[ the p.a. blog ]
marketing, handled.
explained.
Plain-English guides for small-business owners who want marketing that runs without them — no jargon, no hype, real numbers. Written the way we work.
how much should a small business spend on marketing in canada?
Insufficient demand is the number one thing holding Canadian small businesses back — which is a marketing problem wearing an economics costume. Here's the honest answer on what to spend: the BDC percentages, what Canadian firms really budget, and how to work the number backwards from the customers you need.
read the guide →meta ads for small business: a no-waste starter guide
Meta ads for small business work — most of the money lost on them is avoidable waste, not the platform. Here's what a click actually costs, why boosting burns budget, the no-waste starter setup, and how to tell if it's working: cost per lead, not likes.
read the guide →email marketing for small business that doesn't get deleted
Email is the highest-ROI channel a small business has — returning 32:1 to 45:1. But that return only exists if the email gets opened. Here's the anti-delete playbook: honest subject lines, one idea per send, and emails that sound like a person, not a blast.
read the guide →social media marketing for small business: the consistency playbook
The reason your social media isn't working probably isn't your content — it's that you stopped posting by week three. Here's the consistency playbook: fewer platforms, a sustainable cadence you can actually keep, and one voice that compounds.
read the guide →ai marketing for small business: on-brand or not at all
AI marketing is cheap and everywhere now — but generic AI content is the least-trusted format online. Here's what actually works for a small business, what Google really rewards, and how to use AI without sounding like every competitor.
read the guide →marketing automation for small business: what to automate first (and what to never hand over)
43% of small businesses now automate their marketing. Here's what's actually worth automating, what you should never hand to software, the real 2026 ROI numbers — and how to start in 30 days without buying six tools.
read the guide →coming next
- Small business marketing ROI: how to know if it's working growth & reporting