By Sarah DeCarlo, PCCA Marketing Manager

In 2010, American Express founded Small Business Saturday^® to encourage holiday shoppers to patronize locally owned businesses instead of retail chains. This holiday is each November on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and it has gained a level of popularity that rivals Black Friday in many communities across the country.¹ Shoppers are gratified knowing that most of the money they spend at small businesses — 67 cents of every dollar — will stay in their communities.²

As consumers have become more passionate about supporting local businesses, American Express has shifted its focus from an annual holiday to a year-round initiative in the form of their Shop Small movement. This has especially taken flight since the coronavirus pandemic began, as shoppers have rallied around supporting the many small businesses that are struggling during this time.

Independently owned pharmacies are in a prime position to leverage this growing trend. Here are five tactics — and lots of resources — you can use to bring the Shop Small momentum to your pharmacy.

1. Create or Claim Your Google My Business Listing

It isn’t just important that your pharmacy be listed on Google My Business — it’s critical to getting new customers through the door. After all, 46% of all Google searches are for something local, and 84% of searches on Google Maps are by keyword (like “pharmacy”) instead of by business name. ³

Setting up your Google My Business listing is free and fairly simple, and it is one piece of the puzzle to help ensure that your pharmacy can be found in Google Maps and Google search. Through this listing, you can share a business description and your hours of operation, answer customers’ questions, and more. Just make sure to check back from time to time to update your listing as things change — nothing is more frustrating as a consumer than showing up to a business during its listed “open” hours to find that it is closed!

Are you ready for a master class on effectively using Google to market your small business? Kevin England, CEO of Vonazon, shared keen insights on this topic during our 2020 Marketing & Sales Virtual Conference. PCCA members can watch the entire conference, including Kevin’s presentation, on PCCA Play .

2. Promote Your Pharmacy as a Small Business on Social Media

When consumers think of supporting local businesses, it’s often in the form of eating at a family-owned restaurant or visiting their nearby mom-and-pop shop. Routine errands — like picking up their prescriptions — can get overlooked. So use your social media platforms as a reminder.

Showcasing the people behind your pharmacy, how your pharmacy was established and how you serve your community are key ways to tell your story and create a personal connection with local customers on social media all year round. Don’t forget to include photos or videos as well as relevant hashtags, like #ShopSmall and #ShopLocal. And if your pharmacy sells gifts or boutique items in addition to filling prescriptions, make sure to communicate that in the weeks leading up to Small Business Saturday — especially if you’re offering any promotions or sales.

If you don’t have a lot of time to create social media posts, American Express offers a free Shop Small marketing materials download . PCCA members can also download a wide variety of pre-made social posts for free on our Marketing Resources page .

3. Ask for Online Reviews — and Keep Your Eye on Them

Did you know that 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and only 53% of them would patronize a business that had less than a four-star average?⁴ Online reviews allow you to amplify word-of-mouth marketing by making your current patients’ voices available to all the other potential customers in your community. However, many shoppers don’t think to write a review of a businesses unless they’ve had an unpleasant experience, or unless you ask them to.

Get in the habit of asking your most loyal customers to leave your pharmacy a review on Google or Facebook, and make sure to check your reviews from time to time to keep track of your rating. Even at the best of businesses, bad customer experiences can happen, so try not to get offended if you receive a negative review. Ninety-seven percent of review-readers also read businesses’ responses to reviews,⁴ and seeing an apology or calm explanation from you could go a long way.

Google offers businesses free customizable marketing materials that can help you promote your pharmacy or turn your five-star reviews into marketing collateral.

4. Add Your Pharmacy to the Shop Small Map

Google may be the ruler of online searches, but many shoppers dedicated to supporting their communities find new businesses to patronize using the Shop Small Map. Hosted by American Express, this interactive map features a variety of small businesses that consumers can quickly and easily search for in their communities. American Express promotes this map on behalf of all the featured businesses, especially around Small Business Saturday. It’s free to create your listing as long as your pharmacy accepts American Express credit cards. You can find all the details here .

You can also follow the Shop Small movement on Instagram or Facebook for promotional photos and videos that you can share on your own social media channels!

5. Support Other Local Businesses and Organizations

Shopping small yourself is a simple way to show current and potential customers that you care about your shared community, thereby setting yourself apart from big-box chains. Because COVID-19 has had such a negative impact on the restaurant industry, supporting local dining is extremely popular. Treat your pharmacy staff to lunch one day and tag the restaurant you ordered from in a social media post! You can also contact other businesses in your community to swap flyers or marketing material for a mutually beneficial promotion.

Get involved in local organizations, too. If your neighborhood has a local arts or farmers market, see if you can participate — especially if your pharmacy focuses on overall health and wellness. Partner with local nonprofit groups to organize donation drives in your pharmacy, or encourage your staff to volunteer as a team. Each of these ideas will help establish your business not just as another company, but also as a fixture in your community.

Interested in learning how to work with other businesses in your community for mutual growth? Check out our recent blog post, “ Strategic Alliances: A Community Approach to Business Growth .”

References

1. U.S. Small Business Administration. (2019, December 3). Nearly $20 billion spent by Americans this Small Business Saturday ^® [Press release]. https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-newsroom/press-releases-media-advisories/nearly-20-billion-spent-americans-small-business-saturdayr

2. American Express. (2018, November 13). Another reason to Shop Small^® on Small Business Saturday ^®: Approximately 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small business remains in the local community [Press release]. https://about.americanexpress.com/all-news/news-details/2018/Another-Reason-to-Shop-Small-on-Small-Business-Saturday-Approximately-67-Cents-of-Every-Dollar-Spent-at-a-Small-Business-Remains-in-the-Local-Community/default.aspx

3. McCormick, K. (2020, September 25). 10 ways to rank higher on Google Maps in 2020. The WordStream Blog. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/07/02/how-to-rank-higher-on-google-maps

4. Murphy, R. (2019, December 11). Local consumer review survey. BrightLocal. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/