14 Social Media Strategies for E-commerce

The intent of social media has evolved since Instagram first came onto the scene. Where once we’d share pictures of aesthetic dinners and pets with our nearest and dearest, businesses soon saw an opportunity to reach their customers innovatively and instantly.   

Today, it’s hard to imagine any brand without a social media presence of some sort, so understanding how to utilise social media for e-commerce is one of the most rapidly growing strategies for businesses.    

This comprehensive guide delves into the strategies and tactics needed to capitalise on social media’s immense potential, drawing from Autify’s extensive expertise and experience in the field.   

Let’s get started. 

1. Define your ecommerce store’s social media goals 

Social media has emerged as a powerhouse for driving e-commerce success, revolutionising how businesses connect with their target audiences and driving sales. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter commanding unprecedented levels of user engagement, the potential for leveraging social media for e-commerce growth is virtually limitless.  

However, it’s not as simple as showcasing yourself on every platform.   

A successful social media strategy starts with aligning your business objectives with your social media goals.   

Whether you aim to enhance brand awareness, boost website traffic, or increase sales, defining clear and measurable goals is crucial.   

At Autify, we stress the significance of setting SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This approach ensures clarity and accountability, allowing you to focus on activities that yield meaningful results and deliver a quantifiable return on investment. 

2. Create a social media strategy for your ecommerce store 

Crafting a well-defined social media strategy lays the foundation for a cohesive and practical approach to online marketing.   

A successful social media strategy begins with thoroughly understanding your target audience and market dynamics. By conducting comprehensive market research and competitor analysis, you can identify key insights and opportunities to differentiate your brand and capture audience attention.  

For instance, instead of aiming to boost web traffic, setting a specific goal such as increasing web traffic by 5% monthly or achieving 10,000 website visits within 6 months will provide more precise direction and measurability – and align with those SMART goals we mentioned earlier.   

3. Determine the social media channels your ecommerce store should target 

Not all social media platforms are created equal, and choosing the proper channels to focus your efforts is crucial for success.  

Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or TikTok, each platform has unique strengths and audience demographics.   

By conducting audience research and platform analysis, you can identify the channels that align with your brand identity and business objectives, ensuring your social media efforts are targeted and effective.  

Once this information is attained, you can create customer personas that match each audience segment.  

Here are some ideas of information for you to gather to get to know your audience:   

• Location  
• Age  
• Gender  
• Interests  
• Career/Industry   
• Income   
• Motivation to buy  
• Buying Concerns   

4. Optimise your social media accounts for ecommerce 

Your social media profiles serve as digital storefronts, giving potential customers their first impression of your brand. As such, you need to make it easy for people to find the information they need at a glance.   

From your profile picture and cover photo to your bio and contact information—it is carefully crafted to reflect your brand identity and resonate with your target audience.  

Furthermore, incorporating relevant keywords, compelling visuals, and clear calls to action can drive traffic to your e-commerce store and encourage users to take the next step. 

5. Use organic social media strategies for ecommerce 

While paid advertising can yield immediate results, organic strategies are equally crucial for building long-term relationships and generating brand loyalty.   

Design a plan for creating and sharing content on your dedicated social media channels.   

Since the content may vary depending on the platform and audience, creating a strategy that caters to this is essential.   

Your content may be a mix of the following:  

• News  
• Inspiration  
• Education  
• Products/promotions  
• Contests/giveaways   
• Customer/influencer features  
• Q&A  
• Tips and tricks  
• Blog posts   

6. Use social media paid campaigns optimised for ecommerce stores 

Almost every social platform offers paid advertising options, which can help increase visibility, especially as organic reach becomes more challenging.  

Each platform also features different ads, so exploring the various options is worth exploring. You could experiment with different ad types on each platform. For instance, consider retargeting ads on Facebook while leveraging Shoppable posts on Instagram.  

And by continuously monitoring performance and optimising campaigns for maximum ROI, you ensure that your advertising pounds are invested wisely and deliver a measurable return on investment. 

7. Use automation tools 

Streamlining your social media workflow with automation tools can save time and improve efficiency, allowing you to focus on strategic activities that drive results.   

At Autify, we leverage various automation tools and technologies to simplify repetitive tasks and streamline our processes.  

From scheduling posts and monitoring engagement to analysing performance and generating reports, automation allows you to maintain a consistent presence across multiple platforms without sacrificing quality or effectiveness. 

8. Create clear call to actions 

Every post should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that prompts users to take the next step in their customer journey. 

Whether it’s encouraging users to visit your website, sign up for a newsletter, or purchase, CTAs are designed to be clear, concise, and compelling. Incorporating actionable language and strategic placement ensures that your CTAs stand out and drive measurable results, helping you achieve your business objectives and growth. 

9. Take advantage of third-party website selling and advertising 

In addition to your social media channels, exploring third-party selling and advertising opportunities can help you reach new audiences, drive sales, and build legitimacy and website traffic.   

Whether it’s Amazon, Etsy, Pinterest, or Shopify, these platforms help you maximise your visibility and drive sales across multiple channels. 

10. Use social proof 

You may or may have yet to hear of social proof.  

Social proof is a term coined back in 1984 by psychologist Robert Cialdini. The general idea is that people copy the actions of others in an attempt to emulate behaviour in unfamiliar situations.   

In e-commerce, customer reviews, user-generated content, and influencer marketing generate social proof to share with your target audience.   

From showcasing positive reviews and testimonials to highlighting user-generated content and social endorsements, harness the power of social proof to validate your brand and differentiate yourself from the competition. 

11. Use social listening 

Social listening involves actively monitoring and analysing conversations, mentions, and sentiments about your brand across various social media channels.   

By monitoring discussions about your brand, products, or industry, you can promptly identify emerging trends, address customer issues, and capitalise on opportunities to engage with your audience meaningfully.   

We regularly reshare content on LinkedIn to keep our audience up to date on anything new and upcoming, and to engage in conversation by asking questions in our posts.  

Here are some other ways you can use social listening:   

• Reshare content  
• Ask questions  
• Run a poll  
• Jump on trends  
• Respond to comments  

This proactive approach to social listening allows us to maintain a positive brand reputation and cultivate strong relationships with your target audience. 

12. Post Consistently 

Consistency is paramount in maintaining a solid presence on social media and keeping your audience engaged over time.  

Planning and scheduling regular posts across various social media platforms ensures your brand remains visible and relevant to your audience. Whether it’s sharing informative articles, engaging visuals, or promotional offers, a consistent posting strategy helps reinforce your brand identity, drive ongoing engagement, and create loyalty among your followers.  

Whichever tactic you choose, establish a schedule for when and how often you’ll post on each media platform.   

This will help you stay consistent and create a steady flow of content your users will become accustomed to.   

For example, we know that for some of our clients, posting 4 times a month on Instagram generates the best user engagement. Whereas for others, posting weekly on LinkedIn is best.  

But do your research, as each platform will have a peak time to post. The best time to post on Instagram will differ from the best time to post on TikTok.   

13. Use analytics to guide your ecommerce sales 

Data-driven insights are invaluable for optimising your social media strategy and maximising your e-commerce sales.  

Utilising advanced analytics tools to track key performance metrics, such as engagement rates, website traffic, and conversion rates, and analysing this data will identify trends, patterns, and opportunities for improvement in your social media campaigns.   

Whether refining your content strategy, targeting specific audience segments, or adjusting your advertising spend, an analytics-driven approach enables you to make informed decisions that drive tangible results and contribute to your e-commerce success. 

14. Monitor the success of the social media ecommerce strategy 

Regular monitoring and evaluation of your social media e-commerce strategy are essential for identifying areas of strength and areas for improvement.  

By measuring key metrics such as reach, engagement, and conversion rates, you can assess the effectiveness of your strategies and identify opportunities to optimise performance.   

The metrics you monitor should align with your objectives. For instance, if your goal is to enhance website traffic, focusing on click-through rates is essential. Conversely, tracking conversions becomes your go-to if you aim to drive sales. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Which social media platform is best for ecommerce? 

The best social media platform for your e-commerce is entirely dependent on your brand goals, audience and product. This can only be determined by conducting surveys and thorough research.  

As it stands, the 5 popular social media platforms for e-commerce in 2024 are:

1. Facebook – latest monthly active users estimate: 3 billion
2. Instagram – latest monthly active users estimate: 2.35 billion
3. WeChat: latest monthly active users estimate: 1.3 billion
4. TikTok: latest monthly active users estimate: 1 billion
5. Snapchat: 750 million

This article by Insider Monkey goes further into each social media platform and the e-commerce’s gravitating towards them. 

What are the negatives of social media on e-commerce? 

Social media can have a downside for businesses when bad reviews scare off potential customers. Someone considering your product or service but seeing negative feedback from unhappy customers might change their mind immediately.  

Reviews on popular social networks like Facebook or YouTube can matter to people researching brands or products. Sometimes, these reviews are as critical as advice from a trusted friend.  

So, even if the negative things said about your company aren’t fair, they can still sway people’s buying decisions enough to hurt your sales, profits, and business growth. 

Why is Facebook good for ecommerce? 

Facebook gathers a staggering amount of data from every user, and I mean a huge amount. In fact, it can collect up to 52,000 data points for each user.  

Thanks to this wealth of information, you can finely tailor your target audience based on various factors like conversion goals, location, age, gender, demographics, interests, behaviour, and language.  

This level of precision allows for highly effective and targeted advertising strategies on the platform. 

What the Different Types of Digital Marketing?

There are 12 types of digital marketing including content marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), and email marketing.

Create your social media ecommerce strategy today 

At Autify, we recognise the transformative impact of social media on e-commerce, having worked closely with numerous clients to craft tailored strategies that drive tangible results.  

From increasing brand visibility to boosting conversions, our proven approach to social media marketing is grounded in data-driven insights and a deep understanding of consumer behaviour. 

Take a look at our marketing services to see how we can help your brand on its e-commerce journey.