Concordia students offer free marketing services to Montreal's non-profits and businesses
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
William Nylander stood in a solemn visitors locker room at TD Garden just before midnight. The Maple Leafs had battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss. Nylander's message was emphatic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.