Concordia students offer free marketing services to Montreal's non-profits and businesses

A digital marketing report shows website traffic on a tablet. (Source: PIXABAY/Photo Mix)

Montreal's small businesses and non-profits can now access free marketing services thanks to a student-led group at Concordia University.

While corporations spend thousands on marketing reports, the Concordia Marketing Aid Clinic (CMAC) creates detailed reports on event marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), target audience reach and content creation — all without charging a penny.

Founded two years ago by Concordia University students, the CMAC initially wanted to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rivkah Groszman, president and co-founder of the CMAC, says her group also gives Concordia students valuable work experience before they graduate.

"I hope they learn how to analyze a real-life marketing situation and create solutions. By creating their own reports, templates and examples we suggest to our clients, they will have a chance to work on strategies and their actual implementation in theory," she said.

Last year, the group created 60-page marketing reports for Scratch Takes, a local video production service, and a youth-led non-profit called Medical Herstory.

Both got a detailed analysis of industry threats and opportunities, probability of success, consumer segments, and the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion.

Two other applicants will receive a free marketing consultation in the new academic year, after sending in their client recruitment form by Aug. 28.

"We're all very passionate about giving back to our small businesses and non-profits because they’re really the backbone of Montreal culture and the Montreal community," Groszman added.

The group is funded by the Concordia Student Union (CSU) to make sure it can provide free tools to its clients and organize student events, but all of its members work voluntarily.

For Renee Belanger, a fourth-year marketing student at Concordia, being the vice president of events at the CMAC is an "engaging and exciting" opportunity.

"I want to work with small businesses. I think it's more personal and more down my alley," she said. "I like taking on bigger challenges, which I think is what small businesses allow you to do, and it feels more rewarding to see the results."

Belanger added that organizing events helps her expand her network, while the overall experience is a solid foundation for her future marketing career.

With the new application season well underway, a sample of the group's past consultation reports can be found on the CMAC website.