In case you haven’t heard, this weekend marks the first annual Small Business Saturday, the small business community’s answer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Just as consumers flock to malls on Black Friday and hunt for bargains online on Cyber Monday, small businesses everywhere are hoping they’ll see some extra traffic the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year.
The social media-heavy campaign was initiated by American Express OPEN, the small business division of the financial services giant. To help encourage consumers to participate, American Express is offering cardholders a $25 credit if they shop at a small business on Saturday, November 27, 2010.
If the chatter on social media is any indication, the campaign is picking up quite a bit of steam. On Facebook, 991,056 people currently like the Small Business Saturday fan page, a number that increases by several dozen with each browser refresh.
According to AllFacebook, the Small Business Saturday fan page is one of the fastest growing pages on Facebook at the moment.
Meanwhile, users on Twitter are using the official hashtag #SmallBizSat to announce their support and discuss where the deals will be on Saturday.
Do you plan on shopping at small businesses this Saturday? Let us know in the comments.
