It would be a mistake to enter a race to the bottom where you slash prices and undercut the competition--offering goods and services so ridiculously cheap that you sell a bunch and yet still lose money. The goal is to attract customers and business that makes the business profitable.

To that end, it helps to start earlier. Early in the holiday shopping season some consumers are more likely to jump on a deal just to make sure they get a deal on something. The closer you get to Christmas, the more competition you will have, and the more drastic bargains you will have to contend with.

The real trump card--and the value of what Google, Facebook, and Twitter are bringing to the table for Small Business Saturday--is in promoting your deals more creatively. The survey of small business owners found that 58 percent plan to to attract new customers.

It is probably too early to aggressively market 2011 holiday shopping season promotions. But, it is not too early to get familiar with the tools and start to and strategy so you are prepared to take advantage and catch the attention of consumers when the time comes.