Category: Communication


Photo of a Gray Dell Laptop Displaying Pexels Webpage

Finding Great (And Legal) Images for Your Website and Social Media

Images are an essential inclusion in your website, blog post, or social media. They can help you get more shares and interactions on articles and social media and create a visually-attractive user experience on your website. However, did you know it’s illegal to use some images you find online in your business? There are laws prohibiting you from grabbing any image you see online.

In this article, we’ll share how to find stock images you are legally allowed to use and share a few of our favourite free stock photo websites.

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Person sitting at a desk with an open laptop, talking on the phone

How To Effectively Communicate During the COVID-19 Crisis – Tips For Small Businesses

With the new reality of social distancing and isolation comes the challenge for small business owners wondering how to use your digital platforms to effectively communicate with your customers and clients. The last few weeks have been a challenging time for all small businesses – this is certainly the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced at Out-Smarts and judging by the calls we have been fielding from clients and our community asking about what they should communicate, how they should communicate and how to pivot to doing more business online, we are not alone.
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When Is It Okay to Make Contact Electronically – CASL (Canadian Anti Spam Legislation)

Canadian Anti Spam Legislation comes into force on July 1st. After this date you will no longer be able to send electronic communication via Email, SMS, Social Media or IMS (basically any electronic communication means) and could face hefty fines if you do so unless they fall under the following:

CASL Recipient ExemptionsHand typing on a phone beside a keyboard

  • you are sending  to people you have personal relationships with such as a close friend, family member (not everyone who likes you on Facebook though!)
  • you are sending to employees or contractors
  • recipients are business partners or service providers
  • they are current clients who have ongoing business with you
  • if a customer has contacted you in the last 6 months – then it is okay to reply
  • they are someone  you have a legal issue with
  • if the recipient is out with Canada – there are 116 exempted countries
  • charities and not surprisingly, political parties are exempt (some of the worst offenders in my mind!)
  • if your communication is about a safety issue, warranty or recall pertaining to your products and services
  • if your communication is providing information about an account, product use, subscription or ongoing business relationship
  • if you are a digital firm providing updates or patches to users then you are good to contact them
  • if you have been referred – but remember to make it clear who you are, why you are contacting them and who referred you