10 Social Media Strategies to Promote Your Online Store

Here’s the truth: amazing products don’t sell themselves. You’ve got to get them in front of the right people—and for indie makers and creatives, social media is often the best way to do that.

But that doesn’t mean you need to be on every platform, posting around the clock. In fact, trying to show up everywhere is a fast track to burnout. What matters most is choosing the platforms where your potential customers already spend their time. Promoting your handcrafted candles on LinkedIn probably won’t get much traction—but sharing them on Instagram or TikTok, where shoppers go to discover and support small brands? That’s where the magic happens.

Whether you’re just starting out or ready to refine your strategy, here are 10 simple, effective ways to grow your online store using social media—without stretching yourself too thin.

When potential customers discover your brand online, your social media profiles and website need to appear both professional and consistent to help build brand recognition.

Make sure your profiles are working for you by:

Creating a clear, concise bio that explains what you make, who it’s for, and who you are as an artist
Including a direct link to your store (or use a link-in-bio tool like LinkTree for Instagram)
Use consistent branding elements across all platforms (same profile image, color schemes, and similar bios)

Take your time to optimize your images for each social media platform you’re using—each has different image size requirements. A graphic tool like Canva is great for quickly adjusting images and dialing in your brand colors and typography.

Remember to review your profile and bio every 6-8 months, or around seasonal promos or new product launches, to ensure everything is still correct and working hard for you behind the scenes—even when you’re focused on making.

2. Schedule posts for consistency

Here's the thing about social media algorithms—they love predictability almost as much as your audience does. But staying consistent doesn't mean chaining yourself to your phone or posting random content just to fill the void.

Maintain consistency by:

Creating content batches during your productive periods
Using scheduling tools to plan posts in advance
Developing content themes for different days of the week
Creating templates that make regular features easier to produce

Think of scheduling as giving yourself the gift of time. When you batch create content and schedule it ahead of time, you free up mental space to focus on what you do best—creating amazing products. Plus, your followers start to anticipate your posts, which means they're more likely to engage when your content appears in their feeds. Showing up regularly builds trust—and lets your creativity shine on your own terms.

3. Leverage user-generated content (UGC)

There's nothing more powerful than seeing real people using and loving your products. User-generated content (UGC) creates authentic social proof, significantly influencing purchasing decisions.

Try these approaches to gather and use UGC:

Include a branded hashtag on your packaging or thank you cards for happy customers to use
Send follow-up emails asking customers to share photos on their social platforms with their purchases and to tag you
Offer small discounts or entry into giveaways for customers who post about your products

Most social media platforms allow you to reshare or repost to your own profile, but remember to always ask permission first and give proper credit when you do. If you're resharing to your Instagram stories, you can always add your own caption explaining what you love about how they're using your product or thanking them for their support.

4. Integrate Instagram and Facebook Shops

Turn browsing into buying by setting up shopping features that let customers purchase directly from your posts—without ever leaving Instagram or Facebook. These built-in tools reduce friction, encourage impulse buys, and create a seamless path from discovery to checkout.

Start by setting up your product catalog and connecting it to your Big Cartel shop. Check out our helpful guides on how to sell on Instagram and how to add products to your Facebook catalog, which will walk you through the setup.

Once you’re up and running, tag your products in posts, stories, and reels to make them instantly shoppable. These features make it easier than ever for your followers to go from “just browsing” to “add to cart.”

5. Engage with your audience

Social media is meant to be social! Building relationships with your followers turns casual browsers into loyal customers and brand advocates.

Focus on engagement by:

Responding to every comment, even with just an emoji
Answering DMs promptly (setting up quick replies for common questions can help)
Starting conversations with questions in your captions
Commenting thoughtfully on posts from followers who engage with your content
Hosting periodic live sessions where you demonstrate techniques or answer questions
Using engagement stickers in Stories—like polls, emoji sliders, and question boxes—to invite quick, easy responses

The more your followers interact with your content, the more likely it is to be seen by new people—helping you grow your audience and build community. And when you build real relationships? That’s when followers turn into true fans.

6. Run contests and giveaways

Everyone loves free stuff, and contests are a great way to quickly expand your reach while generating excitement around your brand. Collaborating on a joint giveaway with other sellers is a great way to reach a wider audience and make the giveaway more appealing.

Create effective giveaways by:

Offering prizes that your target audience genuinely wants
Keeping entry requirements simple but engagement-focused
Using contest-specific hashtags to track entries
Following platform-specific rules about contests

A successful giveaway doesn't just bring in new followers—it creates an opportunity to showcase your products to people who might not have discovered them otherwise and drives more traffic to your online store.

Keep the momentum going by planning for how you'll engage with new followers after the contest ends. Think of it as the start of a conversation, not just a transaction.

7. Collaborate with micro-influencers

You don't need celebrities to effectively use influencer marketing. Micro-influencers—those with smaller but highly engaged audiences—often deliver better results for indie brands and solopreneurs.

When seeking potential collaborations, look for influencers whose aesthetic and values align with your brand. Focus on engagement rates rather than follower counts, as a smaller audience that actually interacts with content is far more valuable than thousands of passive followers. Before pitching any collaboration ideas, start by building genuine relationships by engaging with their content.

Consider product exchanges or affiliate arrangements if your budget is limited. Many micro-influencers are open to these arrangements, especially if they genuinely love your products. Set clear expectations about deliverables and timelines upfront to avoid any confusion down the line.

The right micro-influencer partnership can introduce your products to an audience that already trusts the influencer's recommendations. Before partnering with an influencer, verify their authenticity to ensure they are genuine. Unfortunately, there are many bots and fake engagement scams happening on social media.

In a world of mass-produced cookie-cutter products, handmade and indie products stand out through their stories. When customers see the person and process behind what they're buying, they're not just purchasing a product—they're investing in your creative journey and supporting your dream.

Behind-the-scenes content works because it satisfies our natural curiosity about how things are made while building trust through transparency. People want to know that their money is going to a real person who cares about their craft, not a faceless corporation.

Effective behind-the-scenes content includes:

Your workspace or studio setup
Process videos showing how products are made
Challenges you've overcome in your creative business
The inspiration behind new collections
Packaging and shipping processes that show your attention to detail

Remember that behind-the-scenes content doesn't need to be Instagram-perfect. In fact, the slightly imperfect, real moments often perform better because they feel more genuine and relatable to your audience.

9. Use hashtags strategically

Hashtags remain one of the best ways to get your content discovered by people who don't already follow you. But using them effectively requires strategy.

Develop your hashtag approach by researching hashtags your ideal customers actually use and follow. Consider creating a mix of popular, moderately popular, and niche-specific tags while also including your own branded hashtags for your business.

Keep your hashtags relevant to the actual content of your post rather than using the exact same set of hashtags every single time. By changing the hashtags, you’re not only keeping them relevant to the post, but you can also test which ones are working and which to potentially retire.

While hashtags are great to use, you want to avoid hashtag stuffing or using irrelevant popular tags just to gain visibility—this can damage your credibility and decrease engagement over time.

10. Monitor and adapt your strategy

Social media changes constantly. What works today might not work tomorrow, so to stay up-to-date, you should regularly assess and adjust your social media strategy.

Pay attention to:

Tracking which content drives the most traffic to your store
Reviewing platform analytics monthly to identify trends
Noting seasonal variations in engagement and sales
Experimenting with new content formats as platforms evolve
Surveying your audience occasionally about what content they want to see

The most successful social media marketers for ecommerce aren't necessarily those with the biggest budgets—they're the ones who stay adaptable and responsive to both their audience and platform changes.

You don't need to implement all ten strategies at once. Start with optimizing your profiles and focusing on consistent, quality content on just one or two platforms where your ideal customers spend their time.

As you build momentum, gradually incorporate more strategies while continuing to measure what works for your specific audience. Your voice matters—so show up in a way that feels true to you, and let your work do the talking.

Written by Leanne Mitton