Skip to content
American ExpressAmerican ExpressAmerican ExpressAmerican ExpressAmerican Express
  • Personal Accounts

    • Account Summary
    • View Statement
    • Manage Account
    • Make a Payment
    • Manage Pre-Authorized Payment
    • Add Someone to Your Account

    Business Accounts

    • Business Account Summary
    • American Express @Work
    • Merchant Services

    Online Services

    • Register for Online Services
    • Activate Your Card
    • American Express App
    • Manage Account Alerts
    • Sign Up for Email Offers
    • Online-Only Statements

    Other Services

    • American Express Gift Cards
    • Support 24/7
    • Welcome Centre
    CanadaChange Country
    English
    • Français
  • Personal Cards

    • View All Cards
    • Credit Cards
    • Why American Express?

    Small Business Cards

    • View Business Cards
    • Interested in a Card?
    • Refer a Business Owner

    Corporate Cards

    • Corporate Cards
    • Supplier Payment Solutions

    Quick Links

    • Travel Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • Platinum Cards
    • AIR MILES®* Credit Cards
    • Aeroplan®* Rewards Cards
    CanadaChange Country
    English
    • Français
  • Online Travel

    • Book Travel Online
    • Book Fine Hotels & Resorts
    • Book The Hotel Collection
    • Travel Support

    Business Travel

    • Global Business Travel Solutions
    • Meetings & Events

    Other Travel Services

    • Travelers Cheques
    CanadaChange Country
    English
    • Français
  • Travel

    • Travel Insurance
    • Air Trip Insurance

    Personal

    • Account Protector Ultimate
    • Identity Defence

    Other

    • Review Your Coverage
    • Submit an Online Claim
    CanadaChange Country
    English
    • Français
  • Membership Rewards® Program

    • Explore Membership Rewards
    • Redeem Points
    • Fixed Points Travel Program
    • About Membership Rewards

    Other Reward Programs

    • AIR MILES®* Credit Cards
    • Aeroplan®* Rewards Cards

    American Express Invites®

    • Front Of The Line®, Entertainment, Shopping & Dining Offers
    • Sign Up for Entertainment e-Updates

    Refer a Friend

    • Refer a Friend. Get Rewarded
    CanadaChange Country
    English
    • Français
  • Merchants

    • Merchant Services
    • Accept the Card
    • Manage Merchant Account
    • Contact Us
    • FAQs

    Corporations

    • Corporate Cards
    • Supplier Payment Solutions
    • Cardmember Resources
    • Program Administrator Resources
    • Global Business Travel Solutions

    Small Business

    • Small Business Solutions
    • View all Cards
    • Business Trends & Insights

    Global Network

    • Home
    • Issuers
    • Acquirers
    • Service Providers
    • Developers
    CanadaChange Country
    English
    • Français
  • Contact Us
  • Login
      • Account Summary
      • View Statement
      • Manage Account
      • Make a Payment
      • Manage Pre-Authorized Payment
      • Add Someone to Your Account
      • Business Account Summary
      • American Express @Work
      • Merchant Services
      • Register for Online Services
      • Activate Your Card
      • American Express App
      • Manage Account Alerts
      • Sign Up for Email Offers
      • Online-Only Statements
      • American Express Gift Cards
      • Support 24/7
      • Welcome Centre
      • View All Cards
      • Credit Cards
      • Why American Express?
      • View Business Cards
      • Interested in a Card?
      • Refer a Business Owner
      • Corporate Cards
      • Supplier Payment Solutions
      • Travel Cards
      • Cash Back Credit Cards
      • Platinum Cards
      • AIR MILES®* Credit Cards
      • Aeroplan®* Rewards Cards
      • Book Travel Online
      • Book Fine Hotels & Resorts
      • Book The Hotel Collection
      • Travel Support
      • Global Business Travel Solutions
      • Meetings & Events
      • Travelers Cheques
      • Travel Insurance
      • Air Trip Insurance
      • Account Protector Ultimate
      • Identity Defence
      • Review Your Coverage
      • Submit an Online Claim
      • Explore Membership Rewards
      • Redeem Points
      • Fixed Points Travel Program
      • About Membership Rewards
      • AIR MILES®* Credit Cards
      • Aeroplan®* Rewards Cards
      • Front Of The Line®, Entertainment, Shopping & Dining Offers
      • Sign Up for Entertainment e-Updates
      • Refer a Friend. Get Rewarded
      • Merchant Services
      • Accept the Card
      • Manage Merchant Account
      • Contact Us
      • FAQs
      • Corporate Cards
      • Supplier Payment Solutions
      • Cardmember Resources
      • Program Administrator Resources
      • Global Business Travel Solutions
      • Small Business Solutions
      • View all Cards
      • Business Trends & Insights
      • Home
      • Issuers
      • Acquirers
      • Service Providers
      • Developers
  • Contact Us
CanadaChange Country
English
  • Français
  • Personal Accounts

    • Account Summary
    • View Statement
    • Manage Account
    • Make a Payment
    • Manage Pre-Authorized Payment
    • Add Someone to Your Account

    Business Accounts

    • Business Account Summary
    • American Express @Work
    • Merchant Services

    Online Services

    • Register for Online Services
    • Activate Your Card
    • American Express App
    • Manage Account Alerts
    • Sign Up for Email Offers
    • Online-Only Statements

    Other Services

    • American Express Gift Cards
    • Support 24/7
    • Welcome Centre
  • Personal Cards

    • View All Cards
    • Credit Cards
    • Why American Express?

    Small Business Cards

    • View Business Cards
    • Interested in a Card?
    • Refer a Business Owner

    Corporate Cards

    • Corporate Cards
    • Supplier Payment Solutions

    Quick Links

    • Travel Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • Platinum Cards
    • AIR MILES®* Credit Cards
    • Aeroplan®* Rewards Cards
  • Online Travel

    • Book Travel Online
    • Book Fine Hotels & Resorts
    • Book The Hotel Collection
    • Travel Support

    Business Travel

    • Global Business Travel Solutions
    • Meetings & Events

    Other Travel Services

    • Travelers Cheques
  • Travel

    • Travel Insurance
    • Air Trip Insurance

    Personal

    • Account Protector Ultimate
    • Identity Defence

    Other

    • Review Your Coverage
    • Submit an Online Claim
  • Membership Rewards® Program

    • Explore Membership Rewards
    • Redeem Points
    • Fixed Points Travel Program
    • About Membership Rewards

    Other Reward Programs

    • AIR MILES®* Credit Cards
    • Aeroplan®* Rewards Cards

    American Express Invites®

    • Front Of The Line®, Entertainment, Shopping & Dining Offers
    • Sign Up for Entertainment e-Updates

    Refer a Friend

    • Refer a Friend. Get Rewarded
  • Merchants

    • Merchant Services
    • Accept the Card
    • Manage Merchant Account
    • Contact Us
    • FAQs

    Corporations

    • Corporate Cards
    • Supplier Payment Solutions
    • Cardmember Resources
    • Program Administrator Resources
    • Global Business Travel Solutions

    Small Business

    • Small Business Solutions
    • View all Cards
    • Business Trends & Insights

    Global Network

    • Home
    • Issuers
    • Acquirers
    • Service Providers
    • Developers

CanadaChange Country
English
  • Français
Business Cards
Small to Medium
American Express® Business Gold Rewards Card
Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Marriott Bonvoy™ Business American Express® Card
American Express® AIR MILES® for Business Card
American Express® AIR MILES® Gold Business Card
American Express Business Edge™ Card
View all Business Cards
Large/Corporate
American Express® Corporate Card
American Express® Corporate Gold Card
Corporate Platinum Card® from American Express
American Express® AeroplanPlus®* Corporate Card
American Express® AeroplanPlus®* Corporate Platinum Card
View All Corporate Cards
Supplier Payment Solutions
American Express vPayment
American Express Corporate Purchasing Card
American Express Business Travel Account
American Express Buyer Initiated Payments
American Express Corporate Meeting Card
View all
Trends & Insights
Trends & Insights
Insights and Inspiration to Help Grow Your Business
Managing Money
Cash Flow
Financing
Creating Efficiencies
Suppliers
Inventory Management
Productivity
Automation
Planning for Growth
Strategy
People
Business Expansion
Risks and Controls
Innovation
Industry Thought Leadership
Industry Insights
Oil & Gas
Construction
Thought Leadership
Request Info
  • Trends and Insights
  • Planning for Growth
  • Strategy
Business Class

June 18, 2019

4 Simple Steps to Ease Into Social Media for Business

4 Simple Steps to Ease Into Social Media for Business

Twitter Icon
Facebook Icon
LinkedIn Icon
American Express

Summary

Use these four simple steps to get started with a social media strategy for your business.

Twitter Icon
Facebook Icon
LinkedIn Icon

It's no secret that companies today need a social media presence to compete in this business environment. A 2018 report found that 74 percent of Canadians are online between 3 and 4 hours each day, and of those online users, 67 percent spend time on social media.1

Choosing the right social media platform to promote your business, knowing what and when to post and trying to find the time for it can be overwhelming. These four simple steps will help you get started with a social media strategy for your company

Step 1: Find your audience

The social media platform you choose first for your business depends on your ideal customers’ preference and the social channel that resonates most for them. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest each appeal to slightly different user groups. In addition, the type of content posted—everything from short, text-based posts to images and videos—and how it's shared differs slightly between platforms.

Select your platform by finding the audience that includes your ideal customer. For example, Facebook is the largest platform, with a growing number of older users (55 year old +). LinkedIn is most popular with B2B users. Pinterest caters primarily to women, while Instagram users tend to be younger than the average social media user.2

Step 2: Set up an account and define your purpose

Setting up a business account on a social media platform is simple. Choose a social media account name (referred to as a "handle") that's either identical to your brand name or a shortened version of it. Keep all content, including images and logo, on brand. This means using fonts, colours and messaging should be consistent across all posts.

Once that's done, consider your goals to help determine the types of posts you'll share:

  • To improve customer engagement
  • To reach new customers
  • To promote new products or services
  • To learn about customers by studying which social media content gets the most likes, shares, pins, etc.
  • To drive customers to your website
  • To build an email list

Planning ahead will save you time and money and help to ensure your business social media content is effective.

Step 3: Consider your content

Identifying the purpose of your business' social media account will help direct your social media content decisions - what do you want your business to be known for?. First up, create a social media content calendar. Decide how often to post, when to post and what to post balancing the need to build your presence and your resources to do so. Post content based on your customers' needs, the content that most engages your audience and what your competitors are doing.

Be sure to regularly fine-tune your content based on your social media traffic and engagement. You can assess this using the analytics services of the platform itself, for example Facebook Analytics or Pinterest Analytics.

Another effective way to amplify your social media messages to a targeted audience is to advertise on social media, instead of depending only on the organic traffic that occurs from users sharing your content. If you choose this route, consider using your American Express business card to pay for social media posts. This may help you collect Membership Rewards®, turning an expenditure into revenue that you can inject back into your business.

Step 4: Automate your social media strategy or hire a pro

Like most effective marketing strategies, launching a social media marketing program takes time, money and effort. Luckily, businesses have several options to manage their social media.

Consider investing in a social media scheduling app such as Tailwind, Hootsuite or Buffer to save time by batch-scheduling social media posts. Or hire a social media manager when you're ready to increase your content output and scale up.

When it comes to launching a social media strategy for your small business, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Don't be. Choose just one social media platform to start with, and work through one step at a time to connect with your existing customers and attract new ones.

 

1 https://canadiansinternet.com/2018-social-media-use-canada/

2 https://www.bluecorona.com/blog/which-social-media-platforms-best-for-business

 

 

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or an opinion on any issue. It should not be regarded as comprehensive or a substitute for professional advice.

Twitter Icon
Facebook Icon
LinkedIn Icon
Want to Dig Deeper?

American Express Cards

  • Personal Cards
  • Credit Cards
  • Small Business Cards
  • Corporate Cards
  • American Express Gift Cards
  • Add Someone to Your Account

More Products & Services

  • Membership Rewards® Program
  • American Express App
  • Insurance Home
  • Book Travel Online
  • Merchant Services
  • Accept the Card

Important Links

  • Form & Document Centre
  • Online Services
  • Global Assist
  • Shop Confidently
  • See Merchants Near You
  • Refer a Friend

Company Information

  • About American Express
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Sign Up for Email Offers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Moving Abroad?
    • Personal Cards
    • Credit Cards
    • Small Business Cards
    • Corporate Cards
    • American Express Gift Cards
    • Add Someone to Your Account
    • Membership Rewards® Program
    • American Express App
    • Insurance Home
    • Book Travel Online
    • Merchant Services
    • Accept the Card
    • Form & Document Centre
    • Online Services
    • Global Assist
    • Shop Confidently
    • See Merchants Near You
    • Refer a Friend
    • About American Express
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Sign Up for Email Offers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Moving Abroad?

American Express
CanadaChange country
English
  • Français
  • Facebook
  • Connect with Amex on Instagram
  • Tweet your questions to @AskAmex
  • YouTube

  • Trademarks
  • Terms & Conditions of Use
  • Updated Online Privacy Statement (01/2018)
  • Complaint Handling
  • Codes of Conduct & Commitments
  • Amex Bank of Canada Prime Rate
  • Security Alerts
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Accessibility Plan
  • Cardmember Agreements

Amex Bank of Canada, P.O. Box 3204, Station F, Toronto, ON M1W 3W7

Copyright © 2021 American Express Company