five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today. customers get ready to support their communities on small business saturday. we'll show you how the buy local movement has austin, texas, farmers and suppliers working to the. while in vermont a neighborhood general store competes against big retailers. getting customers to think small. that's all coming up next on "your business." >> small businesses are revitalizing the economy, and

american express open is here to help. that's why we are proud to present "your business," on msnbc. hi, there, everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg. and welcome to "your business" where we give you tips and advice to help your business grow. on november 26th, tucked between black friday and cyber monday is the second annual small business saturday. it's a day dedicated to shopping and supporting your local small businesses. the initiative is once again being spearheaded by american express, which underwrites this program. small business saturday was officially kicked off by a shop small pop-up mall in new york city this week, where 21 local businesses gathered to launch the holiday shopping season. >> it is the most exciting day of the year for my business,

actually. i have a small website, where i sell handbags and personal accessories. and i have been spreading the word about small business saturday since last year. i was so excited about it. >> it's like having someone in your corner. small business owners are very overwhelmed. with everything that we have to do. >> people in our community are definitely looking for ways to support small business saturday. so i know a lot of the local stores are having sales, and special offers, and really encoiraging customers to come and shop that day. >> more than 50 elected officials have given their backing to the small business saturday campaign, and the buy local movement. one of them is atlanta mayor who joins us from washington. hi, mayor reed. >> hi, j.j. how are you? >> i'm good, thank you so much for joining us. what are you guys doing in atlanta to get the word out, to get people to go take part in small business saturday? >> well, we're sponsoring a series of resolutions. atlanta is moving forward with a resolution. we're talking about it all over

atlanta. that's why i wanted to be here with you today. around we're really doing business with small businesses. and we had about $2 billion in procurements during the time i've been mayor. we've done more than 20% of those procurements with small businesses. so we're trying to live it every single day in atlanta. >> there are a lot of resources available around the small business saturday movement. materials you can print out, ways to put nings on youtube, on facebook, do you find that a lot of small businesses are taking advantage of it? >> well, i find that they are. but you know, we have a role to play in educating people. i mean, we co-led a white house initiative that focused almost exclusive on entrepreneurship. we are starting a women's entrepreneurship center in the city of atlanta that's going to incubate more than 20 women-owned businesses. so we're focused on small and women-owned businesses, minority businesses. but we think we have a role to play in getting the word out. that's why programs and

conversations like the one that we're having right now is so important. and that's why i want to be a part of it. >> what do you think small businesses in your area and around the country can do to really capitalize on small business saturday? >> well, i think, one, they can advertise, advertise, advertise. and use every single means available. because this really is a significant public/private initiative. we're actually getting our local stations involved, really just to spread the word, so that this important shopping period doesn't just focus on large retailers. we need folks to focus on main street, and small stores. so to the extent that we get that message out locally, on our local news stations, and nationally on networks like msnbc, we think we're making a difference. but people have to know that in the midst of all of the spending we're going to do this holiday season, that small business needs to be supported, and to focus on small businesses, as

well. >> and so let's give -- >> i'm sorry, go ahead. >> let's give people a reason why. so i'm a consumer out there, and tell me why i need to shop at a small business. what should these stores be telling people? >> well, one, i think you have an intimate relationship with the customer. you actually get to meet the owner of the business. i think that makes a difference. i think they stand behind their product. but, in a broader context, that's really where the nation's future is. i mean, the future of growth and employment sectors in our country is going to be in the small business space. it's not going to be on the large, corporate side. more than 55% of our job creation really is substantially more than that. it's occurring in the small business sector. so we're adding five jobs and ten jobs and 15 jobs, that's really how we're going to get our economy moving again, see a reduction in unploumt, and at the end of the day, that's going to help retailers across the board. >> mayor reed, thank you so much for joining us.

good luck with all of the work that you're doing around small businesses. >> thank you, j.j. >> people really appreciate it out there. i hope a lot of people go buy local in atlanta and everywhere on small business saturday. >> shop, shop, shop small businesses. >> thank you so much. small business saturday is all about getting customers to support their home-grown businesses. nowhere is the buy local movement greater than the progressive city of austin, texas. it's there, that local farmers and suppliers are working with distributors to provide residents the opportunity to stock up with items from their own proverbial backyard. >> here, piggy! >> it doesn't get more local than this. greengate farm, located on the outskirts of austin, texas, is run by erin flynn and skip conner. they raise rare breed hogs in a wide range of organically grown vegetables. >> farming there is heavy up-front costs, a barn, a tractor, fencing, that you know,

it takes a long time before you're going to see a profit. >> just finished our taxes and we broke even. we've been farming in the worst drought in history here this past year. >> green gate is a very small, very local business. it provides food for about 100 families a year. and at the same time, provides income to a fair number of other local businesses and suppliers. >> we're growing. they need organic feed that supports the feed mill. we need fencing. that supports the supply stores. then there's a butcher i need to hire who's going to start making sausages who will sell it to a restaurant. >> more and more local business owners are discovering that spending their money within the community brings a boost to the local economy. >> there's a buy local movement is when you buy local the money stays in the community so it's better for the local community to shop with small, independent vendors. >> that's austin-based mason arnold. he was born and raised in

austin, texas. and his 6-year-old company, greenling, regularly buys produce from green gate farms, along with most of the other organic farms in the region. greenling distributes this locally grown produce and natural food to homes in the austin area. >> greenling is a home delivery service of groceries. we focus on local and organic food, and underneath what greenling has done is create a new distribution system for local farms and local businesses. >> looks like i got some spring onions and broccoli. and what are these? there's always something i don't know. persimmons, maybe. >> as a distributor of locally grown foods, greenling offers both familiar and exotic new produce to customers, like nannette of austin, texas. >> it challenges me to make something that i never would buy in 9 store. >> in this way the greenling deliveries are introducing new customers to new products from its local suppliers. >> we can work with people that

bring us five or ten of a product, or 5,000 of a product. it really just kind of, the way our website works, we can put it up, and when it gets sold out it just disappears from the site. >> one of those suppliers is start-up baker lisa fowler, owner of little blue stem. >> english muffins. three cinnamon raisin. >> we work with companies like little blue stem, small, artisan producers, and the role we play is a flexible, consistent demand that allows them to ramp up production using commerce, rather than going out and trying to obtain a bunch of debt. >> there are so many businesses that are percolating and ready to explode, they are ready to take off. but what's missing is being there. >> farming, come on. if it doesn't rain, you don't have a crop. so if you're a banker and you get to like loan to someone who is making software 365 days a year, you know, or chips or something, versus a farmer who

if it doesn't rain he doesn't have a crop, which one are you going to lend to. >> that's woody cash, a former venture capitalist. he understands why investors shun local small businesses like green gate, greenling, and little blue stem. >> if you're using financial speak, most of the things that we actually want to preserve in our communities don't make the grade. >> that's why he started an organization called slow money. to encourage investments that pay off by making our communities better places to live through agriculture. >> it's a network of investors and entrepreneurs who are committed to rebuilding local food systems. >> robby larkin is a local austin angel investor. and a member of the slow money chapter in austin. he put some of his money behind greenling and a few other slow money businesses. >> investing in a local farm, say, that's just struggling maybe to get a few thousand dollars in the door so they can get another piece of equipment that can allow them to feed more people in their community, that's not going to ipo any time soon. >> he's part of a movement

that's pulling some of its money out of wall street and onto main street. >> you put all of these businesses together, it's not just investing in a farm, it's in an infrastructure of food. and making sure that infrastructure of food stays in your community. you know. we provide jobs. we provide healthy jobs. you know, it's not just how much okra are you going to get this week. >> are you looking to optimize your home advantage? here are five ways you can market your business locally courtesy of business info guide dotcom. number five, offer promotions. partner with a complementary business and give their customers samples of your product. donate to local charities. providing auction items for a charity event is a great way to get exposure and build loyalty with the members of the organization. three, leave your cards and brochures everywhere. pick high traffic locations in your neighborhood to post flyers

and leave cards. two, join everything. actively participate in community groups, even if they don't directly relate to your business. and number one, turn your customers into billboards. give away shirts or other items with your logo on it. get creative so that the item will be something customers will want to wear and will create buzz. so we just gave you some ideas for local marketing. but what do you do when you really want to dominate the scene? by that we mean how do you maximize your web presence when potential customers are searching in your area? jan jantsch is the creator of the duct tape marketing system and consulting network and he is also already author of the book "the referral engine." >> always great to be here. >> so this is particularly interesting on the web. because on the web, it doesn't really matter, as a consumer, necessarily, to get your product if you're shopping local. or if you're shopping not local.

but people do care about shopping local. and they want to. so what can you do to get people to know that you're shopping local. >> it's not only just that people care, it's that people's behavior has changed dramatically. even if they know they're going to find something or try to find something around the block, they're still turning to the web to find those businesses or to do a little research first. the statistics are dramatic these days, something like 90% to 95% of people start their shopping online, even if they're looking for something that they're going to go in 20 minutes and purchase in a store. so it really has just become an absolutely, you know, foundational part of marketing a small, local business. >> so what do you do, on your webpage then you have to say we're a local business, support the community? >> the biggest thing, you can say all that all you want. the biggest thing is the search engines are going to drive that. people don't type in find my cool local business, they type in shoes in brooklyn or something like that. so you have to come up for those searches. so there's a lot of things that you have to do to your website

that make it much more local feeling. you know, when we create brochures and things we know, hey, i'm going to be handing to that person. they know the address. but a search engine has to find lots of great, local content. so certainly all the addresses, and maps and directions. but you also want to start talking about the suburbs, maybe, or the neighborhoods, where you serve or where your customers come from. you want to actually put as much geographical information on there. you maybe even want to have pages for specific neighborhoods, or for specific communities. >> let the search engine find you and recognize you as a local business. okay. so now you're saying participate in the ratings and review game. >> so, another thing that's a phenomenon the last few years is not only do we go on and search, we say i wonder what other people say about that business. and google places does the same thing. so we now, you know, there's certain categories like restaurants and hotels, we wouldn't stay if they were getting two star ratings, or we wouldn't eat there.

so it's become extremely important since everybody's got that, you know, ability to rate your business, well obviously, up your game, right? make sure you're getting good ratings. but we've all got great, loyal customers that, you know, come to us and say we love it. they send us testimonials. let's show them how to actually participate in that and show them, usher them to yelp, usher them to google places and say would you write those lovely words right here? because it's become a fact of life that people are using those tools so get pro-active. i'm not talking about spamming. >> but a lot of people want to help you, if they have a good experience they want to tell the world about it. make it easy for them. update your listings. >> this one's a little more under the hood. the search engines also use services for, like if you have created a google places pages, there's a good chance you're already in those listings, already in the directories. >> you have to go claim it. >> and then you get the opportunity to enhance it. but there's also what you want to do is make sure that there

are lots of directories that are pointing back to your site that list your phone number, your address, this is all -- there's, you know, algorithms that all the search engines use to make sure if you have a lot of directory listings that have that exact information. >> how do you do that? >> the easiest place is getlisted.org and pay them $40 a year to -- actually that one's free. that one will help show you where you can get listed and get citations. then there's universalbusiness listings.org or ubl.org and i think it's $40 a year. the best investment you can make. they'll list you in several hundred of these directories. you fill out one form. and all of those point back to your local website. >> fantastic advice. thanks so much. >> all right. >> when we come back, we'll answer some of your business questions. one entrepreneur wants to know how to rise above the rest this hectic holiday shopping season. and business owners at a vermont community band together to rally customers to buy local.

smal l bu sinesses are the smal lifeblood of our communities. absolutely crucial. vital. they make it unique and they make you happy to live where you live. brings a little flair to the towns that we have. on november 26th you can make a huge impact by shopping small on small business saturday. one purchase... one purchase is all it takes. pledge to shop small on small business saturday, it will help support your community. and that is a big deal. it's pretty big. so, pick your favorite local business... and join the movement. i pledge to shop small at big top candy shop. at juno baby store... allen's boots... samy's camera... tag's hardware. you don't have to buy the whole store.

make the pledge to shop small. please. on small business saturday. independence is practically in the blood of every native vermonter. but facing the growing popularity of some very nonindependent chain stores, forced a group of small business people to bind together for survival. they're working to get customers to celebrate small business saturday every day. they're a piece of americana. >> these are not cookie cutter stores. or chain stores. they're all fun to walk into and explore. >> the vermont country store.

most were built in the 1800s when industry made its way up to the green mountains. then, like now, they sold all the necessities to those living in the country. >> when this store was built, there were no cars, there were no paved roads, your locals were a captive audience. >> because this is such a rural place, this store is just the heart of the town, where people come together. >> but today, their numbers are dwindling. >> oh, i can think of two or three within ten miles of me that have shut down. they're lost. they're gone. it's too late to try to reopen them. they've become something else. >> reporter: they're facing competition from mini marts and supermarkets and big box stores that have the purchasing power to demand low prices from suppliers. something the country stores, with their small sales volume, don't have. >> i think the profitability issue is the biggest threat. we make our money a nickel at a time. we make a nickel on a gallon of gas, we make a nickel on a

lottery ticket. and i think the biggest threat is that those nickels are getting squeezed tighter and tighter. >> but these store owners aren't in it to make millions. they do their job to preserve history and to provide a service to the people living in the rural areas around them. but to preserve history and they are determined to not get pushed out. in 2002, they preserved it. >> they are talking about the difficulties of running your own country store, and he actually said, jaez, you know, we should have an organization where we all get together and help each other out. i said, yeah, that's a great idea. >> with a state grant, the coalition was formed and holds meetings every month. it's here that they come up with ideas to stay in business. like a passport program for

tourists to get stamped at each location. or a private label that will only be sold at their stores. >> one of the most important things at the annual meet something sharing information, something that you found that did well, and other stores should try. >> for me, the biggest part of it was to try and build the organization and to try and get other store owners to join so we can market ourselves better and build all of our businesses and not just work individually. >> what they stay away from is becoming a cookie cutter themselves, and while they share information they also understand what makes the country store so special is they are each so different. >> i have a jam from phyllis potter, and she makes this jam on her stove. i never know what flavor she will have. depends on what phyllis made. >> the store needs to keep its

character. when i bought the store, the first thing people asked is what i would change, and when they saw that i was willing to put money into it and not change the essential character, people were happy with that. >> with dues of just $50 a year, they understand they struggle, too. >> we will never have the money we need to pay for a part time director. we need find other creative ways of generating revenues. >> these store owners hope to capture the attention of other organizations which can help. >> i would like to see the alliance get to the point where its powerful voice is in state with the local chommerces.

>> there have been times when i wondered whether is this one of those stores because of the location or because of whatever is destined to not make it. and then i kick myself and say don't think that, and i say of course it's going to make it, we'll find a way to make it. >> time now to answer some of your business questions. john janse is here with terry evans. >> my business is preparing for the new year's which is a great time for customer acquisition, and we want to know how do you rise above the noise at that time and really get yourselfed noticed? >> he does something in the exercise world. >> the big thing you have to do is have a big, different

message. >> new year, new you. >> yeah, and i think that the first step is he needs to find that, because it's not enough to say that we're cheaper or better. they have to find, what is it the customers that come there, stay there, love that place, what is it that they truly get from being part of that, and i think that's the first step, is to make that everything about your message, is that unique sort of port of difference. >> so many people have cheap deals. is that the way to go? >> to dish ren she yat yourself and rise above the noise, when everybody is doing mailers, maybe you want to go to social media and create an interactive kw contest or quiz that tells them

something different about your business, and maybe you want to create a game that explores fit and what you do, and tell your story in a different way and add excitement. >> this is tracy. she said, i sell cosmetic products on my website. since i have limited dollars i am wondering if i should buy a mailing list or pay a company to direct web company to my site. what do you think? >> i would say, you know, start from the beginning, and understanding, you know, there are a lot of cosmetic products sold on the web, so going back to what is different about your company. before you go to the mailing list or anything like that, especially with limited dollars, focus on social media. you have facebook and twitter and expand your message that way without necessarily directly selling them. >> what once you buy the mailing

list, you have to create something to send out there, and it's quite expensive when you can do on it line. >> a lot of people still don't understand the power of facebook advertising. it's a tool, of course, like you can buy that would advertise on facebook. and you can target so narrowly to age groups, and some of the demographics, but things that people are interested in. let's say their makeup is organic, you can target people interested in that, by the fact that people are interested in things similar to it, and you are getting in front of an audience that is interested in what you have already there in the marketplace. >> that's a great idea. but if shaegs going to do something like paying somebody to direct traffic to her, and she can -- >> yeah, make sure you have that site converting before you pay for it. >> and let's get to the next

one. this one is from sue. i have a service business new to the heavy equipment industry. what are ways i can get my company and services noticed? >> what you need to do is have something that is appealing to them. that's not your product necessarily a lot of times. information, sharing, community. one of the first things i would look at, is there a way for her to commute a community around the customers, allow them to get together and share as peers, and provide education, and that's how you get in front of people before they realize you are trying to sell them something, build trust and repour with

them. our website, openforum.com/yourbusiness. or yourbusiness@msnbc.com. want to get local first-time customers in the door for small business saturday? check out our website of the week. independent we stand.org has information about buying local. one is a national directly of locally owned businesses. they can search for a business by zip code or map. small companies can register on the site for free. you will find all of today's segments plus web exclusive content with more information to watch your business grow. and we love getting your

feedback. follow us on twitter. next time, finding a factory to help manufacture your product may not be as easy as it seems. >> a lot of the factories that are here are not what they were 20 years ago. a lot of the technology that is here is in the technology that i encountered before. >> she brings her production stateside after she realized her products should be made in the usa. smal l bu sinesses are the smal lifeblood of our communities. on november 26th you can make a huge impact by shopping small on small business saturday. one purchase. one purchase is all it takes.