How to Build Your Social Media Marketing Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide

With more people scrolling and shopping on social media every day, your brand needs to show where it matters or risk missing out. 

Whether you’re just starting out or trying to level up your current efforts, a clear social media strategy will help you stop guessing, start planning and make your efforts actually work for your business.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the key steps to building a social media marketing strategy that’s focused, achievable and tailored to your store. 

Ready to boost your ecommerce social media strategy? Let's begin.

Table of Contents

• Why Is Social Media Marketing So Important in 2025?
• Why Every Ecommerce Business Needs a Social Media Strategy
• 1. Know What You’re Trying to Achieve
• 2. Understand Your Audience First
• 3. Audit What You’re Already Doing
• 4. Choose the Right Platforms (Not All of Them)
• 5. Build a Content Plan That Matches Your Brand
• 6. Create a Posting Schedule You Can Stick To
• 7. Engage, Don’t Just Broadcast
• 8. Connect Your Socials With Your Store
• 9. Track What Matters
• 10. Keep Testing and Improving
• Your Social Media Strategy Checklist
• Final Thoughts

Why Is Social Media Marketing So Important in 2025?

Social media has evolved over the years. Once a place where you'd keep up to date with friends and share fun memes, social platforms are now one of the most important tools for growing an ecommerce brand.

So, what exactly is social media marketing? 

Social media marketing is the process of using social media platforms to show off your brand, connect with your audience and sell your products or services. The most popular platforms for ecommerce brands are currently Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. If you’re not already active on these platforms, your competitors could well be! 

Done well, social media marketing helps you:

• Build brand awareness with the right audience
• Drive traffic directly to your website or product pages
• Showcase your products in real-life, relatable ways
• Create conversations and community around your brand
• Support customers and answer questions quickly
• Convert casual scrollers into loyal, repeat customers

But in order for all of this to fall into place, you’ll need a solid strategy behind your efforts that you can follow and monitor (which is what we’ll cover in this guide!)

Why Every Ecommerce Business Needs a Social Media Strategy

Something that more and more top brands are doing these days is posting good, engaging, consistent content on social media. From big brands to smaller startups, the power of social media is forcing more businesses to focus on these channels for growth and revenue generation. 

But if you’re wondering where to start, it’s likely because you need a solid social media strategy to guide your efforts. A well-planned strategy gives your efforts purpose, direction and momentum. It helps you:

• Stay visible by consistently reaching new audiences
• Build trust by showing up with valuable, relevant content
• Drive more traffic to your store through engaging posts and links
• Understand your customers better through direct engagement
• Strengthen loyalty with regular communication and support
• Share what makes your brand different — and worth remembering
• Turn followers into buyers with targeted, product-led content
• Measure what’s working so you can improve over time

But knowing why you need a strategy is only the first step. Now it’s time to figure out what you actually want to achieve — and how social media can help you get there.

1. Know What You’re Trying to Achieve

Before you post anything, get clear on what you actually want from social media. Are you trying to grow brand awareness? Drive more traffic to your store? Increase sales? Build a stronger connection with existing customers?

Without clear goals, it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting for the sake of it — chasing likes without knowing whether it's actually helping your business grow. 

Your goals will shape everything — from the platforms you choose to the type of content you create and how you measure success. For example:

If your goal is brand awareness → You might focus on reach and engagement across platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels

If you want to drive traffic → Link-focused content and platforms like Pinterest, Facebook or even LinkedIn might make more sense

If you're aiming for conversions → Product demos, testimonials and targeted offers can help turn attention into sales

Whatever your goals, define them early and make sure they align with your wider ecommerce strategy. What matters isn’t how many likes you get — it’s whether your content is truly helping you grow as a business.

2. Understand Your Audience First

You can’t market effectively if you don’t know who you’re talking to. Before you create content or choose platforms, take time to work out who your audience really is — the people most likely to buy from you, engage with your brand and buy again.

Start by asking:

• Who are they? (age, location, lifestyle, interests)
• What problems do they have that your product solves?
• Where do they spend their time online?

If you already have customers, use what you know — look at reviews, past purchases and engagement on social media or email. Tools like Google Analytics and data insights from your social platforms can give you useful demographic and behaviour data too.

If you’re just starting out, spy on your competitors. Look at who’s commenting on their posts, what kind of content gets traction and how their followers engage. These groups could soon become your own audience. 

The more clearly you understand your audience, the easier it is to create content that actually connects and drives results. 

3. Audit What You’re Already Doing

Whether you’ve been posting for months or haven’t even created your socials yet, now’s the time to assess where you stand and what you need to do next.

Start with a quick review of each platform you use:

• How often are you posting?
• What kind of content gets the most engagement?
• Are you gaining followers — or losing them?
• Is your branding and tone consistent across posts?

If you’re brand new to social, that’s fine — your audit just becomes your starting point. Take note of where you are now so you can measure progress later. The research questions listed above can be applied to your competitors to help you gain insights. Don’t just look at what they are doing, though, look for gaps and opportunities that you can fill with fresh ideas.

A quick audit now saves time and effort down the line and helps you build your strategy on what’s already working and what else might work well.

4. Choose the Right Platforms (Not All of Them)

You don’t need to be everywhere. In fact, spreading yourself too thin can lead to half-hearted content that doesn’t reach your intended audience.

Focus your time and effort on the platforms where your audience actually spends time and where your content is likely to perform well. That might be:

• Instagram – Great for visual brands, lifestyle products and building a loyal following
• TikTok – Ideal for trending content, product demos and reaching a younger audience
• Facebook – A very popular platform, especially for slightly older demographics and running paid ads
• Pinterest – Great for product discovery, especially in niches like homeware, fashion and hand-crafted items
• YouTube – Best for longer-form content, tutorials and building up subscribers over time

Each platform is better-suited to certain content types. For example, short form videos that grab attention quickly are great for TikTok or Instagram, but longer videos that go deeper would be more suited for YouTube.

If you’re already seeing traction on one platform, go deeper before expanding to another. It’s better to do one well than five badly.

5. Build a Content Plan That Matches Your Brand

Once you’ve chosen your platforms, you need to decide what kind of content you’re actually going to post. Your content should reflect your brand, speak to your audience and drive results.

Think about the types of content that make sense for your products and audience. A few ideas:

• Product highlights or new arrivals
• Behind-the-scenes posts or production updates
• Tutorials or styling tips
• User-generated content (UGC) or reviews
• Promotions or limited-time offers
• Customer stories or FAQs
• Brand values or business updates

Try to group your ideas into 3–5 core content themes or “pillars” to help you stay consistent and keep your posts varied without starting from scratch every time.

Your content doesn’t have to be perfect — it just needs to feel genuine, on-brand and useful to the people you’re trying to reach.

6. Create a Posting Schedule You Can Stick To

One of the biggest challenges with social media is keeping up with it — especially when it feels like everyone’s posting 24/7. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to post every day to succeed.

What matters most is showing up consistently. If you can commit to three posts a week and keep that up over time, you’ll build far more momentum than posting daily for two weeks, then disappearing for a month.

To make things easier, try using a social media scheduling tool like Buffer, Later, Hootsuite or Meta’s own Planner. These let you batch content in advance and plan ahead, so you’re not scrambling for something to post every morning.

You can also build your posting calendar around:

• Product launches or back-in-stock drops
• Seasonal campaigns and holidays
• Behind-the-scenes moments or team updates
• Awareness days or events relevant to your brand

Start with what’s realistic for you — and grow from there. The goal isn’t to be everywhere all the time. It’s to stay present and keep showing up in a way your audience can rely on.

7. Engage, Don’t Just Broadcast

Social media isn’t a megaphone — it’s a conversation. If you’re only posting and never responding, you’re missing the “social” part of social media.

Engaging with your audience helps build trust, loyalty and community. It shows there’s a real person (or team) behind the brand — and that you actually care about your customers.

A few simple ways to engage:

• Reply to comments and DMs — even a quick emoji or thank-you goes a long way
• Repost user-generated content (with credit) to show appreciation and social proof
• Ask questions in your captions to spark conversation
• Join in relevant conversations on your followers’ posts or other accounts in your niche

The algorithm also rewards engagement. The more interactions your posts get — and the more you respond — the more likely your content is to be shown to others.

It doesn’t have to take hours a day. Just 10–15 minutes of genuine interaction can build stronger relationships and help your brand stand out in a crowded feed.

8. Connect Your Socials With Your Store

Your social media and your ecommerce website shouldn’t feel like two separate worlds. The more connected they are, the easier it becomes to turn social engagement into real sales — and store visits into loyal followers.

A few simple ways to integrate the two:

• Add social icons to your site — in your header, footer or contact page so visitors can find and follow you easily
• Use announcement bars or pop-ups to promote your latest post, giveaway or social-exclusive offer
• Encourage social sharing on product pages or in the checkout confirmation — especially for gift-worthy products
• Feature your socials in email campaigns to drive cross-channel traffic
• Showcase user-generated content from your socials on your homepage or product pages (e.g. a live Instagram feed or customer photos)

Showcasing your socials on your website should not be overlooked. It creates a loop that keeps customers engaged, whether they find you through social first or visit your site directly. The more connected the experience feels, the more likely people are to stick around.

9. Track What Matters

Once your content is live, your job isn’t done. Tracking performance is what turns guesswork into strategy — helping you understand what’s working, what’s not and where to focus next.

Don’t get distracted by vanity metrics. High likes or views are nice to see, but if they’re not driving traffic or sales, they might not be moving the needle for your business.

Instead, focus on the metrics that match your goals. For example:

• If your goal is awareness → Track reach, impressions and new followers
• If you want engagement → Look at comments, shares, bookmarks and DMs
• If your goal is traffic or sales → Focus on link clicks, conversions and attributed revenue

Most platforms offer built-in analytics, and tools like Google Analytics can give you a deeper view of how social media drives traffic and behaviour on your site.

Over time, you’ll start to see patterns — what type of content performs best, which platforms drive results and when your audience is most active. Use those insights to guide what you do next.

10. Keep Testing and Improving

Your social media strategy shouldn’t stay static. The platforms evolve, your audience’s preferences shift, and new opportunities pop up all the time. Regularly reviewing your performance helps you stay relevant and continue growing.

• Experiment with content: Try new formats like carousels, reels or polls. Introduce fresh topics, adjust your tone or test different types of CTAs to see what clicks.
• A/B test when you can: Small changes — like headline variations, visuals or hashtags — can help you gain insights on what drives clicks vs sales.
• Review your metrics: Use platform insights and tools like Google Analytics to understand what’s getting results and what’s not worth your time.
• Use feedback to improve: Pay attention to comments, DMs and customer feedback. Sometimes your best content ideas come directly from your audience.
• Stay flexible: A good strategy gives you direction, but don’t let it box you in. Be open to pivoting if something isn’t working or if a new trend fits your brand.

The more you test, learn and adapt, the better your results will get — and the easier it becomes to create content that truly connects.

✅ Your Social Media Strategy Checklist

Here’s a quick recap of everything we’ve covered. Use this list to review your progress or tick off each step as you build out your strategy:

• Define your goals – What do you want to achieve with social media?
• Understand your audience – Who are they, and what do they care about?
• Audit your current efforts – What’s working, what’s not and what’s missing?
• Choose the right platforms – Focus on where your audience actually spends time.
• Plan your content themes – Decide what types of content you'll post and why.
• Create a consistent posting schedule – One you can realistically stick to.
• Engage with your audience – Build trust by replying, reacting and connecting.
• Connect your socials with your store – Make sure your brand experience is joined up.
• Track the right metrics – Don’t just measure likes — track what actually converts into sales.
• Test, learn and adapt – Keep testing, remain flexible and improve over time.

Final Thoughts

Social media can be one of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolkit — but only if you use it with intention. When you understand your audience, set clear goals and post with purpose, it becomes a channel that actually drives results, not just activity.

And if you’re powering your online store with ShopWired, your website is already equipped to support your strategy. You can:

• Add social profile links to your header, footer and contact page
• Enable sharing buttons on product pages to encourage sharing
• Embed your latest social content directly onto your homepage in a feed

These features help bridge the gap between your store and your social presence — making the journey from scroll to sale as smooth as possible.

Start your free trial of ShopWired today and build a store that’s built for social from the ground up.