Putting Our Cards on the Table: How an Eco-Brand Grew on Social Media and Started Generating Sales Brand-performance case study: a full-funnel strategy from brand awareness to online store traffic

A case study on how we helped the young eco-brand Binatec attract a conscious audience, boost brand awareness, and turn likes and views into online store visits, in-store traffic, and phone calls — using content, video, gamification, Google Maps, and a touch of that "eco-marketing magic".

Against the backdrop of a growing trend towards conscious consumption and environmental care, the company was keen to attract an environmentally conscious audience and build a recognisable brand in the eco-friendly products niche. How did we achieve this?! Read on.

Our client: Binatec Baltija, Riga, Latvia

Resources we worked with: binatec.net, Facebook and Instagram pages @binatecbaltija and @binatec_baltija, and Google Maps

Project period: from March 2019 to August 2019

Our task:

The client had an eco-friendly brand of household cleaning products and home goods. The product was of high quality, but faced the following challenges:

• Low brand awareness in Riga and across Latvia;
• Insufficient traffic to digital channels (website, social media);
• Few touchpoints with the target eco-audience;
• Sporadic sales without systematic supporting communication.

Business goals of the project:

• Increase eco-brand awareness among residents of Riga and Latvia;
• Attract targeted traffic to the online store and social media shops;
• Generate measurable actions: visits from Google Maps, in-store visits, and phone calls;
• Support sales of key eco-categories through content and advertising.

Our strategy: from brand to sales

We built a full-funnel communication flow: first, we explained who Binatec is and why its eco-format is beneficial to people, and then we carefully guided interested users to the store, website, and Google Maps business profile.

Core principles:

In practice, it was a brand-performance mix: content and trust generate demand, whilst advertising, social shops, and Google Maps help convert that demand into clicks and enquiries.

What we did at each stage of the funnel:

1. Content and tone of voice (top of the funnel)

   We took over the management of the Facebook and Instagram pages, maintained the existing visual style, and began systematically filling them with sales-focused and educational content in three languages.

   Each post solved two tasks simultaneously. It strengthened the brand image with stories about the benefits of the eco-format and caring for the home, pets, and nature. At the same time, it drove action by linking to specific products in the online store and prompting users to click the button and browse the catalogue. This way, the feed stopped being just a pretty shop window and turned into a gateway for sales. Below you can see examples of our work:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
2. Gamification and engagement (interest and followers)

   We regularly ran competitions and engaging mechanics: giving away eco-kits, asking users to share their habits and stories, and tagging friends. You might ask, why did the brand need gamification?

   • Competitions boosted reach and attracted new followers.
   • Invitations to collect the prize at the office in the centre of Riga created an offline touchpoint and built trust.

   Thus, gamification did not run merely for "fun", but served as a tool to grow the community around the brand. You can see examples of our work below:

3. We always emphasised trust and genuine communication with the audience, so we paid special attention to congratulating competition winners. After the prize draws, we didn't just announce the names; we showed the winners, shared their emotions, and thanked all participants for their involvement. These congratulatory posts acted as a gentle loyalty tool: they strengthened the feeling of a "living" brand, demonstrated the transparency of the competitions, and motivated followers to take part in future activities.
4. Video marketing and brand trust

   A distinct layer of our work was video. We prepared promotional and brand-building video content in Latvian, Russian, and English: showing the product in action and sharing Binatec's eco-friendly approach and values. Between 17 April and 14 May 2019, video content on Facebook reached thousands of people and became an additional source of engagement and awareness (total post reach was 29,911 users, and video views reached 4,653).

5. We regularly sent our followers warm wishes on public holidays and important dates, maintaining a friendly, positive dialogue around shared values rather than just the product. Such posts helped the brand remain "alive" and visible between promotional campaigns, strengthening emotional loyalty towards Binatec. Examples can be seen below:
6. Facebook Shop: from feed to products

   To simplify the journey from "liking a post" to "ready to buy", we set up a shop on the Facebook business page with direct links to the online store. The role of the Facebook Shop:

   • To serve as a bridge between feed content and product pages on the website.
   • To increase organic traffic to the website via clicks from the feed and the "Shop" tab.
   • To support sales without aggressive promotional posts, using the familiar Facebook shopfront format.

   Thus, Facebook transformed from a platform "about posts" into an entry point for buying eco-products. The Facebook Shop looked like this:
7. Instagram Shop: seamless shopping in the feed

   On Instagram, we configured a product shopfront and tagged shop items in posts, allowing users to move towards a purchase within the familiar mobile interface. The role of the Instagram Shop:

   • To enable "shopping from the feed" — allowing users to see a product immediately and navigate straight to its detailed description.
   • To capture impulse demand stemming from visual content and Stories.
   • To support organic sales and warm up interest in the online store.

   Thanks to this, Instagram became not only a platform for visual eco-storytelling, but also an integral part of the sales funnel. This is what Instagram looked like:
8. Targeted advertising (supporting demand)

   At the performance level, we regularly launched targeted advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The ads helped us reach new eco-audiences who hadn't seen our organic content yet, whilst also re-engaging warm audiences who had already interacted with the brand. Simply put, content built interest, and advertising ensured we didn't lose those who were considering a purchase but hadn't clicked yet.
9. Google Maps and local organic traffic

   Not every audience member spends their time scrolling social media feeds, so we created and optimised Binatec's listing on Google Maps (which at the time was "Google My Business"). What we did: we fully completed and optimised the profile for search — including contact details, category, description, and photos. The result for the period from 4 June to 24 June 2019 was 102 profile views, 3 direction requests to the store, and 1 phone call — all of which was organic, unpaid traffic. Take a look at what the profile looked like on Google Maps:

   We actively published visual content and updates. It looked like this:

   We consistently published company news and products with direct links to the online store to boost e-commerce sales. It looked like this:

Results: what changed for the brand:

1. Over several months of our integrated brand-performance approach, we achieved measurable effects: community growth — Facebook grew from 3,020 to 5,000 followers, and Instagram grew from 1,500 to 2,255 followers.
2. Content, video, and gamification built awareness and trust in the eco-brand, whilst social shops, targeted advertising, and Google Maps helped convert that interest into traffic, visits, and phone calls.

3. We utilised video marketing to reach and engage audiences interested in watching or listening to content about the brand. Here is a screenshot of Facebook data from 17 April to 14 May 2019 alone, showing steadily growing metrics and interest in the content. Yes, the posts reached 29,911 people and fewer people watched the video — 4,653 views — yet that is still a very solid figure for our target region:

4. We did not limit ourselves to social media promotion, but also captured the audience on Google. Google Maps proved to be a great tool for local promotion. The screenshots show statistics from 4 June to 24 June 2019 — a modest number of people given the holiday season and Midsummer (Līgo) celebrations, yet still: 102 views, 3 customers requested directions to the store, and 1 person called the company — all from free, organic traffic:

Our methodology of integrated digital promotion with minimal advertising investment helped build awareness and trust in the eco-brand through content, video, and gamification. Meanwhile, social media shops, targeted advertising, and Google Maps converted this interest into organic and paid website traffic, store visits, and phone calls, directly supporting the brand's sales.

Project challenges and limitations: The main constraint on conversion growth was the lack of a mobile-friendly version of the online store. According to Google Analytics, over 90% of visitors accessed the site via mobile devices, but completing a purchase was objectively inconvenient: it was much easier for those visiting from tablets and PCs, which accounted for a very small share of the audience. Simply put: marketing brought in interested mobile users, but the technical side held back demand monetisation. The screenshot below shows how the store was displayed on mobile devices:

Overall, this was a fascinating experience for us in eco-marketing. I would even say that its own little bit of magic truly happened here. The magic of eco-marketing does not lie in loud slogans and astronomical budgets, but in genuine care for the audience and the environment. We saw once again that modern consumers respond sensitively to an honest, authentic approach where fine words are backed up by real actions and values. Our experience showed that tangible results can be achieved by skilfully combining content marketing, engaging mechanics, and transparent communication with the audience. Above all, we proved that sustainability can be more than just a trend — it can be a business model that benefits everyone involved: customers, the business, the planet, and, quite frankly, brings a special vibe to the marketing agency.