Statewide Small Business Saturday Campaign Boosts Local Engagement by 365%
In 2020, PMSI partnered with 23 Michigan Main Street organizations to deliver a unified digital campaign for Small Business Saturday. By building consistent branding, targeted messaging, and community-focused landing pages, PMSI helped local businesses thrive during a critical shopping season.
Background
Michigan Main Street, a part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) supports local businesses and efforts to revitalize downtowns. In 2020, they needed a unified campaign to promote Small Business Saturday and strengthen local engagement at a critical time. PMSI partnered with 23 Main Streets across the state to deliver a cohesive digital strategy, building visibility for businesses and creating momentum for shopping small.
Challenge
The project faced a tight turnaround to launch before Small Business Saturday, with limited branding assets and an inconsistent digital presence across 23 Main Streets. Coordinating efforts at a statewide level while ensuring each community’s unique needs were met required careful planning. On top of this, restricted budgets demanded creative, cost-effective strategies to maximize impact.
Solution
To meet these challenges, the team held one-on-one onboarding meetings with each Main Street to collect brand assets and goals, then built and managed 21 custom landing pages to highlight local businesses and events. They also connected and managed 23 Facebook pages, creating 4–6 posts per page each week, while designing and distributing weekly emails to encourage participation. Targeted press releases rounded out the effort, generating at least 15 media stories statewide.
“PMSI delivered an organized, statewide campaign that empowered each Main Street to promote their local businesses effectively. Their ability to scale efforts while tailoring to local needs was key to the campaign’s success.”
Program Administrator
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