In the blog post from a couple of weeks ago, we mentioned that the government funding is now available for online advertising with CanExport Program. Since then, we received many questions about it and wanted to share the answers on the most important ones.
1. What are the examples of eligible online advertising costs?
Paid advertising in search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.), paid advertising in social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.), paid advertising in blogs (e.g. product reviews and endorsements by celebrities).
2. What is the maximum amount of government funding for online advertising costs?
75% of your expenses up to a maximum of $20,000
3. Can I use CanExport program to pay for online advertising in Canada?
No. The purpose of CanExport program is to help Canadian businesses expand into new export markets. Marketing and advertising expenses to grow the business in Canada are not eligible.
4. What is the definition of the “new export market”?
An export market is considered new if, during the company’s last complete tax reporting year, sales figures for that particular market were:
- Less than $100,000 or
- Less than 10% of the company’s total sales (domestic and international sales)
Please note that the US is broken down into 4 regional sub-markets. It means that if you already sell on the East Coast, you are eligible to market your products to the customer on the West Coast.
5. We need to produce, adapt or translate my marketing materials to advertise online to the foreign audience. Do we qualify?
Yes, the government provides 75% of such expenses up to a maximum of $75,000.
Does your business qualify for the above and other government funding programs? Fill out Eligibility Check form at http://www.fgwinc.ca/
