Unlocking Small Business Success With The Digital Economy Program
Navigating the constantly evolving digital landscape can feel like a challenge for most business owners. That’s why more and more small and medium sized Alberta businesses are accessing free support provided by the Digital Economy Program (DEP) in partnership with the local Digital Service Squads (DSS).
These dedicated squads have been instrumental in offering support and guidance to small businesses throughout Alberta, making the digital transformation journey manageable and accessible for even the busiest small business owners. As we near the end of Small Business Month, we wanted to spotlight a few businesses that have unlocked success through the DEP.
In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for small businesses. Your e-commerce store serves as your digital storefront, open 24/7, connecting you with potential and existing customers worldwide. Take Susan, the owner of Willock & Sax Gallery in Banff, Alberta, as an example. She recognized the need to enhance her online presence and turned to the DEP for assistance. Even though her business had a website since the late 90s, she knew she needed to modernize the online experience to stay competitive. The DSS worked alongside Susan to add an eCommerce feature to her existing website through Shopify that allows Susan to sell products online.
“The support and changes to the website, social media, and the adoption of gallery software have made our gallery operations more efficient and continue to lead us in that direction. The results have been evident, with increased exposure, higher sales, and reduced time required to achieve these goals.”
– Susan Sax-Willock | Owner of Willock & Sax Gallery | Banff, AB
Creating a solid online presence also involves integrating social media into your digital strategy, and it can be difficult to know where to start. Businesses have asked for support with topics on social media ranging from initial account setup, crafting content strategies, and posting schedules. Aws Abdullatif, owner of PB and J YYC in Calgary, approached DEP to better understand how to boost social media engagement. The DSS showed Aws how to implement organic social media strategies, such as using keywords and ad strategies, such as ‘boosting’ posts. This change helped Aws to see an increase in reach and engagement, which led to an increase in following across his social media channels.
“It opened our eyes to a new perspective on the ads we were creating. We didn't think that making small changes in our posts could lead to such a significant improvement in our social media presence.”
– Aws Abdullatif | Owner of PB & J YYC | Calgary, AB
Google is often the go-to place for many of us when we're searching for products or services online. They offer a variety of tools that can help small business owners get noticed by potential customers. As part of their free services, your business can show up in Google's organic search results, but it does require a bit of work on your end. Dr. Katelyn Campbell from Cochrane TCM in Cochrane, Alberta, turned to the DEP to enhance her online presence and increase her chances of being found through search engines like Google. In her field of therapeutic services, competition is fierce, and she was seeking a way to stand out and attract new clients. Our team collaborated with Dr. Katelyn to boost her chances of being discovered. Our Digital Service Squad (DSS) applied Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques to enhance Dr. Katelyn's website. This involved tasks like properly tagging photos and optimizing the site's structure, making it more user-friendly for search engines like Google to understand the content. When the content is easier for search engines to understand, the more likely they are to display your content to the right customers. To help add to Dr. Katelyn’s searchability, our team added images to her Google Business Profile to help give clients a feel for her business prior to their first visit.
“Erica took the time to understand my business and its goals, and then crafted a customized digital marketing plan that was tailored to my needs. She provided valuable insights and guidance every step of the way”
– Dr. Katelyn Campbell | Owner of Cochrane TCM | Cochrane, AB
We are excited to see so many small and medium-sized businesses going through their digital transformation and are eager to help more businesses do the same. Through the support of the DEP, businesses have been able to thrive, allowing them to stay competitive in the ever-changing digital landscape, whether its enabling eCommerce, building a social presence, or helping to get found online.
To learn more about Digital Main Street and how our Alberta Digital Service Squads can help your business, visit here.
Digital Main Street was created by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) with direct support from the City of Toronto. DMS is also supported by a group of strategic business partners, including Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Meta, Intuit QuickBooks, Square, Lightspeed, Ebay and Canada Post.
Digital Main Street and Business Link have partnered to deliver the Digital Economy Program in Alberta. Through Digital Service Squads, the Digital Economy Program aims to help small businesses adopt digital technologies to grow and stay competitive. The Digital Economy Program is funded by the Government of Alberta and Prairies Economic Development Canada.
