Shop Small Saturday is the annual holiday shopping tradition that gets communities everywhere out in support of their favorite small businesses. This year, Small Business Saturday falls on Nov 24. There are many ways to get involved, including hosting an event in your neighborhood, to decorating your business or shopping at a new local spot. No matter how you get involved, every little bit makes a big difference. In 2017, an estimated 108 million consumers reported shopping or dining at local independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday — generating roughly $12 billion in reported spend. 90% of consumers surveyed said Small Business Saturday has had a positive impact on their community.  

First observed in the United States on November 27, 2010, it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retail and e-commerce stores respectively. By contrast, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. Small Business Saturday is a registered trademark of American Express.

The first event was sponsored by American Express, in partnership with the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Roslindale Village Main Street. In 2010, the holiday was promoted by American Express via a nationwide radio and television advertising campaign. That year Amex bought advertising inventory on Facebook, which it in turn gave to its small merchant account holders, and also gave rebates to new customers to promote the event.

American Express publicized the initiative using social media, advertising, and public relations. Many local politicians and small business groups in the United States issued proclamations concerning the campaign, which generated more than one million Facebook "like" registrations and nearly 30,000 tweets under the Twitter hashtags #smallbusinesssaturday and #smallbizsaturday

Promote your business and the movement Help attract customers on Small Business Saturday and show off your Shop Small pride with downloadable posters, email templates, and social posts. It's free, easy, and available now in the Shop Small Studio,
compliments of American Express. www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/promote?linknav=us-loy-howtoparticipate-explore-shopsmallstudio

A power team is a group people of complementary professions. They work with the same clients, but do not take business away from each other.

By Giselle Aguiar, AZ Social Media Wiz

Before I answer that question, let me answer: Do I need a blog on my website? 

The answer is YES if you want to: 

• Become known as an expert in your field
• Drive traffic to your website
• Get on the first page of Google search
• Increase brand awareness
• Offer useful information to potential customers
• Generate quality leads

Google is looking for fresh, relevant content written for the human reader. 

That’s blogging! 

Sponsored by North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and Phoenix Business Journal, the Institute of Communications presents three marketing experts giving you all of the information you need to survive and even thrive in any economy at its "Money Saving Marketing Secrets to Growing Your Business for Less" event on March 13, 2013.

If you are determined to not be a victim in uncertain times, this seminar is for you!

Speakers Sandy Cowen, Ed Phillips and Ryan Parker will help attendees:

• Double or even triple your sales by applying five key principles
• Identify what you're really selling, something most businesses don't do.
• Develop powerful communication techniques to motivate your team
• Learn how "Walking the Talk" adds to your bottom line
• Learn how your website can work for or against you
• Learn how to attack your competition at its weakness, not its strength
  

DETAILS:
Cost: $99/per person (*Discount for North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Members - contact the Chamber office at 602-482-3344 to obtain the discount CODE)
Event Date: 03-13-13
Event Time: 12:30-5:30 pm
Location: Sheraton Crescent Hotel, 2620 West Dunlap Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85021

For more information, call 480-648-5599 or download the event flyer. To register for the event, visit http://www.iocseminars.com.

The North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that it is now partnering with Greater Phoenix SCORE to provide its membership and the North Valley community with free, ongoing mentoring, sharing of real-world business advice and know-how.
 
Nationwide, SCORE's more than 13,000 business experts (90 in the Greater Phoenix area) offer support, encouragement and tools to help build and sustain businesses through:

• Face-to-face advice with an experienced mentor to answer your business questions
• Access to all 500 skill sets of SCORE's nationwide volunteer network
• Support tools and templates to help you reach your goal

 
If you are interested in setting up a one-on-one mentoring session with one of SCORE's experts, please contact SCORE Certified Mentor Steve Sandler at 602.799.2008 or fmssteve@aol.com. We can also make arrangements to have a group presentation at your place of business.
 
Throughout the year, the Chamber will look for opportunities to host various seminars for our membership as a whole. If there is a business-related topic of interest that you think would make for a worthwhile seminar, please let us know.
 
For additional information on Greater Phoenix SCORE, please visit http://greaterphoenix.score.org or contact the Chamber office at 602.482.3344.