If Small Business Saturday conjures up mental images of small boutique shopping in local neighborhoods or dining out at a local eatery, then the initiative is working.

“While we know that Small Business Saturday helps traditional brick and mortar and online retailers alike, we need to leverage the marketing and awareness for wholesalers, service companies and all small businesses,” said Andy Roe, general manager, SurePayroll. “Small business owners can seize this opportunity to demonstrate how their businesses support one another, the local community and national economy.”

According to the 2013 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey by NFIB and American Express, consumer awareness of Small Business Saturday across the U.S. rose to 71 percent from 67 percent during the same period a year ago — and 46 percent said they shopped at a small business last year.

“While cash flow is often tight, free marketing to build businesses is an amazing byproduct of this initiative,” said Roe. “They say it takes a village to raise one child, and we know it certainly takes more than a village to scale a business. At SurePayroll, our customers tell us how important marketing and customer relations is to their business’s success, yet they often lack the time, resources and opportunities to connect face-to-face with customers. What we’ve heard from our customers is that they want to find a way to participate in Small Business Saturday even if they are not retailers and there are key steps to help all local businesses to get into these community initiatives across the country.”

How can other small businesses leverage this campaign?

Here are tips to get started and think out of the big box — and the small box:

1. Find complimentary strategic partners and cross-promote. Review all the businesses that you work with and identify ways to collaborate with brick and mortar businesses. In the end, cross-promotion efforts to grow each other’s businesses by referral and connection will influence consumer purchasing decisions.

2. Consider a pop-up store/desk. If you sell products or services online, work out of your home or even have a small office, an opportunity to connect with current and potential customers is important. Find an angle to do a pop-up at a small local retail center or other community access spot.

3. Review your unique value proposition and think of creative ways to connect with customers. For example, if you’re a small advertising agency, identify unique ways to spread the word about local projects. Or if you are an accountant, ask if you can spend a few hours at a brick and mortar client’s space to talk to local clientele and have your business cards at the counter. If you own a dog walking business, hit the street with puppies and signs about your services. The main idea is to be creative.

4. Create a compelling way to tell your brand story. While Small Business Saturday is only one day, the online marketing provides the opportunity to spillover throughout the year. Think about ways to tell your story — visually, emotionally and through words. Spread the word about what you do to support local businesses with your work or maybe your small business puts your neighborhood on the map as a town of innovators, entrepreneurs, online solutions or more.

5. Become a Neighborhood Champion for Small Business Saturday. In 2013, nearly 1,500 small businesses, individuals and local organizations did this. With marketing materials to promote events and highlight local activities, American Express provides the Champions with tools to help all the local businesses spread the word through community events, promotions and marketing.

For more tips and interesting Small Business Saturday facts and statistics don’t miss our SMB-SBS infographic on The Payroll Blog.

About SurePayroll

SurePayroll is the trusted provider of easy online payroll services to small businesses nationwide. Whether a business has 1, 10, or 100 employees, SurePayroll delivers peace of mind by combining innovative, industry-leading technology and personalized support from an award-winning, U.S.-based customer care team. SurePayroll also provides private-label and co-branded services for accountants and banking partners as well as offering efficient online solutions for managing 401(k) plans, health insurance, workers’ compensation, employee screening and more. SurePayroll is a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex. For more information, please visit www.SurePayroll.com. Follow us on Twitter — Circle us on Google — Connect with us on LinkedIn — Like us on Facebook.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc. is a leading provider of payroll, human resource, insurance, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses. The company offers comprehensive payroll services, including payroll processing, payroll tax administration, and employee pay services, including direct deposit, check signing, and Readychex®. Human resource services include 401(k) plan recordkeeping, section 125 plans, a professional employer organization, time and attendance solutions, and other administrative services for business. A variety of business insurance products, including group health and workers’ compensation, are made available through Paychex Insurance Agency, Inc. Paychex was founded in 1971. With headquarters in Rochester, New York, the company has more than 100 offices serving approximately 580,000 payroll clients as of May 31, 2014. For more information about Paychex and our products, visit www.paychex.com.