How have the current health conditions affected technology startups for good or bad?

I think the current health conditions we face today have challenged a lot of startups to pivot and change the status quo. It’s been a difficult time for everyone, so we are all learning how to use the resources we have at our disposal, and make the most out of the situation we’re in!

This pandemic has allowed people to focus on things that are important to them, and I’ve seen a lot of founders make the leap into building their startups because of it.

What are three digital marketing opportunities that the current health condition has created for small businesses?

During the pandemic, we saw a huge shift of people relying on online interactions more so than ever. This created an opportunity for small businesses to connect with their audience more directly online.

This pushed a lot of small businesses to move their operations online and create online shops to cater to their customers. With the increase of time spent online, this was a great opportunity to reach your audience through social media or paid advertising.

Another opportunity that I saw was the influx of free webinars and events that people could attend. This allowed people to attend events they might have otherwise not been able to because of financial or timing constraints, and now they are able to meet and connect with other experts through online events.

At Vancouver Startup Week, for example, we had pivoted to a free pricing model to allow people to attend as many events as possible. We saw a massive increase in attendance numbers as well as the countries our attendees came from!

What marketing tips would you give to a small business that’s launching its digital marketing for the first time?

Do your competitive research

Do your competitive research – this doesn’t mean to copy what your competitors are doing, but rather, see what might be working for them and see how it could be applied to your business.

Plan ahead

Marketing can be overwhelming for a lot of small business owners. There are always new platforms and trends that you “have to get on”. But that’s not necessarily the case! Find the platform that will help you reach your ideal audience and plan out your content ahead of time. This will help with a consistent content strategy that will help you drive results.

Ask for help

There are so many directions that small business owners can take with their marketing strategy, it can be very helpful to reach out to professionals for help to build your marketing plan. There’s a lot of resources out there for business owners to kick start their digital marketing strategies as well. You don’t need to feel like you’re starting from scratch.

What are three marketing tips you’d give to a small business that’s in the process of optimizing its digital marketing campaigns?

Start small. It can be overwhelming to look at optimizing your full digital marketing strategy. Start with quick audits and check-ins of your marketing campaigns to see what’s been working to date.

Test and pivot. Once you determine your strategy, be consistent with it. Continue to test and pivot as you learn more about your campaigns and your audience.

Get help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to professionals for guidance. Finding the right person to help you out will make a world of a difference!

What are three digital marketing platforms that every small business must use and why?

• Google My Business to get your business listed on Google.
• Google Analytics to track your web traffic and results.
• Instagram and or TikTok, because chances are your audience is on there as well!

• What are three ways small businesses can use Google Analytics to improve their marketing as well as business performance?

  Google Analytics is so powerful! Businesses can get so much insight as to the people who are visiting your site, what they’re doing on your site, and how they ended up on your site in the first place.

  • The Audiences Overview Report gives you insights into the age range, location and system your website visitors are using, which can provide so many insights into who your customers are.
  • The Behaviour Overview Report tells you how much time someone is spending on each of your web pages, and where you’re seeing the most drop-off. This can help you identify opportunities to improve your website user experience.
  • The Acquisition Overview Report tells you where your website visitors are coming from, which might show you which platforms to invest in advertising on.

  These are just three of many other reports that Google Analytics can provide!