Our efforts to tell the story of our small business community have paid off! 

The Chamber is excited to share the news that we have placed first in a contest judging communications efforts for Small Business Saturday, which highlighted the holiday shopping season on November 25, 2017.

The Small Business Saturday campaign was promoted by the Chamber as part of its Keep it Local initiative. Methods of outreach included a mix of traditional and social media advertising. A highlight of the campaign was a series of social media videos featuring local small businesses. In telling their stories, the Chamber conveyed the range of locally-made products, entrepreneurs, and craftsmen which make our community a unique place to live, work, and shop.

The Chamber also promotes supporting local businesses of all sizes due to the economic benefits of keeping money in the local economy. The Chamber has supported the national Small Business Saturday effort, organized by American Express, for the past 5 years.

Chris Mead, the Senior VP of Member and Sponsor Relations for ACCE, explained the reason for the selection:

“The Greater Winston-Salem Chamber’s Small Business Saturday program really impressed us. One of the things we loved about the program was its ability to reach the media effectively. For example, you released well-made videos about your members for public consumption, such as the Colony Urban Farm Store video, with 4,300 views, and Mrs. Hanes Moravian Cookies, with more than 20,000 views.

Among the numerous other items in the campaign, there was a TV interview reaching 672,650 households in the demographic area. Overall, you reached one-quarter of the metro population. That’s an achievement to be proud of. You promoted the Small Business Saturday concept as a whole and helped it come alive by focusing on some of your interesting members.”

Mark Owens, President and CEO of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, expressed his thanks for the recognition from ACCE and notes that the accolade is a great way to positively showcase our chamber, community, and our members.

Add the hashtag #keepitlocalws to your posts to participate and engage with the Chamber and our business community!

The Small Business Saturday videos, originally shared on Facebook, can be viewed below. Special thanks to our videographer for this project-Scott Burton, Founder of Forever is Tomorrow Foundation.