his wife, Maureen, started GMW Carolina in 2006.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Small Business, Big Lessons® — Shop Local, Shop Small® Top Tips 2026 Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about small business big lessons shop local shop small top tips 2026 was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Small Business, Big Lessons® — Shop Local, Shop Small® Top Tips 2026 )
Also on site :
- New species of sperm whale identified from fossils found in Gunma
- Donnie Wahlberg’s Plane Skids Off Runway & Hits Fence After NKOTB’s Final Las Vegas Concert: ‘These Pilots Saved Our Lives’
- Lexsoft Systems Partners With Clio to Bring Clio's Legal AI Platform to Law Firms and Legal Departments Across EMEA