Social media could be your business’s most powerful marketing tool from day one. According to Shopify data,* roughly a quarter of merchants downloaded a social selling app within the first 30 days of launching. A separate Shopify survey** found 50% of businesses said organic social media content was the most effective marketing channel for attracting new customers. Paid social media ads was the second-most cited response, at 29%.
What’s more, consumers expect to find businesses on social media. Sixty-seven percent of consumers use social media channels to discover new brands, and 46% report directly buying products through social media.
In other words, if your business isn’t showing up on social media, you could be missing out on valuable connections. But finding success isn’t as simple as just pressing Publish. Use these entrepreneurs’ tips to inspire your own winning social media strategy.
Lead with transparency
Charlotte Palermino, cofounder and CEO of skin care brand Dieux, found honest storytelling to be the best way to connect with her audience. The brand knows a thing or two about creating viral videos, and there’s one common thread running through each one: full transparency about what it is and how its products work.
One of the brand’s most viral TikToks, with more than three million views, simply unpacks the science behind one of its plumping gel creams. Other top-performers explain how to wash the brand’s reusable eye masks and why they use recycled aluminum packaging instead of plastic.
“We call ourselves a ‘too much information’ brand,” Charlotte says on Shopify Masters. “Sharing what your skin needs, what it doesn’t, how it’s so varied, and that, quite frankly, our products are not going to be for everybody, really actually resonated with people because it’s real.”
Invite your customers into the experience
For all the joys that come with starting a business, entrepreneurship can also be messy. Instead of hiding the hectic reality of being a business owner, Marcus Milione, cofounder of Minted New York, puts it front and center online. He’s been publicly building the apparel and jewelry brand on social media from the jump, giving customers a behind-the-scenes look at everything from product development to order fulfillment.
“That is scary for any business owner or any creative,” says Marcus, who has received both positive and negative feedback from customers online. He says that both are equally useful: “There are constructive comments and criticisms that come from those people that you can use to help improve your product.”
By bringing your customers in earlier, and publicly, you will be better equipped to adapt and pivot in real time to better serve your customers.
Diversify your social media content
TikTok played a huge role in getting home décor brand Mush Studios off the ground. Before cofounding the company, Jacob Winter went viral on the platform when he started posting rug-tufting videos during the pandemic. The hobby quickly turned into a business, and Mush Studios has since garnered millions of TikTok views.
But Jacob knew that he needed to diversify their social media strategy in order to differentiate Mush Studios from DIY TikTok brands. That involved both the type of content he posted and where. The brand began focusing on other apps like Instagram, posting more about the brand itself, what the rugs looked like within the home, and who its founders were.
“We also used that opportunity to ask our audience where they found us to see if what we were doing was working,” says Jacob.
Partner with other creators
Social media presents a unique opportunity for connection—both with customers and other creators. Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar, cofounders of Good Girl Snacks, built a zero-cost marketing strategy that paid off big time: gifting their product to influencers, who then shared it with their own followers. The move has helped blast the buzzy pickle brand to viral new heights.
The first step was researching influencers who would be a good fit for their brand and building intentional relationships.
“We made sure that we reached out to the girls that we knew would love the pickles,” says Yasaman. “We knew they were either pickle connoisseurs already, or they ate a similar snack. And so I think naturally, it just felt more organic for them to talk about it and show it in a video, because it’s already part of their everyday routine.”
Don’t overlook the power of social media ads
Before cofounding the tattoo aftercare brand Mad Rabbit during his senior year of college, Selom Agbitor took a deep dive into the market—more specifically, what existing businesses were doing on social media. He was less than impressed by other brands’ ads and had a feeling that if he and cofounder Oliver Zak were to enter the market, they could deliver ads that would convert viewers into customers.
“The main thing you need to run a business successfully is running efficient, effective ads,” says Selom, who learned a ton about the strategy by watching videos online.
Mad Rabbit began running ads before it even had a product. The goal? To see if there was actually a market for the idea. Orders came in pretty quickly, providing proof of concept. In time, other brands even started copying its ads.
“We didn’t really take offense to that,” says Selom. “We were kind of happy about that because we were like, ‘Well, we’re definitely doing something correct.’”
Make your followers feel seen
At the forefront of the pimple-patch craze is Starface, the brand known for its little colorful star stickers and partnerships with the likes of Hello Kitty and SpongeBob SquarePants. One of the brand’s core values is approachability, and its social media accounts reflect this.
It features playful posts and pops of color, with its star-eyed yellow smiley face mascot, Big Yellow, peppered throughout. But what really sets Starface apart on social media is its eagerness to spotlight real customers, who are often reposted in the brand’s Instagram Stories.
Starface has also found other creative ways to make its followers feel seen. “We see a lot of people tweeting about how confident the pimple patches make them feel, and we’ll put them on a billboard, for example,” says Kara Brothers, president of Starface. “So I think it just reiterates the confidence and the love for the community and the brand.”
Strategically use LinkedIn to grow your business.
Social media marketing tends to focus on the big three: Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. It’s easy to overlook LinkedIn, but entrepreneurs can use the professional networking platform to recruit talent, build brand awareness, and generate new leads.
Kat Kavner, founder of the modern canned goods brand Heyday Canning, posts from her personal LinkedIn account, then uses the brand’s account to share that content. It’s been an effective way to tap her professional network and maximize visibility.
“Sharing our news from my perspective makes the posts more interesting/human and makes it feel more like the reader is along for the journey versus posting from our brand account,” Kat says.
When posting on LinkedIn, Kat drives home the importance of using your authentic voice to tell a story and resonate with others. Think of each post as an opportunity to share the “why” behind your brand.
Use social media as a customer resource
When Hannah Perry created a cotton candy cake, she knew it would be a game changer for her business, Floof Cotton Candy. There was just one small problem: The cakes require some special attention to keep their fragile shape intact. So Hannah jumped on TikTok to give her customers a little cake TLC tutorial.
“The video wasn’t meant for everyone—it was meant for the people who ordered a cake,” she says. “So it was a huge surprise when it went viral on TikTok. The amount of comments and emails from people wanting one was insane.”
By posting something genuinely helpful for her customers, Hannah ended up taking her brand to the next level.
*Data is based on global sign ups on shopify.com during 2024. Shops are considered launched when they are able to sell via their storefront.
**Methodology: Online survey among 13,337 standard merchants from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, conducted between May 29–June 12, 2024 by Shopify.
