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.
Grow Your Canadian Small Business Online in June
Summer shows up in June, both on the calendar and outside. Consumers are busy having fun and that can mean slow sales, but it doesn’t have to be that way. These bite-size tips reveal fast ways to grow your Canadian small business online this month.
[DISCLOSURE: We may receive compensation for links to products on this website.]
TIP 1: Start a Summer Side Hustle for Your Business
Did you know businesses can have side hustles, just like individuals? Otherwise known as multiple sources of revenue, many small businesses generate extra cash by monetizing ad space, offering information products, or through related services (such as installation or set up options).
You can get ideas for diversifying revenue sources from individual Canadians who are diversifying their income with online side hustles. Most have the same goal as a business does, in that they want to bring in more money. In fact, a recent survey found 57% of Canadians started a side hustle to earn extra money.
“Side hustles in 2026 are less about passion projects and more about financial necessity. In a recent survey, 31% of Canadians reported currently having a side hustle. 85% admit they started for financial reasons, rather than personal fulfillment or fun.”
Have a look at The Best Online Side Hustles for Really Busy People and start a list of ideas that are a good fit for your business.
TIP 2: Grow Your AI Visibility
The organic search world leaves precious few options for visibility in Summer, 2026. Most businesses are happy to consider leaving SEO behind (along with its relentless ‘optimization’ demands), but we’re still looking for effective alternatives. Will someone come up with a search platform that actually finds ALL of the best content on the internet? Will it be a combination of linear, AI, topical directories, and…?
Time will tell.
In the meantime, we’re watching AI like a hawk. Here are a couple of informative AI visibility articles we read last month.
Chrome Extensions for GenAI Visibility – Expert, Ann Smarty, shares her three go-to Chrome extensions for improving genAI visibility.
B2B Buyer Journey & LLMs in 2026 – Why Visibility Now Decides Revenue – There’s a clear shift underway in how buyers discover, evaluate, & choose vendors. It no longer fits neatly inside traditional funnel models that most marketing & affiliate teams are still built around.
Additionally, it’s important to keep an eye on AI laws & policies as bots enter mainstream use. For example, the Canadian government recently revealed 6 pillars for the national AI strategy.
TIP 3: Optimize Email Marketing with Automation
Email marketing has always been effective, but digital marketers are bringing it back into focus now that search engine optimization (as we know it) is virtually dead. There’s much more to effective email marketing than building a mailing list, which is why the finer email platforms let you automate tasks. The most talented marketers can turn those automations into a high-performing part of your email campaigns and ultimately, your entire online sales funnel.
Pat Flynn has built a 5 million dollar business around email automation. He has about 145 key automations (or variations) that he credits for powering his success, including:
1. Welcome sequences by interest
2. Post-purchase follow ups
3. Re-engagement campaigns
4. Self-paced email course or challenges
5. Advanced community automations
“We have a lot of different lead magnets and a lot of different products, so we do have a sort of spider web of things that can be complicated,” Pat explains.
If you’re just getting started or are on a tight budget, the Brevo Email Marketing Platform has a free level that includes templates, drag & drop editor, 300 emails/day, 100,000 contacts, SMS & WhatsApp campaigns, AI Content Generator, reporting, forms, email support, and more.
TIP 4: Plan for Downtime
If you normally experience a ‘Summer slump’, plan activities that people don’t typically have time for during these lazy, hazy days.
- Review the customer experience, starting with testing your entire website and order process. Work closely with your customer support team.
- Review data and freshen marketing campaigns.
- Read new information and reports that will make you a better anything.
- Start working on marketing campaigns for the holiday season, including influencer selection.
- Hold brainstorming sessions.
- Offer training or seminars to all staff.
- Challenge yourself and your staff to read two business books/month over the Summer.
Keep an ongoing list of downtime activities as the year progresses, so you’re always ready to turn the next ‘slump’ into time well spent.
TIP 5: June 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.
Following are just a few June holidays & observances with promotion potential:
- Camping Month
- Candy Month
- Disaster Preparedness Month
- Entrepreneurs “Do It Yourself” Marketing Month
- Homeownership Month
- Men’s Health Education & Awareness Month
- Professional Wellness Month
- Aquarium Month
June content themes and slants can include Summer, growth, change, warmth, travel/camping, and outdoor activities. Father’s Day is on June 21st, 2026, which is also June Solstice this year.
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.
“Partners enter [affiliate] programs with uncertainty. They wonder if the brand converts well enough and whether they will earn fast enough to justify the time. They wonder whether they should start with reviews, roundups, comparisons, videos, stories, or short posts. They wonder how to read their own analytics. Most hesitation in the channel comes from that uncertainty. Education removes it by giving partners a way to understand what they are doing and why their choices matter.” ~ Think Like an Affiliate Manager by Greg Hoffman
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 June? 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 May 29, 2026 by Melody McKinnon, Online Business & Marketing Manager
