If I were you, I'd spend the first week doing nothing but reading the comment sections on your posts and your top three competitors' posts. That's the only thing I'd do. The most common mistake in social media is treating it like a megaphone for your sales pitches, but as Jaclyn Johnson pointed out on Shopify Masters, there are millions to be made in the comment section if you treat it like a focus group instead.
In that first week, your only job is to listen and engage reactively. Don't create a single new post. Instead, reply to every question, thank every compliment, and address any issues you see. I'd start a simple spreadsheet. In one column, I'd log every direct question people ask. In another, I'd note the exact words and phrases people use when they talk about their problems. This isn't about metrics, it's about intelligence gathering. This is the foundation of a real Content Marketing For E-Commerce strategy.
Then, in the first month, you can start being proactive. Take the most frequently asked question from your spreadsheet and create one single, high-quality post that answers it comprehensively. This isn't about gaming an algorithm, it's about being genuinely useful. As Keirsun Scott explained on Ecommerce Conversations, you want to be strategic and impactful, not just present. The goal is to train your audience that following you pays off with real value, which builds the trust needed to foster a sense of belonging.
What I'd ignore completely is the follower count. It's a vanity metric that distracts from the real goal: engagement with the right people. I'd also ignore the pressure to be on every new platform. The key is to be where your community already is and to go deep, not wide. This is a point Colin Grice made on the EcomCrew podcast, discussing how he used existing Facebook groups to build authority by being helpful, not by selling.
The biggest trap you have to avoid is becoming what Teri Kearns calls part of the