This week is National Small Business Week! What will you do to celebrate and support other small businesses?

Below are several suggestions for celebrating National Small Business Week. And remember, you can work on these initiatives all year.

1. Start or Work on your Blog

Blogs build community, generate traffic, and help show your expertise. One study shows 81% of consumers in the U.S. trust info they read on blogs. Get your advice out there! Blogs are great for SEO, too. They help get the word out, and attract lots of inbound links.

2. Partner With Another Business

Get in front of a new audience by leveraging partnerships. Find another business who caters to the same people as you do, and find a way to collaborate. You might co-host an event, co-write an eBook, or do a contest where you give away their products.

3. Thank Your Employees for All They Do

If your business didn't have humans powering it, things would deteriorate fast. National Small Business Week is a good time to thank your employees. Thank them for their commitment to your business by taking them out to eat, hosting a party, or giving them a small gift. If you're on a tight budget, a simple thank you card counts for a lot.

4. Support Other Small Businesses

Small businesses share similar struggles. They lack the resources of big brands and have to get scrappy. Their employees get involved with everything, rather than very specific, niche tasks. Celebrate and support the other small businesses in your neighborhood this week.

5. Listen to a New Podcast

Podcasts are a great way to gain knowledge, especially while you're in the car, on a plane, or commuting via public transit. Podcasts exist on every subject under the sun, so there's sure to be one that will speak to you.

6. Automate Your Marketing

Ever have one of those days where you feel like you need to clone yourself? One of the best ways to fix this is to automate your marketing efforts. You might be concerned that “set-it-and-forget-it” means not adding your personal touch, but automation can be natural and free up your time. Feel free to contact me for suggestions. 

7. Try a New Small Business Tool

When it comes to running a small business, time and effort are precious resources. Thankfully, there are tools available to make your life much easier. From marketing to accounting, communicating, and more – there's a tool for that!

8. Create and Implement Social Promotions

Your customers are hanging out on social media, so meet them where they are! Put some money behind carefully constructed Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn ads. Test out a few different ads against each other, and see how the channels work for you. 

9. Host a Contest

Contests are a great way to engage your audience. These contests don't have to be fancy sweepstakes. Instead, you can give away a product or an Amazon gift card in exchange for participation. Contests are a fun opportunity to get customers and clients to share their stories, and they can result in a lot of traffic to your site. 

10. Find a Mentor

If you don’t already have one, make it a priority to add a mentor to your arsenal of friends, partners and advisers. A mentor is someone who can help you navigate the challenges of running a business, make connections, and help guide you on your business growth journey.

11. Throw a Customer Event

A little customer appreciation never hurt anyone! It doesn’t take a lot of effort to pull together a small event with your customers. It could be something as simple as inviting them to the office for a small event or hosting a happy hour.

12. Refresh Your Company Swag

People love free stuff and when you provide high quality free stuff your fans are sure to use it. Those pens you’re giving out? Although useful, they’re probably not the best option for swag. It’s time to take a step back and find something worth keeping. Let me know if you need some innovative ideas.

For a full list of ways to celebrate National Small Business Week, click here.