October is Small Business Month in Canada. It’s a month dedicated to honoring Canadian entrepreneurs, and celebrating small businesses for all that you do. Here at Constant Contact, we are fortunate to have the chance to work with small businesses and organizations throughout Canada every day. One of the things we enjoy most is when we have the chance to hear the stories of successful small business owners who have used our email marketing tools to become a better marketers. To celebrate Small Business Month, we wanted to share some of our favorite tips from these small business experts. Read them all below, and help us in celebrating Small Business Month Canada by sharing your best advice with the hashtag #BeaMarketer.

1. © Constant Contact 2015
11 Marketing
Lessons
From Canadian Small
Business Experts
#BeaMarketer

2. October is
Small Business Month
in Canada
#BeaMarketer

3. It’s a month dedicated to
honoring Canadian entrepreneurs,
and celebrating small businesses
for all that you do.
#BeaMarketer

4. To celebrate, we wanted to
share some of the great
marketing advice we’ve heard
from Canadian small
business experts over the
years…
#BeaMarketer

5. We spoke with owners of….
Marketing Agencies
Financial Offices
Furniture Stores
Wine Shops
Art Galleries
Nonprofits
And more…
#BeaMarketer

6. All of them have great advice
to help you
Be a Marketer
with email marketing.
Here’s what they had to say…
#BeaMarketer

7. Sue Bedell
Owner, Second Bloom Design
Dorchester, Ontario
Constant Contact customer since 2010
“It’s always nice to hear someone tell us how
much they enjoyed reading our newsletter
and thanking us for reminding them to come
visit the store or give us a call. The personal
touch really makes the difference.”
1. Provide a personal touch
#BeaMarketer

8. Rebecca Coleman
www.rebeccacoleman.ca
Vancouver, British Columbia
Constant Contact customer since 2015
“If you have been following e-newsletter best
practices all along, you have nothing to fear
from CASL! I’ve only ever added people to my
list who had given me permission, so I was
super happy when CASL came into effect.”
2. Ask for permission
#BeaMarketer

9. “People don’t have the time to read a lot of
text. We make sure our emails are
informative but also quick and easy to
read.”
3. Be clear and concise
Julie Ananny, Owner
Wine Station
Ottawa, Ontario
Constant Contact customer since 2012
#BeaMarketer

10. “In an industry like ours, it can sometimes
take a few years before you actually convert a
new client. So, we really focus on being
consistent and building the relationship any
way we can.”
4. Stay consistent
Bahar Saadat
Marketing Manager, Davidson &
Company, LLP
Vancouver, British Columbia
Constant Contact customer since 2013
#BeaMarketer

11. “When you help your clients succeed, they’re
going to come back time and time again
because you’re generating that positive
return on their investment.”
5. Focus on client success
Vito Marchese
Founder, Whiteboard Studios
Toronto, Ontario
Constant Contact Solution Provider since 2011
#BeaMarketer

12. “We want to make sure our families are
enjoying their experience, so we send out a
couple surveys each year — once a semester,
one in September and one in January. We
ask about their experience, what we can
improve on, what they’re enjoying about their
lessons. And we found that’s a really great
way to get feedback.”
6. Listen to your audience
#BeaMarketer
Cynthia Lee
Community Manager, Dominelli School of Music
Edmonton, Alberta
Constant Contact customer since 2009

13. “At first we only had a sign-up form on our
website, but once we realized how well it
worked for us we’ve added it to our social
media sites and pretty much anywhere else
we can possibly add it.”
7. Make it easy to sign up
#BeaMarketer
Dan Plouffe
Co-owner, MyCollingwood.ca
Collingwood, Ontario
Constant Contact customer since 2006

14. “We work closely with every client to
understand the challenges they face and
the results they want to achieve. We put a
plan in place to fit their needs and offer the
coaching and support to help them get
where they want to go.”
8. Understand your audience
#BeaMarketer
Brandon Klayman
CEO, Conscious Commerce
Calgary, Alberta
Constant Contact Solution Provider since 2004

15. “Email has definitely helped us with web
traffic and attendance at our events. I like
that after I send an email out, I can go back
and see how many people clicked through on
which links. That way I can tell people are
interacting with our content and click
through to our website.”
9. Track your results
#BeaMarketer
Ally Whittaker,
Public Relations Manager, The Local Good
Edmonton, Alberta
Constant Contact customer since 2009

16. “Social media and email really go hand-in-
hand. The ultimate goal for all of my social
media campaigns is to get people to join my
email list. I would rather have one
subscriber than 10 followers, because I have
direct access to that one subscriber.”
10. Go beyond the inbox
Marc Gordon
www.marcgordon.ca
Toronto, Ontario
Constant Contact customer since 2007
#BeaMarketer

17. “You need to learn, but at some point, just
get out and try it. You’ll never know
everything about the marketing tactic you
want to try, so it’s best to just try it out and
see what kind of impact you can get, then
adjust accordingly.”
11. Try something new
Lisa Kember
Constant Contact Regional Director for Canada
#BeaMarketer

18. From all of us here at Constant Contact…
Happy Small Business
Month Canada!
#BeaMarketer

19. Looking for more tips to help you be a better marketer?
Subscribe to our Hints & Tips email newsletter.
Visit ConstantContact.com/hints-and-tips!
© Constant Contact 2015
#BeaMarketer