In 2010 American Express launched Small Business Saturday, an alternative to Black Friday’s madness. The goal: give a leg up to lesser-known local shops with smaller marketing budgets.
Destination marketers know that local businesses are the backbone of their industry. All money spent at a local business creates jobs, supports local families, and has a long-lasting economic impact.
For destination marketers, Small Business Saturday is a prime opportunity to highlight these hidden gems to locals and travelers looking to do or gift something special.
We spoke with a few DMOs about their small business priorities, local tourism marketing, and strategies for creating content that resonates all year round.
The best advice: keep it real, highlight the human element, and always think evergreen.
Let’s get into it.
What’s ahead
1) Build Relationships
“We take pride in supporting local small businesses. They add an authenticity that visitors are drawn to when planning their trips,” says Tamaria Williams, communications manager for Visit Baton Rouge. For Williams, this boosts local jobs, strengthens the local economy, and gives visitors a unique experience beyond big brands.
It can also be a great time to connect with your local Chamber of Commerce to create networking opportunities, develop educational resources, and expand your destination marketing toolkit.
“Building connections with these businesses is essential to our destination’s growth. Whether it’s a boutique shop or a local restaurant, they represent the essence of Baton Rouge.” Williams suggests that DMOs can show support by doing partner referrals on their website, highlighting a local vendor in a blog post, or creating fun and helpful content on social media.
2) Let Hidden Gems Shine
Many local businesses are just waiting to catch travelers’ eyes, and as a destination marketer, you have an opportunity to spread the word.
Last summer, after some research revealed a spiking interest in down-home cooking, Williams’ team did a story on local favorite Dorothy’s Soul Food.
“We received many comments and DMs from people shocked that a business like this exists in Baton Rouge. Many people didn’t know about them and thanked us for highlighting such a cool small business!”
3) Be Authentic—Avoid the Script!
When creating video content about local businesses—especially if you’re speaking directly to the camera—Williams recommends being organic, authentic, and letting the story flow naturally.
“I would avoid overly scripted narratives that don’t reflect the genuine character of the business,” she says. Trying too hard to recite a script or read from a cue card can feel inauthentic and miss what makes a small business stand out.
4) Embrace the Human Element and Mix Up Your Approach
Highlighting small business owners often inspires tourists to consider a destination and interviews can be a great way to amplify their stories.
“Don’t hesitate to get out of your comfort zone and explore new angles, unique perspectives, and storytelling techniques,” she says.
“Bring a mini microphone, interview the business owner, and let them guide you through their space—whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look in the kitchen or a peek at their creative process. Let them share their story in their own words for a more authentic connection.”
For Williams, this strengthens your relationship with a local business owner and builds trust and credibility.
5) Ramp Up Short-Form Content and Vertical Video—and Get All the Angles!
Visit Eerie’s Mary Morgan takes a holistic approach to blog and social media content to reach multiple audiences. “Blogs which then turn into Reels and TikToks perform very well,” she says. “Specifically, a Reel about one business with multiple shots performs the best.” When planning any content, she recommends itineraries that cover a one-day guide, or a weekend also gain a lot of traction.
For Visit Baton Rouge, short-form video is boosting the visibility of small businesses. “We’ve focused heavily on creating engaging reels, TikToks, and other short video formats over the past few years.”
Recently, Williams and her team posted a video on Instagram and TikTok showcasing one of the South’s largest vintage collections. It received over 6,000 likes and 4,000 shares and was one of their top-performing pieces of content!
Morgan adds: “Focusing on one business with multiple shots is always successful for a Reel or TikTok! People love to get a good look at what they can expect when going to a new place.”
6) Amplify Small Business Saturday-Focused Events
Visit Erie has been organizing a local Small Business Saturday event series for the past few years. This month, the DMO is promoting the “Miracle on State Street” event downtown, with dozens of local vendors, craft breweries, and even an ice rink. The goal is to bring locals and tourists together to support the local economy and small business community.
7) Publish a Local Gift Guide
Guides and listicles will never go out of style. Local gift guides are an easy, digestible source of inspiration for travelers and a great way to drive sales. One of our recent favorites was Discover Long Island’s “Shop Small 2023: 20 Local Businesses to Support This Holiday Season.” It included stellar local shops AND insider tips for searching within the DMO’s app.
In early November, Visit Mesa published a guide to shopping local that included organic peach farms spas, downtown markets, and boutiques. The story highlighted a 2022 data point that visitors spent over $115M on retail purchases, showing how supporting small businesses helps fuel the larger community.
8) Think Evergreen
Tamaria Williams and her team also published “Discover The Cutest Small Businesses in Baton Rouge,” a simple listicle highlighting gift shops, a farmers market, a record store, and other hard-to-find shops. The piece celebrates Small Business Saturday but encourages travelers to visit and discover Baton Rouge year-round. Plus, each entry includes a “quick tip” linking one business to another. The support feels circular and everyone wins.
For Zane Buchanan at the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, local businesses are an ongoing priority. “Small business and entrepreneurship is the foundation of Indigenous tourism. These initiatives are rooted in family practices passed down from their ancestors—there’s nothing more personal than that.”
Buchanan uses Destination Indigenous as a yearlong hub to highlight travel experiences for businesses like Ontario’s Raven Rising, a purveyor of Indigenous pastries and chocolates; local Alberta trail guide Mahikan Trails; and Saskatchewan’s Aski Holistic Adventures. He says these businesses are successful because they offer intimate, personal experiences that resonate with travelers looking for authentic human connection.
9) Group Businesses by Location
“We also like to group local businesses together by location,” says Visit Erie’s Mary Morgan. “Within Erie County, there are a few small towns, such as North East.”
Here are two great examples: Fall Travel Inspo for Gilmore Girls Vibes and Shop Small in Erie: The Colony Plaza
Conclusion
Black Friday through New Year’s is the perfect time for the tourism industry to support local businesses. Like any campaign, keep things authentic, focus on the human element, and create a story that can live year-round.
Your next move: List your top 5 local, never-before-featured restaurants, boutiques, and entrepreneurs with stories to tell and collaborate on a blog post or some quick vertical videos. Need some inspiration? Hit us up!
