Header bg
  • section background

    17 Marketing Ideas to Promote Your Business

    Hero bg 2
    marketing ideas for small business Canada

    Looking for big marketing ideas for your small business? Here are 17 tactics you can take to help increase the visibility of your company.

    Being a small business owner often means wearing many hats. Not only are you the one running your company, you’re also likely the head of your sales, customer service, and marketing departments! This can make it difficult to find the right strategies for your business, especially when it comes to marketing.

    While there are many ways to get the word out about your products and services, it can be hard to know where to start.

    With this list of 17 marketing ideas to promote your small business, you can find the strategies that work best for you and your venture.

    Need Insurance for Your Small Business?

    APOLLO and Gallagher have partnered to provide insurance designed for businesses and business professionals. Get a free quote online in under five minutes and receive your policy instantly.

    Get a Free Online Quote

    4.7 rating

    Google Logo

    17 Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

    Depending on what type of company you run, certain marketing tactics will tend to work better than others. As an example, a successful ad campaign for an accounting firm will probably look quite a bit different than one for a yoga studio.

    For this reason, in this article, you’ll find small business marketing ideas broken out by:

    • Traditional Marketing

    • Digital Marketing

    • Word-of-Mouth Marketing

    Traditional Marketing

    1. Print Advertising

    This form of marketing has been around for a long time, and for good reason. As consumers continue to reach for print materials, having an ad in a publication related to your industry can help you spread the word about your business.

    You can choose from media outlets, such as:

    • Local newspapers

    • Regional magazines

    • Community newsletters

    2. Business Cards

    Despite the digital world that we live and work in today, business cards remain a standard practice. These compact hand-outs can be easily distributed during meetings or if you’re going door-to-door. Some companies even use their business cards as an opportunity to get creative and really sell their brand.

    Whatever you decide, make sure your cards include the following information:

    • Name

    • Title

    • Company

    • Type of business

    • Telephone number

    • Email address

    • Website

    3. Radio Advertising

    Even with all of the music streaming services and apps available, lots of people still tune into the radio every day. This is especially true for those who make long commutes to and from work.

    This makes advertising on the radio a great opportunity to get into the ears of potential customers. You can choose to put together an ad for a radio station to play between songs. Or see if one of your local DJs would be interested in featuring your business in an interview.

    4. Industry Awards

    Receiving awards is a great way to provide proof of credibility to your target audience. It can showcase your strengths as a business and highlight your products or services.

    In many industries, you don’t have to wait to be nominated – you can apply yourself! Do a little research and determine what awards you want to apply for. Then take the time and effort to submit quality applications.

    5. Company and Networking Events

    Events are a great way to meet potential customers and connect with other businesses in your industry.

    Keep an eye out for networking events in your area and have someone from your company attend as many as you can.

    You can also choose to host your own. While you don’t necessarily need a reason to throw an event for your customers, you can make it a:

    • Celebration for a new product launch or company milestone

    • Meet-and-greet to get to know your partners and clientele better

    • Thank you to show your appreciation for loyal patronage

    6. Affiliate Partnerships

    Find other local businesses or companies in your industry who are not direct competitors. Connect with them to see if they’d be interested in building a relationship in which you agree to jointly promote each other’s products or services.

    This type of business agreement is referred to as an affiliate partnership. It can be a great way to gain exposure to different market segments that would be interested or benefit from your company’s offerings.

    7. Referral Program

    A tried and true marketing tactic, referral programs offer your existing customers money off your products or services in exchange for the acquisition of new business.

    Let’s say, for example, that you sell office furniture. You could give your customers 10% off their next desk purchase if they recommend your products to someone who then buys something from you.

    Typically, you would need to provide your customers with a referral link, which they would then share with their family, friends, or colleagues, in order for you to verify that the purchase came from their recommendation. Implementing referral marketing software can streamline this process, making it easier for you to track referrals and verify purchases came from their recommendation

    8. Sponsorship

    Sponsoring your child’s soccer team, a local ski team, or even your own beer-league softball team is also a great way to get your name out there.

    Investment for this type of marketing can vary, and may include:

    • Uniforms

    • Coaching fees

    • Memberships

    • Insurance

    9. Branded Swag

    Getting swag branded with your company name and logo is a fun way to spread the word about your business. You can choose to have items made just for your employees or have clothing and accessories created for clients.

    Here are a few ideas of company swag to get you started:

    • Hats

    • T-shirts

    • Sweatshirts

    • Snuggies

    • Stickers

    • Mugs

    10. Mail-Outs

    This type of advertising is one of the more traditional on this list. Mail-outs may no longer be at the height of their popularity but that doesn’t mean that they’re not an effective strategy for certain businesses.

    If you have a company that offers seasonal services in a specific area, like a landscaping business, direct mail may be a great option for you.

    You can have these delivered by post, or even hand them out yourself to cut down on costs – and possibly meet new clients!

    Digital Marketing

    11. Email Marketing

    There’s lots of opportunity to market your products and services when it comes to email marketing. For example, you can communicate with your customers via email by sending out:

    • Monthly Newsletters: These communications should only go out about once every four-to-six weeks and should provide awareness content, more than anything else. You can include a roundup of new blog articles from your website, or updates about your company. Of course, you can also include a call to action (CTA) that directs them to a product, service, or contact page. But, for the most part, try to keep the content more educational, rather than promotional.

    • Targeted Campaigns: These email sequences are where you want to promote your products or services. You can segment out certain groups from your audience and send them specific sales announcements or other promotional materials. You can also create flows for those who open your emails and those who don’t. Marketing platforms like Mailchimp and Hubspot are helpful for this type of email marketing.

    Before you start sending out marketing emails, however, you’ll need to build up your address book. You can collect email addresses through an opt-in section on your website or offer free downloadable content, such as a whitepaper, in exchange for emails.

    It’s important to follow Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) when collecting customer information and sending any electronic communications.

    12. Search Engine Optimization

    This is a marketing strategy that requires a bit more time, research, and planning. In order to properly leverage search engine optimization (SEO) and effective white hat link building strategies, you’ll need to look into popular keywords that your customers are searching for online. It can also be helpful to determine what keywords your competitors are ranking for, as well as regionally specific ones.

    Even if you don’t know much about SEO, you can take advantage of free tools to help you rank, like a Google Business Profile. Setting this up for your company helps make you more visible in search results on Google and enables people to leave and read reviews about your business.

    Related: How to start an online business

    13. Social Media Marketing

    Social media is a great avenue to engage with your customers in a more informal and organic way. Here are a few ideas on how you can leverage this type of marketing:

    Publish Social Media Posts: Create a content calendar to determine the frequency and types of posts you would like to share with your audience. For example, you can use social media to share updates about your company, sales announcements, industry news, product launches, and more.

    • Try Paid Advertising: You can set up pay-per-click campaigns on most social media platforms. This means that your paid posts show up in users’ feeds and you pay every time someone clicks on your ad. You can also use automation tools for your campaigns, for instance using Amazon PPC software for an e-commerce business.

    • Engage In Discussion: If your audience is commenting on your posts, reply to them! Even something as simple as saying “thank you” to a customer for a positive comment can go a long way.

    • Include Interactive Functions: Where possible tag other companies and people to help increase your reach. Hashtags can also help broaden the audience who sees your posts. Just make sure that you’re using relevant tags and hashtags to make them more meaningful to your fans and customers.

    • Offer Giveaways: Social media can be a great avenue to do company giveaways, since it’s already so interactive. You can offer discounts, free products, or prizes in exchange for page likes or email subscriptions.

    14. Paid Online Advertising

    Online advertising is typically run through pay-per-click campaigns. As mentioned above, you can run your ads on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, or even on Google.

    It may also benefit your business to consider running paid advertising on relevant websites. If you’re a contractor who specializes in home renos, you could try advertising on the website of a homeowner’s association. Or a wedding photographer may want to run ads on the websites of popular venues.

    15. Content Marketing

    This tactic is one that can be done for little to no cost, however, it does take effort on your part. Content marketing requires you to create a collection of informational assets that you publish on your website. These pieces are often more educational than promotional, offering free tips and insight into your industry and expertise.

    Popular ways to leverage content marketing includes:

    • Blog Posts

    • Case Studies

    • Infographics

    • Videos

    • Whitepapers

    • Webinars

    • Podcasts

    • Press Releases

    Word-of-Mouth Marketing

    16. User-Generated Content

    If your existing customers are sharing information and positive experiences about your products or services, leverage it!

    On social media, this may look like retweeting someone’s Twitter post, or liking and commenting on a fan’s LinkedIn post. You could also ask customers to include a hashtag that you’ve created or tag your company profile in Instagram posts that feature your products or services.

    17. Testimonials and Reviews

    Positive customer feedback is invaluable in demonstrating to potential clients that you are a reputable and trustworthy company. Asking customers to provide a testimonial after they’ve just purchased from you is a great strategy to get feedback while their experience is still fresh. This lets you immediately showcase your customer testimonials on your website and social media platforms.

    If customers are leaving reviews of your business through a third-party platform like Google, be sure to get their consent before publishing those testimonials on your website or social media accounts.

    Protect Your Business with Professional Liability Insurance

    From managing your company to marketing your products or services, running a small business can be hard. Finding the right insurance doesn’t have to be.

    With our small business insurance, your venture will be protected if:

    • A customer injures themselves on your business premises

    • Your company equipment is lost, stolen, or damaged

    • You’re sued for negligence – even if you’re not at fault

    Start your online application now, and you’ll receive your policy documents by email in the next 15 minutes. It’s that easy.

    Need Insurance for Your Small Business?

    APOLLO and Gallagher have partnered to provide insurance designed for businesses and business professionals. Get a free quote online in under five minutes and receive your policy instantly.

    Originally published May 16, 2022, updated October 22, 2024

    Back to APOLLO Magazine
    Share this article

    Looking for tenant insurance?

    Get no-nonsense coverage that's the best value for your money. Purchase policies from your computer or phone, receive your documents instantly, and save when you buy online.

    Looking for tenant insurance?

    Get no-nonsense coverage that's the best value for your money. Purchase policies from your computer or phone, receive your documents instantly, and save when you buy online.

    Relevant articles

    complete index blogs apollo canada

    A Complete Index of APOLLO’s Insurance Blogs

    the-creative-exchange-7aKbIqfIEMw-unsplash

    Here’s how you can take more effective breaks

    office-insurance

    Why office insurance is important for your business

    maliha-mannan-8gn_WhKv8Ns-unsplash

    The benefits of procrastination

    section background
    section background

    Getting insured is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3

    Tell us (very little) about yourself
    1

    Tell us (very little) about yourself

    Just tell us your address, your name, email and phone number. And that's it. We'll give you a price in less than a minute.

    Pay online easily and securely
    2

    Pay online easily and securely

    You can choose to pay monthly or save money by paying for the entire year in one easy payment.

    Get your documents in your inbox - instantly
    3

    Get your documents in your inbox - instantly

    As soon as you complete your purchase, you'll find your proof of insurance and policy documents waiting for you in your inbox.

    Get covered today - it couldn’t be easier

    We’ve provided more than 1,000,000 quotes to Canadians just like you. Give it a try!

    Google Logo

    Reviews

    4.7 rating

    2,263 reviews

    view all

    Across Canada

    Contact Us
    Apollo logo

    © 2024 APOLLO Insurance Solutions Ltd.

    111 Water Street, Unit 210, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 1A7

    APOLLO Insurance Agency Ltd. (o/a APOLLO Brokerage in the province of Ontario only) is a licensed retail brokerage, offering our clients with a comprehensive set of insurance solutions to meet their individual needs. APOLLO Insurance Agency Ltd. maintains necessary corporate licensing in provinces across Canada. Availability of products and service depends on licensing and product availability. The information that appears on this page is provided for information purposes only. Advertised products and prices are not guaranteed and vary based on insurance provider and/or insurance company's discretion and product availability.

    Transparency and Disclosure: APOLLO Insurance Agency's role is to provide you with exceptional service and the best insurance products that suit your needs. As a licensed retail brokerage, our compensation is based on a commission basis already built into your insurance premium and varies based on the product purchased through our platform. For a description of how APOLLO Insurance Agency is compensated and how this is calculated, please refer to our Compensation Disclosure document. For consumers in Ontario, please review the RIBO Conduct Fact Sheet and the RIBO Conduct Guidance document.