About This Column
This monthly column on Online Business Canada is intended to inspire action. You know digital transformation is critical to growing your business, but there are so many moving parts and so much to learn! It’s easier to navigate if someone points you in the right direction so you can take the first steps. You don’t have to master anything right now, you only need to move forward and learn as you go.
If one growth tip doesn’t work for your business, pick another one and try that. If you do that over the course of a year, you may be surprised at how much your business has grown and how clear your path is to further growth. A custom strategy will naturally emerge from your efforts, all from trying something new every month.
Content for this column will vary from month to month. We’ll cover what’s trending, motivation, tools, diversification, funding, actionable Canadian data, expert quotes, and how & where to grow your business online over the following month. New posts will be announced in our newsletter, so sign up to ensure you don’t miss a single month of growth.
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Grow Your Canadian Small Business Online in December
TIP 1: Grow with the Holiday ‘Feels’
The holidays find many of us feeling especially sentimental, and our memories shape what makes them magical to this day. Traditions, food, music, scents… it can all bring a flood of holiday feelings.
For example, The State of Snacking report found cherished traditions and heartwarming childhood memories deeply influence our snacking choices.
“Snacking is about more than satisfying a craving; it’s about tapping into cherished memories and forging deeper connections, particularly during the holiday season,” said Melissa Davies, senior manager, global insights and trendspotting at Mondelez International. “Whether it’s recreating childhood memories or establishing new rituals, snacks play a central role in celebrating the holidays and strengthening bonds.”
Associate those warm feelings with your brand in the hearts of consumers, and you could see a merry increase in holiday sales.
“Almost three out of five consumers report that they ‘love’ Christmas ads, with approximately 56% reporting that they look forward to seeing Christmas ads on TV,” says Emotion AI and the Magic of Christmas: Elevating Holiday Ads Through Emotional Connection. “And to draw audiences in and to keep them engaged, the key piece to the puzzle is ensuring there is a strong emotional connection between viewer, ad creative and brand.”
Take some time to think about how your products make consumers feel. Can you use content to amplify those feelings? Could your product images or videos do a better job of touching hearts? Are there relevant influencers who are especially good at emotional connections? How can you (and your product) make someone’s season warmer & brighter?
TIP 2: Elbows Up Growth
Virtually all online Canadians will look to ecommerce for gifts and holiday essentials this year, and 85% will ‘shop Canadian’.
If Canada is your target market, your website and online marketing should proudly broadcast that you’re Canadian. If you’re not in Canada, focus on how you serve and support Canadian consumers. Online shoppers in Canada have expressed a strong desire to ‘shop Canadian’, but quite often have a hard time finding what they’re looking for here. Finding a company outside of Canada that has close Canadian ties is the next best thing.
Use creative ways to help Canadians find you, such as:
• “Canadianizing” your holiday keywords and hashtags on social media, like #CanadianChristmas. Try a free Hashtag Tracker to monitor performance & analytics for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Make sure all of your product descriptions mention you’re in Canada or the product is Canadian. If it isn’t, mention how much you value your Canadian customers and any other association you might have. For example, Amazon isn’t Canadian, so they tell consumers in this country about how many Canadians they employ and how many Canadian businesses sell on their platform.
• Work with Canadian influencers of all sizes and get your product into Canadian gift guides.
If you’re new to all this, here are 17 more Tips for Your Store’s First Online Holiday Season.
TIP 3: Go Fulltime With Your Side Hustle
If you started with a side hustle or just do a little selling online, your growth goal probably includes taking it fulltime. But how do you do that when it isn’t paying the bills yet?
The answer is, SLOWLY. You don’t have to quit your job today, you just have to make it all work together for awhile. Will your employer let you work remotely? You could get back some commute time. Could you cut your hours to part time? Is there a way to carve out some more time from your personal life (that won’t have a negative impact on you or your family)? How can you improve your efficiency?
When you’re ready, map out a growth plan starting from where you are right now. Customize the plan with tasks and goals for your business specifically.
For example, if you plan to grow your ecommerce side hustle you might:
Start small, think scalable. Begin with one product or service before expanding. This will help you understand what sells, what doesn’t, and how much time you can realistically commit.
Differentiate. With thousands of new sellers entering ecommerce every day, offering something unique – a product that solves a simple problem, a cleaner design, faster replies – is the best way to get noticed.
Choose your platform wisely. Marketplaces like Amazon and eBay offer wide and instant reach, but they also come with high competition and seller fees. Peer-to-peer resale apps – Vinted, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace – are easier to start on, but they require more personal effort to promote items. The right fit depends on your goals and time.
Grow ‘Passive’ Revenue. There are ways to grow your online income without much more effort. Check out these 9 Passive Income Ideas for Online Creators.
Learn more in 25% of Canadians Have a Side Hustle, Almost Half Sell Online.
If you’re still looking for a side hustle that will fit into your current lifestyle, check out the Best Online Side Hustles For Really Busy People.
TIP 4: Grow Your Email List
While your goal may be more holiday sales in December, you can extend the benefits indefinitely by promoting your email list at the same time. If they provide their email address at any point along the buying journey, you can ask if they’d like to subscribe to your newsletter. Design a special landing page to offer exclusive discounts, tantalizing downloads, or access to special content in an effort to bring in subscribers who haven’t purchased.
7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home shares a few benefits of growing your email list:
- Your email list won’t disappear like social networks can.
- You can provide value to subscribers, establish your expertise, and build trust.
- It provides another platform for promoting your brand, advertisers, or affiliate offers.
- You can have news and new offers in front of subscribers instantly (but don’t overdo it).
- You can use auto-responders to take subscribers through any process, from a designated set of emails for new subscribers to email courses.
- It’s a key component to a successful online sales funnel.
Keep your eyes open for other opportunities to piggyback on holiday traffic, online or offline. You can also Turn Post-Season Sales into Lasting Growth.
If you’re looking for Canadian email platforms, we have a list in Top Canadian Email Marketing Platforms with Data Sovereignty.
Bonus Tip: If you have a newsletter, you can trade ad space with other newsletters. Try free services like Letter Growth, where marketers around the world trade newsletter ads at no cost.
TIP 5: December Content
Grow your traffic, grow your business! Timely content can differentiate your business while generating traffic that converts.
Note: We post a list of holidays & observances (monthly, weekly and daily) for marketers in the Online Business Canada Facebook group. There’s a lot of them! You’re bound to find some that are a perfect fit for you business.
Here are just a few December holidays & observances:
- Read a New Book Month
- Safe Toys & Gifts Month
- Write a Business Plan Month
- Tie Month
- Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
- Tomato Month
December content themes and slants can include holidays, cold, Winter sports, gifts, candy, and the colours red & green. December holidays and observances in Canada include the First Day of Hanukkah on December 14th, Christmas Day on December 25th, and Boxing Day on December 26th.
TIP 6: Business Books Worth Reading
Here we share quick quotes from business books we’re reading to help your knowledge grow with your business, and your business grow with your knowledge.
“Your stories, the way you tell them, and the genuine value you create for your audience is now what matters. You no longer need a hashtag or caption to tell the algorithm what your content is about or who it’s for. AI has that figured out. Content that’s genuinely interesting and helpful will rise to the top, while gameable technical factors will continue to be deprioritized or ignored. That raises the natural question: Is your marketing valuable, helpful, and entertaining?” ~ Lean Marketing: More leads. More profit. Less marketing, by Allan Dib
Incremental Change
Changes spread out over the year will combine into powerful results. When growth based on technology overwhelms us, we can make small changes to continue growing and develop further as we feel our way through it.
How will you grow your online business in December? Please share your ideas or questions in the comments below, or join us in the Online Business Canada Facebook group.
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Last Updated on January 17, 2026 by Melody McKinnon, Online Business & Marketing Manager
Great news thank you melody McKinnon