Wrapping up its second annual “Shop Small in July,” the West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC) judges the campaign to have been a success.
The WV SBDC and the U.S. Small Business Administration first launched the campaign in 2017 to stir consumers to shop in local businesses. The effort also aimed to motivate businesses to get ready for national Shop Small Saturday in November.
For the first time, the WV SBDC partnered with Main Street West Virginia to promote the July event. All 12 Main Street communities actively participated in the effort. More than 5,000 of the new “I Shopped Small” stickers were handed out.
“We created the Shop Small in July campaign to encourage businesses to discover new marketing resources and expand their customer outreach,” said WV SBDC State Director Erika Bailey. “We partner with organizations such as Main Street West Virginia that share a common goal of growing the economy through our small businesses and entrepreneurs.”
“Ripley Main Street has spent the last several months educating our small businesses on the necessity of a strong social media presence,” said Jillian Bright, executive director of Main Street Ripley. “Thanks to the WV SBDC Shop Small in July campaign, our local shop owners have been able to practice their skills, draw in more customers and prepare for the upcoming holiday season.
“At Main Street Ripley, we make an effort to practice what we preach in our own social media and were trying to settle on consistent hashtags in our posts. The July campaign hashtags such as #EatLocal, #DrinkLocal and #ShopSmalWV allow us to promote our businesses and events consistently and in a way that is easily searchable. They’re especially effective in today’s world where most consumers look to social media such as Facebook for information on businesses.”
Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 by American Express to take place on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The WV SBDC invites businesses to call the Business Ask Me! Line at 888-WVA-SBDC (888-982-7232) to ask for about promotional materials to distribute to customers during the upcoming holiday shopping season.
