# Small Business Saturday ideas: posts for local shops [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/small-business-saturday) Small Business Saturday is the one day of the season when being small is the selling point. These are the posts, offers and neighbourly ideas that make the most of it. ## The short version - Small Business Saturday falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the United States and on the first Saturday of December in the United Kingdom. - The best Small Business Saturday posts show the people, the making and the street behind a shop, because that is what a chain cannot offer. - Offers do not have to be discounts: a free gift with purchase, extended hours, a workshop or a stamp card all suit the day. - A shared campaign with neighbouring shops, using one look and a simple map, reaches more people than any single shop posting alone. - Warm, paper-like backgrounds and plain words suit the day better than the dark, glossy look of Black Friday. The best **Small Business Saturday ideas** lean on what a big retailer cannot copy: your face, your street and the way you make things. Post the people behind the counter, explain an offer that feels generous rather than cheap, and team up with the shops next door so the whole street shows up in the feed together. Keep the look warm and plain. After Black Friday's noise, a calm post from someone real is the thing people stop for. ## When is Small Business Saturday The day started in the United States in 2010 and now runs in several countries. The two dates most shops plan around are below. Check your own country's organisers if you are elsewhere. | Country | When it falls | In 2026 | | --- | --- | --- | | United States | Saturday after Thanksgiving | 28 November | | United Kingdom | First Saturday of December | 5 December | In the US it sits between Black Friday and Cyber Monday; in the UK it arrives a week later, at the start of Christmas shopping. In the US you are posting in the busiest shopping weekend of the year, so start the week before. In the UK you have a quieter run up, which suits a slower series of posts introducing the shop. ## Shop local posts that show who you are People choose a small shop for the person who remembers their order. Put that person in the feed. These ideas need nothing more than a phone photo, a short line and a background that looks like yours. - **Meet the maker.** One photo of hands at work and one line about what they are making. - **Where it comes from.** The farm, the kiln, the workshop or the supplier down the road. - **A day in the shop.** A carousel from opening the shutters to the last customer. - **Why we started.** Two or three honest sentences, no mission statement. - **What your money does.** Wages paid locally, a supplier supported, a street kept lively. Only say what is true for you. - **Our regulars' favourite.** The product people come back for, in their words if they are happy to be quoted. A warm portrait post saying Made two streets away, promoting a local candle shop for Small Business Saturday A maker post: where it is made, said simply. A vertical story introducing a local bakery by its street name for Small Business Saturday A story that introduces the shop to people who have only walked past. For more feed ideas the rest of the year, see [small business Instagram ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/small-business-instagram) and [behind the scenes content](https://gradiently.design/guide/behind-the-scenes-content). ## Small Business Saturday offers that are not just discounts A small shop rarely wins a price war, and it does not need to. Offers that add something feel more like you and protect your margins. Pick one and make it the centre of your posts. ### Price war - Deep discount on everything - Copying the chains' Black Friday look - A different offer on every post ### Local advantage - A small gift with every purchase - Gift wrapping by hand, free on the day - Late opening with mulled drinks - A free workshop or tasting - Double stamps on a loyalty card A portrait event post announcing a late opening with free mince pies for Small Business Saturday An offer post built around an experience rather than a percentage. Whatever you choose, say it the same way in every post, on the window and at the till. If you want to grow your following on the day too, a simple entry such as "comment with your favourite shop on the street to win a hamper" works well; [giveaway post design](https://gradiently.design/guide/giveaway-post-design) covers the rules that keep it fair and clear. ## Team up with your street Small Business Saturday works best as a shared effort. Five shops posting the same map, on the same morning, each tagging the others, reach five audiences at once. It also makes the day feel like a local event worth crossing town for. 1. **Agree one look** Pick one background, one typeface and one line, such as "Shop Mill Lane this Saturday". Each shop adds its own name and offer underneath. 2. **Make a simple map** A carousel page with a hand-drawn style street and numbered shops. Keep it to the shops taking part. 3. **Give each shop a page** One page per business in a shared carousel: name, what they sell, their offer for the day. 4. **Post together** Everyone posts the carousel on the same morning and tags the others, then shares each other's stories through the day. 5. **Print the same design** An A4 poster at 2480×3508 in every window ties the street together for people walking past. A shared carousel is easier to keep consistent when each page is made from one template. [Instagram carousel design](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-design) covers page order, and [poster ideas](https://gradiently.design/guide/poster-ideas) helps with the window version. ## A warm look for Small Business Saturday Where Black Friday goes dark and glossy, this day suits paper, warmth and daylight. A soft off-white or kraft ground with one colour from your shop front looks handmade in the best sense, and it gives your photos room. - Kraft paper: `radial-gradient(circle at 30% 25%, #f1dcbc 0%, #dfc39a 50%, #cdaa7c 90%)` - Sage window: `radial-gradient(circle at 70% 30%, #a7c4a0 0%, #e7eadb 50%, #f4f1e8 85%)` - Brick and lamplight: `radial-gradient(circle at 25% 75%, #c2410c 0%, #7c2d12 40%, #2b120a 85%)` Three local grounds: two light and printed, one dark and cosy for evening posts. - Instagram post 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Story 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920 - Google Business post 1200×900: 1200 × 900 - A4 window poster: 2480 × 3508 Don't forget the Google Business post: it shows when people search for your shop by name. If writing is the hard part, the Designer in Gradiently can draft the words in your shop's own voice from your brand kit, lay them out on your background and make the story and poster sizes from the same design. [Local business marketing graphics](https://gradiently.design/guide/local-business-marketing-graphics) has more year round ideas. ## FAQ ### When is Small Business Saturday? In the United States it is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, 28 November in 2026. In the United Kingdom it is the first Saturday of December, 5 December in 2026. ### What should I post for Small Business Saturday? Show the people and the making behind your shop, explain one offer clearly, and share a joint post with neighbouring businesses. ### Do I have to offer a discount on Small Business Saturday? No. A gift with purchase, free wrapping, a late opening or a workshop often suits a small shop better than a price cut. ### How can shops on one street promote Small Business Saturday together? Agree one look and one line, make a shared carousel with a map and a page per shop, and all post it on the same morning.