Small Business Saturday is decided on October 14, not November 28.
Let me get this outta the way. Most small business owners I talk to think about Small Business Saturday marketing in mid-November. Sometimes the week of. They scramble, slap a sale up on Instagram, get four likes from people who weren’t going to buy anyway, and call it a campaign.
That’s not Small Business Saturday marketing. That’s panic.
The owners who actually win on SBS started 6 weeks out. They warmed their email list. They posted on their Google Business Profile. They lined up a local partner. They turned on a retargeting ad while the rest of the world was still arguing about Halloween costumes. By the time November 28, 2026 rolls around, the campaign is doing the work. They are just running the register.
Here is the 6-week version, week by week. Pin it.
Week 1 (Oct 14): Pick the offer and warm the list
Decide what your SBS offer actually is. Not a 10% off banner. A real reason to walk in or click buy. Then send one short email to your list that says: “Save the date. Something for our regulars on Nov 28.” That’s it. No discount. Just put it on their radar before everyone else’s inbox is screaming.
If you don’t have an email list, this is the week you set up GoHighLevel or whatever CRM you’re going to use. The money is in the list. Always has been. (For more on what a working setup looks like, see the 4 crucial pieces of a lead generation system.)
Week 2 (Oct 21): Google Business Profile event post
Create a GBP event post for November 28. Add a photo, the offer, and the date. GBP event posts get indexed and start showing up in your local pack. Free distribution. Most of your competitors don’t even know this feature exists.
Week 3 (Oct 28): Line up a local partner
Pick one local business that shares your customer but doesn’t compete with you. Coffee shop and a bookstore. Salon and a boutique. Plumber and a real estate agent. Trade promotion. They tell their list about you, you tell yours about them. Two lists, one weekend.
Week 4 (Nov 4): Launch the retargeting ad
Turn on a Meta retargeting ad to anyone who visited your site in the last 90 days. Budget it at $5 to $10 per day through November 28. You’re not chasing cold traffic. You’re reminding warm traffic that Saturday is the day. Cost per click on retargeting is a fraction of cold prospecting.
Week 5 (Nov 11): Send email #2
Now you can talk about the actual offer. Subject line: “Small Business Saturday is two weeks out. Here is what we are doing.” Tell the story behind your business. People support local because they care about the people, not the pricing.
Week 6 (Nov 18 to 28): Daily reminders and day-of execution
Daily Instagram stories the week of. Final email Friday the 27th. SMS to your texting list Saturday morning. GBP post pinned to the top. Then show up, run the day, and capture every email and phone number that walks through the door.
Stop letting Small Business Saturday happen to you
The owner who waits until mid-November is competing with every other panic email and ignored Instagram post in the country. The owner who starts on October 14 is on the radar before anyone else gets there.
If you want help setting up the email list, the GBP, the retargeting ad, and the texting flow before October hits, schedule a free call. We’ll build the Lead System you wish you had last year.
You got this.
