The acceleration of eCommerce around the globe throughout the pandemic has put into sharp focus how critical social media is for a retailer’s success.  With much of the world in lockdown, businesses leveraged social media to maintain and nurture their connections with consumers more than ever before.

Although networks have developed and the way we use it has changed, users are still using social media to connect with people, and that includes connecting with brands. If you have been questioning just how powerful a tool organic social media is in driving business forward, this ones for you!

What is Organic Social Media?

Before we get started, let's take a look at what organic social media means. To give a simple definition, organic social media is the free content that all users, including brands, share with each other on their feed. When marketers talk about organic social media, they're usually referring to the creation and publishing of relevant content (videos, stories, status updates, images etc.) to build a community of loyal followers and customers.

It sounds simple, but the reason organic social media is the foundation of every digital marketing strategy today is because it is the best way to nurture a connection with your customers at scale.

What Are The Benefits of Organic Social Media for eCommerce?

Considering that 1 in 3 people use social media to learn about or discover new products, organic social media can be a powerful ally to your eCommerce store when used correctly.  Aside from being incredibly cost-effective in the sense that it is completely free, social media and eCommerce are a match made in heaven when it comes to connecting with your customers and here are just some of the reasons why. 

1. Brand Awareness - With over half of the world’s population using social media, platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter are a natural place to reach new and potential customers. In fact, 85% of businesses use social media primarily for brand awareness. If you want to get known, it’s important to get yourself out there. The more visible your brand and the more engagement you have with your customers, the more likely they are to trust you and in turn, the more likely they are to buy your products. Not to mention consumers view organic content as more trustworthy than paid content.
2. Communicate With Customers - While paid efforts help to raise brand awareness and attract new followers, organic efforts are the only way to truly connect with potential customers once they're followers. With more than 80% of consumers using social media to engage with brands, social media sites play an important role in managing your reputation and customer relationships.
3. Generate More Sales - As mentioned above, 1 in 3 people use social media to learn about or discover new products and a further 1 in 4 people use social media to purchase products. Most social media sites have in-app shopping solutions now and are working to provide new features to meet evolving user behaviours and preferences. If you aren't investing in social media and their eCommerce technologies for your brand, those consumers are most likely going to discover your competitors first.
4. Supports SEO - Although social media does not directly contribute to SEO rankings, it can indirectly influence the factors that impact search rankings in a positive way. Having a social media presence can boost your online visibility and traffic which leads to many things that benefit SEO, including brand building and improved engagement signals.

Whether you're a small business running a local store or an established international company, organic social media has become one of the most essential components of a successful marketing strategy. Through organically growing your following, you can forge stronger connections with your current customers, increase brand awareness to attract new customers and generally boost your traffic, leads and sales.

Consumers are spending more time on social media than ever before. And, as we have seen; it's an essential component of the marketing mix and it is almost unusual or impossible to see brands not using them.

To help you begin or revel in organic social media success, download our 2023 eCommerce Calendar and start planning a social media strategy that is tailored to your audience and their needs.

What's Your Next Move?

Now that you know how important organic social media is to your marketing strategy, from affecting digital channels, to effectively having a direct impact on your conversions, talk to us here at Techquity.

Let's take a look at what improvements you can make to maximise your digital marketing activity >> talk@techquity.co.uk