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Boston, MA—Eight out of 10 business owners are feeling optimistic, says a new poll conducted by business site Alignable.com. Image: Example of an effective social media post promoting “shop local,” via Alignable.com.

While things aren’t perfect—labor shortages, supply chain issues, and Delta concerns are still challenges—most business owners feel things are looking up and they’re optimistic about end-of-year sales and revenue, says the study.

At this time last year, 42% of small business owners were uncertain about their business’s ability to survive till now. While there’s still a significant 25% who are feeling that way, it’s way down from last year, and consumers are out, about, and spending money. 

Here are some tips from Alignable to help you make the most of the season:

• Team up with other local businesses for special promotions, especially around days like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc. Find out how here.
• Spearhead a “shop local” campaign in your community.
• Use storytelling to illustrate tangible benefits to your community—jobs, economic growth, etc.—when people shop local.
• Use social media aggressively to promote shopping local.
• Incentivize customers to shop local. Customers are going to shop online, so meet them where they are and find a positive reason for them to shop with you: perhaps a charitable tie-in, rewards program, free local delivery to compete with online big-box sellers, and so forth.
• Enlist your chamber of commerce and reach out to local media.
• Finally, try to gain and leverage user-generated content, which Brian Wyatt of B-EZ Graphix in Tallahassee, FL, calls the “holy grail” of marketing. He even gave Alignable a jewelry store example in the article:

“For example, a local jewelry store can collaborate with a local bridal store to stream a Facebook Live video matching jewelry pieces with wedding gowns. During the video, they can challenge viewers to stop by both shops to try different combinations, post on their social media stories and timelines, and give a prize to whoever gets the most ‘Likes’ for their combination,” he explains. “It's a win for everyone!”