Email marketing consistently produces returns that other channels cannot match. Industry benchmarks put email ROI at around $36 for every dollar spent. Compare that to paid social, and you will understand why businesses that figure out email rarely abandon it.
The other thing email has going for it: you own the list. No algorithm can cut your reach. No platform can shut you down. The relationship between you and your subscribers is direct, and it belongs to you.
Here is how Canadian small businesses build that relationship the right way.
Choosing a Platform
You need an email service provider (ESP) - software that manages your subscriber list, sends campaigns, and tracks results. For small businesses, the main options are:
Mailchimp is the most recognisable name and has a genuinely useful free tier up to 500 subscribers. The interface is approachable, the templates are decent, and the automation features are solid for most small business needs.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is built for creators and service businesses. Its automation and segmentation features are more powerful than Mailchimp at a comparable price. If you sell products, courses, or services through your content, Kit is worth considering.
Klaviyo is the dominant platform for e-commerce businesses, particularly those on Shopify. Its integration with purchase data and product catalogues makes it genuinely powerful for product-based businesses. Overkill for service businesses.
For a small Canadian business just starting out, Mailchimp's free plan is a sensible starting point. Migrate to a more powerful platform as your list and automation needs grow.
CASL Compliance: Not Optional
Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is one of the strictest anti-spam laws in the world, and it applies to commercial electronic messages sent to or from Canada. Violations can result in fines of up to $10 million for businesses. This is not theoretical - CASL is enforced.
The core requirement: you need express or implied consent before sending commercial email.
Express consent means someone explicitly agreed to receive email from you - by checking a box on a signup form, handing you a business card at an event specifically to be added to your list, or verbally agreeing. The box on the signup form must not be pre-checked. Consent must be specific to your communications.
Implied consent covers people you have an existing business relationship with - recent customers, people who have inquired about your services in the past two years, or people who have publicly displayed their email address (like on a website). Implied consent has a time limit and must eventually become express consent to maintain.
Every marketing email must include:
- Your business name and physical mailing address
- A working unsubscribe mechanism that processes within 10 business days
- How to contact you
Your email service provider will handle the unsubscribe mechanics. Your job is to ensure you only send to people who have given appropriate consent and that your emails are clearly identified.
Building Your List
A list of engaged subscribers is worth far more than a large list of people who never open your emails. Build it slowly and intentionally.
Signup forms on your website. Place a signup form in your website footer, on a dedicated landing page, and contextually on relevant pages (a recipe blog might have a signup form after each recipe). Keep the ask simple: name and email address, with a clear value proposition - what will they get if they subscribe?
Lead magnets. A lead magnet is something valuable you offer in exchange for an email address - a checklist, a template, a discount code, a short guide. For a trades business, this might be "5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Contractor." For a restaurant, a recipe from your menu. Make it useful enough that someone would genuinely want it.
In-person collection. At events, markets, or in your shop, collect email addresses on a tablet or paper sign-up sheet. Make sure people know they are signing up for email communications.
Do not buy email lists. Beyond the CASL implications, purchased lists have terrible engagement rates, damage your sender reputation, and are a waste of money.
Writing Emails People Actually Open
Subject lines determine whether your email gets opened. Write them for curiosity or clarity - ideally both. Keep them under 50 characters so they display fully on mobile. Test questions, numbers, and personalisation.
Send useful content, not just promotions. A retail shop might send one promotional email for every three or four content emails - tips, behind-the-scenes stories, seasonal ideas. When subscribers get value from your emails consistently, they are receptive when you make an offer.
Send consistently but not excessively. One or two emails per month is a good starting cadence for most small businesses.
Measuring What Matters
The key metrics: open rate (are people opening your emails?), click rate (are they engaging with the content?), and unsubscribe rate (are you losing subscribers?).
Industry average open rates sit around 20-25%. If yours is significantly below that, look at your subject lines and your list quality. If your unsubscribe rate spikes after a specific campaign, examine what was different.
Do not fixate on vanity metrics. A smaller list of genuinely interested subscribers who buy from you is infinitely more valuable than a large list with 5% open rates.
A professional email address on your own domain builds trust before your email is even opened. dotCanada business email plans give you yourname@yourdomain.ca with generous storage and spam filtering.
