How to Drive Organic Social Media Traffic to Your Ecommerce Store

You’ve probably heard that social media is an effective marketing channel. Statista reported that 59% of the global population used social media in 2023.

So, there’s a high chance that your potential customers are on social media platforms.

But it’s not enough to have social media accounts. You need a strategy to organically grow your following and convert those followers to paying customers.

In this blog post, I’ll show you how to drive social media traffic to your ecommerce store. Whether you’re just starting or looking to boost your existing efforts, these proven methods will help you increase your reach and drive conversions.

Let’s get started.

1. Choose the Right Social Media Platform for Your Ecommerce Store

While there are different social media ecommerce platforms, you don’t have to sign up for all of them. Each attracts a particular audience. For instance, you’ll find working professionals on LinkedIn, while Facebook is home to both teenagers and adults.

So, the first step toward developing your social media strategy is understanding your target audience. It helps you figure out which social networks they’re active on and what appeals to them.

Some platforms are better for short videos, while others thrive on user-generated content.

Visual content fares better on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Here’s an example of how Cupshe, a beachwear brand, shares pictures of products with a link to its store.

Image via Instagram

You can also use Instagram to act as a virtual product catalog with links to product pages on your site.

2. Optimize Your Social Profiles

You may be familiar with search engine optimization (SEO) for websites. Did you know that TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn content now appear on search engine result pages?

Here’s what I found when I searched for how to use makeup brushes for beginners:

Image via Google

By optimizing your social profiles with the right keywords, you can boost your online visibility and attract organic traffic to your ecommerce store. Below are some tips for social profile optimization:

• Use your brand’s logo as your profile picture
• Choose a relevant profile name that’s easy to remember
• Your “About” section or bio should be brief and contain relevant hashtags and keywords that people may use when trying to find your profile
• Add a link to your ecommerce store and links to your other social media profiles
• Add your contact information (physical address, email, phone number, or WhatsApp contact) so people can reach you in person

3. Consistently Create Engaging Content

Content is king, and this is particularly true for social media. Hence the need to create content that resonates with your target audience.

This involves creating posts that address your customers’ pain points and offer solutions. It could be how-to guides or any other form of educational content.

When prospects and customers find your posts relatable, they’ll come back for more. And when you finally create a promotional post, they may engage with it as well.

It’s important to note that social media posts don’t automatically drive organic traffic. You should post consistently and engage with your followers.

If you’re using LinkedIn, it’s easy for comments and likes to slip through. However, there’s now an option to export LinkedIn comments so you can track your top fans and engage with them.

If someone comments on your post, shares it, or mentions your brand, respond with a thoughtful comment. It shows your followers that you’re interested in building a relationship with them.

Responding instantly and providing excellent customer service are also a key factor to get good results. Here, customer service tools like Zendesk and Salesforce can help you efficiently manage inquiries across social platforms.

People purchase from brands they know. So, when you actively engage with followers, they will likely click on your links and visit your store.

4. Share User-Generated Content

Another way to drive social media traffic to your ecommerce store is by collecting customer feedback and sharing positive testimonials on social media.

A 2023 survey showed that nine in ten people read online reviews before buying something.

This shows that sharing user-generated content can provide social proof of your brand’s credibility.

You could share an unboxing video or images of customers using your products. When people see the content, it increases engagement and fosters a sense of community and loyalty.

ASOS is a popular brand that has successfully leveraged user-generated content to drive social media traffic to its store. The brand encouraged customers to post selfies of their apparel using the hashtag — As Seen On ASOS.

This campaign enabled people to see what ASOS apparel looked like on real customers. It added authenticity to the brand and increased sales. The company has dedicated a section of its website to feature shoppable customer-generated images.

Image via ASOS

5. Leverage Short Videos

With the attention span of consumers becoming shorter by the day, you need the right ecommerce marketing tactics to keep them scrolling through your social media page and eventually visiting your store. One such proven strategy is the use of short videos.

These videos play under 60 seconds and are easily digestible. Social media content formats like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Snapchat Spotlight have made short videos popular.

Here are some tips for creating short videos that drive social media traffic to your website:

• Start with a compelling introduction to engage viewers
• Incorporate visually appealing animations to increase shareability
• Create a sense of urgency using flash sales or time-limited offers to encourage viewers to visit your ecommerce store promptly
• Create anticipation with teasers and sneak peeks, prompting your target audience to stay tuned for more information on your store
• Condense testimonials of satisfied customers into short clips to influence prospects to visit your website
• Always end your videos with a clear CTA, such as directing them to visit your ecommerce store or follow your brand on social media
• Repost videos across various social media networks and repurpose them periodically
• Take advantage of Instagram’s functionality to embed reels on website to engage your site visitors

6. Run Contests and Giveaways

Organizing social media contests and giveaways is an excellent way to generate traffic for your ecommerce store. Contests have a competitive element, requiring participants to showcase a skill level or creativity.

According to GetHyped media, Amazon organizes contests and other promotional events to support their sellers and boost their store sales.

The most outstanding entry or one that best meets the judging criteria is declared the winner. Giveaways, on the other hand, have simple entry requirements and winners are picked randomly.

Here’s an example of a social media giveaway by Mob:

Image via Instagram

Although contests and giveaways can increase your social media following, you need to implement them correctly to drive traffic to your website.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to achieving the desired result:

• Choose a platform where your target audience is most active
• Decide on the type of contest you want to run, then define the entry rules
• Use visuals, relevant hashtags, and engaging captions to promote the campaign and encourage sharing
• Embed the entry form on your ecommerce store so people will have to visit to register
• Include a bonus entry to reward participants for sharing the campaign links to their friends
• Use analytics tools to track the number of website visitors gained during and after the campaign period. According to Attrock guide, social media analytics tools can help you measure the effectiveness of your social media campaigns
• Use analytics results to refine future campaigns
• Engage with participants after the campaign, thank them for participating, and invite them to explore your ecommerce store

Besides website traffic, you can achieve a lot with contests or giveaways. These include brand awareness, new email subscribers, and more social media followers.

Remember to announce the winner, then send discount codes to other participants. Doing this when your business is still top of their minds guarantees instant sales.

Final Thoughts

Driving consistent organic social media traffic requires time and relentless commitment. But the payoff of increased reach, brand awareness, and conversions is immense.

By optimizing your social profiles, engaging your audience, sharing UGC, leveraging videos, and running contests and giveaways, you can drive social media traffic to your ecommerce store.

Now get out there, connect with your community, and watch your online business thrive!