1 Prep your red ribbon bracelets and blue circle earrings. November is National AIDS Awareness Month and National Diabetes Month. See if there is a role you can play in a local event or host your own. Then, with a tank full of community goodwill, you can get down to the commercial nitty-gritty of the holiday sales season.
11 The 180th Anniversary of the Publishing of Hans Christian Andersen’s Ugly Duckling is the perfect peg for a makeover contest. J + L Jewelry in Long Beach, CA, did one a few years ago with great success. “Boy, did we ever see some really horrible looking rings. It was hard to judge,” recalls owner Janis Krantz, adding the owner of the “ugliest duckling” got a $500 store gift certificate to redesign her ring.
25 Ever had the feeling that someone forgot to invite your store to the Black Friday ball? OK, Cinderella, this is your day: Small Business Saturday, which is held to remind consumers that there is more to holiday shopping than national chains. Get involved! (There’s a bunch of free tools at smallbusinesssaturday. com to help.)
25 On Shopping Reminder Day, launch a holiday countdown, employing a ticker on the home page of your website. Highlight a “gift of the day.”