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 business 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 company 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 May
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TIP 1: Growth Blogging
Blogs continue to bring in traffic for businesses, where they can then be converted to sales (online or offline). If you want a blog that fuels business growth, you’ll have to make it a focused, intentional part of your marketing strategy.
“We’ve seen thousands of Podia creators build successful blogs by using them as part of a bigger marketing system. A system where every post they publish builds trust, grows their audience, and leads readers toward their email list and paid products,” states Podia in How to Start a Blog that Drives Serious Sales for your Solo Business.
In my experience, the seven basic components of ‘growth posts’ are:
- “Evergreen” content that will be useful for a long period of time. Choose relevant topics with ongoing appeal.
- A concise, descriptive headline to draw in readers.
- Hook them in the beginning by providing a brief overview of what will follow, touching on the most intriguing information. If applicable, state the problem you’re solving and how it will benefit the reader.
- Next, expand on the problem you’re about to solve (or the goal you’ll help readers reach).
- Offer solutions that lightly feature your product or service. Back them with your experience, social proof, solid information sources, and case studies.
- What benefits will the reader enjoy by applying these solutions? How will it improve their life? What has it done for you that it may also do for them?
- Subtly address any known sales objections (such as price, for which you would emphasize the value and ROI).
TIP 2: Grow With Easy Video
Video production has become simpler, and the opportunities for growth continue with its increasing popularity. It’s also getting easier to use YouTube as a revenue stream or collaboration tool. For example, they’ve released a new tool that makes it simple for creators to work with brands.
A couple of helpful, free tools we discovered recently are:
AI Faceless Video Generator: Create faceless videos on any topic in any style with a single prompt. No recording equipment necessary.
YouTube Summarizer With AI: Instantly generate a YouTube video summary.
TIP 3: Grow With Press Releases
Press releases have changed very little because their purpose has remained the same. Digital options open up a whole new world of opportunities to put press releases to work for you. You can use some of the same analytics and targeting tactics that make digital marketing so endlessly versatile.
“40% of journalists also told us that they are now relying on data to inform their editorial strategies. Just like comms [communications] professionals and marketers, journalists are more cognizant than ever of creating content that’s proven to resonate with their audience. So, make sure your story is relevant to the journalists you’re pitching, because even if you have the world’s greatest press release, sending it to an irrelevant audience won’t help your story get the engagement it deserves,” advises PR Newswire’s Definitive Guide to Crafting an Engaging Press Release.
The most important question you can ask yourself is, who do you want to have publish this press release? Are you targeting industry publications, general news outlets, local media, blogs, or another type of publisher?
Press releases should be customized for a target market, just like any other content marketing tactic. For example, if you’re announcing funding you can stick to a formal B2B style. If you want major blogs to pick it up, you’ll probably have to include more helpful and actionable information. Visuals can also bring a lot of value, such as infographics, charts, or a video clip.
Press releases intended for wide coverage should still be written professionally and with media industry rules in mind. Remember to include your company logo and media contact information. In view of the trust issues in today’s media environment, including solid data and expert quotes is a must. Don’t give in to the temptation to use too many links or keywords.
TIP 4: Funding Growth
Growing companies need capital and there are Canadian tools & resources to help you discover your options, such as:
National Crowdfunding Association (NCFA) Canada is a non-profit financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services.
Pocketed will automatically match you with eligible funding programs. They can also help you submit winning applications with their tools & insights.
Keep your eyes open for contests that pop up from time to time. Prizes can include cash, products or services that will help fund your business growth or offset the cost of doing so. For example, the Canada Post Small Business Tales of Triumph Contest is open for submissions until May 16th. Enter your story for the chance to win up to $150,000 in free shipping and more.
TIP 5: Plug Into Your Local Library
Growing your business is expensive, but there are some truly invaluable resources out there to help offset the cost. One of those resources is your local library.
Today’s libraries have a strong digital presence that you can use for your business, such as:
- Digital Magazines
- Regional Business News
- Local Historical Newspapers
- Business ebooks
- Research sources
This isn’t your Grandma’s library.
TIP 6: May 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 May holidays & observances:
Good Car Keeping Month
Home Schooling Awareness Month
Mental Health Month
Gardening for Wildlife Month
Photo Month
Moving Month
Pet Month
Women’s Health Care Month
May content themes and slants can include motherhood, royalty, spring, cleaning, renewal, planting, and the outdoors. Mother’s Day is on May 11th, 2025 (second Sunday of May), and Victoria Day is on May 19th.
TIP 7: Business Books Worth Reading
Here we share quick quotes from business books we’re reading to help your knowledge grow with your business.
“Push into new territory, whether it’s an idea for improving your existing business or for developing an entirely new one. Instead of casting about for rules or ‘best practices,’ accept that they don’t exist and instead focus on asking as many questions as possible. What if we adopted a totally new pricing strategy? What if we struck a deal with a new kind of marketing partner? What if we created a new type of retail store for our brand? What if we targeted a new kind of consumer? Think of creative, cost-effective ways to run tests for these ideas. If some of the tests confirm that you’re on to something, then push it further, making up your own ‘best practices’ as you go.” ~ Selling Naked: A Revolutionary Approach to Launching Your Brand Online by Jesse Horwitz
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 May? Please share your ideas or questions in the comments below, or join us in the Online Business Canada Facebook group.
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7 Recession Proof Online Businesses To Start From Home
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Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business/marketing education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.
Melody has worked with many businesses in a multitude of capacities. She can often be found on CanadianDigitalMedia.com, CanadiansInternet.com, CanadianFamily.net, and AllNaturalPetCare.com, as well as other quality digital publications. Her content has earned reference links from highly-respected websites, magazines and university textbooks.
