How to Market Your Ontario Business as We Emerge from Lockdowns

First: Get Your Digital Presence Up to Date

Before doing any new marketing, make sure your website and Google My Business profile accurately reflect your current reality.

This sounds basic, but you would be surprised how many Ontario business websites still show pre-pandemic hours, services that have been suspended, or no mention of how the business is currently operating. A potential customer who searches for you right now and finds outdated information is a customer you've likely lost. Before you spend a dollar on advertising or outreach, do a quick audit of every place your business appears online: your website homepage, your Google My Business listing, your social media profiles, and any directory listings.

Your Google My Business profile is especially critical. It's often the first thing someone sees when they search for your business by name, and it appears prominently in local searches. Make sure your hours are accurate (including holiday exceptions and any reduced-capacity notes), your service list reflects what you're currently offering, and your posts section has something recent. Google rewards active GMB profiles with better visibility, and right now, local search is how most of your potential customers are finding businesses like yours.

On your website, add a clear, visible notice — a banner or a section near the top of the homepage — that addresses your COVID operating status. Even if you're operating normally, saying so builds confidence. If there are delays, restrictions on services, or changes to how you accept customers, say that clearly too. Customers who feel informed are customers who stick around.

• Update Google My Business hours and add a COVID update post
• Add a homepage banner with your current operating status
• Check that every service page reflects what you're actually offering right now
• Confirm your phone number, email, and contact form are all working

Re-Engage Your Email List Before You Market to Strangers

Your existing email subscribers are warmer, cheaper to convert, and more forgiving than cold audiences — start there.

Many Ontario businesses went quiet on email marketing during the first lockdown, either because they didn't know what to say or because it felt inappropriate to market while people were struggling. That caution was understandable, but now it's created a gap — a list that hasn't heard from you in six, eight, or twelve months. That list still has value, but it needs warming up before you go straight into promotional mode.

The best re-engagement approach is transparency. Write an email that acknowledges the silence, shares what the past year has been like for your business, and offers something genuinely useful to the reader — a helpful resource, a behind-the-scenes update, or a small exclusive offer as a thank-you for their loyalty. Don't make it about selling. Make it about reconnecting. You'll be surprised how many people respond positively to authenticity, especially after a year that's been hard for everyone.

Once you've sent that first reconnection email and warmed the list back up, establish a regular cadence — even monthly is enough for most small businesses. Consistent email communication is one of the highest-ROI marketing channels available, with Canadian open rates averaging around 20-25% for small business newsletters. Every email you send is essentially free marketing to an audience that has already raised their hand to hear from you.

Why Community and Local Marketing Is Your Edge Right Now

Ontario consumers are actively choosing local — and businesses that lean into community connection are capturing a loyalty advantage.

One of the clearest consumer trends to emerge from 2020 is the shift toward supporting local businesses. Canadians who watched their favourite restaurants, boutiques, and service providers struggle through the pandemic have developed a renewed appreciation for local commerce. This is an opportunity that community-minded marketing can capitalize on directly. The businesses leading this aren't necessarily spending more on advertising — they're spending more authentically.

What does community marketing look like in practice? It's the café that highlights their local supplier on Instagram and tags the farm. It's the home renovation company that partners with a local lumber yard for a neighbourhood improvement guide. It's the retailer that participates in a local business association's 'buy local' campaign and promotes it on their own channels. It's the professional services firm that shares useful tips specifically for their city or region rather than generic advice. The common thread is rootedness — showing that your business is part of something larger than just a transaction.

From a digital standpoint, local marketing also means optimizing for local search intent. People are searching for '[service] near me' and '[service] in [city]' more than ever, because they want the confidence of choosing a local provider. Your website content, your blog, your GMB profile — all of it should reinforce your local presence and expertise. This is particularly true for Ontario businesses in smaller cities and towns, where the local connection is a genuine differentiator against big-box competitors.

1. Step 1: Define your community identity: What city or neighbourhood does your business serve most? Make that geographic identity explicit in your marketing — website copy, social bios, email signatures.
2. Step 2: Find your local partnerships: Identify two or three complementary local businesses you could cross-promote with. A joint social post or a bundled offer reaches both your audiences at zero ad cost.
3. Step 3: Create local content: Write one piece of content per month that's specifically relevant to your Ontario market — a local trend, a local issue, a local success story. This builds search visibility and community credibility simultaneously.
4. Step 4: Activate your reviews: Ask every satisfied customer for a Google review. In 2021, reviews are social proof and ranking signals. A simple follow-up email after a purchase or service can double your review volume within weeks.

How to Position for the Pent-Up Demand Wave

When restrictions ease, consumer spending will accelerate — position your business to be the obvious choice before that happens.

Economic and behavioural research consistently shows that lockdowns create suppressed demand that releases in a wave when restrictions ease. We saw this clearly after the first Ontario lockdown in spring 2020 — businesses that had stayed visible and kept their digital presence sharp saw a disproportionate surge in inquiries and sales when things reopened. The same pattern is expected when the second wave recedes.

Positioning for pent-up demand isn't about aggressive advertising right now. It's about making sure that when someone is ready to buy or book — which may be weeks or months from now — your business is the first one they think of and the easiest one to choose. That means staying visible in search and on social media, making it effortless to book or purchase through your website, and giving potential customers reasons to put you on their mental shortlist before they're ready to act.

Consider creating content now that targets searches people will make when they're ready to buy. A home renovation company, for example, might publish a 'Spring renovation planning guide for Ontario homeowners' in January. By the time spring actually arrives and homeowners start their search in earnest, that content will have had months to rank. You're planting seeds in January for a harvest in April or May.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Ontario COVID-19 Business Support Programs
• Statistics Canada: Canadian Business Conditions Survey