Selling on Facebook

How to Use Facebook to Sell Your Products and Services

Table of Content

Goal #1: Adding a Shop Section in Facebook Using Shopify ...……………1

Goal #2: Using Images to Sell on Facebook …………………………………3

Goal #3: Using Facebook Sales Groups to Sell or Promote Products …..…7

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How to Use Facebook to Sell Your Products and Services

Facebook has over 1.71 billion users every single month.

If you are able to target just 100, 000 active users, this can have a meaningful impact on your

business.

Local Facebook groups are where people harness Facebook's power to sell to others in the local

community.

Facebook is free to join and there are no fees for selling either, so it's very low-risk.

Many businesses are now using Facebook to sell.

Listed below are 3 ways to leverage Facebook for promoting products and increasing brand

awareness.

Goal #1: Add a Shop Section on Your Facebook Page using Shopify

Businesses can use Shopify's Facebook sales channel to display and sell products from their

online store directly on Facebook, where they appear under the Shop tab on their Facebook page:

The Facebook sales channel helps businesses build their Shopify business in some great ways:

Add Shopify ecommerce to your current Facebook page, optimized for both desktop and

mobile.

A two-click checkout process lets customers purchase from you directly on Facebook

without redirecting to your Shopify store.

Easy integration with Shopify means that you can review sales and traffic data from

your Shopify Home.

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#1: Set Up a Facebook Store

A great way to get started with selling on Facebook is to set up an e-commerce store using a service

like Shopify.

- After setting up an account, a link to your shop will appears under ‘Apps’ on your

Facebook Page.

- A Shopify store is easy to set up, and for only $9/month you can add unlimited

products to your store.

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Goal #2: Selling on Facebook Using Images and Graphics

The number-one reason people like a Facebook page is to receive a discount or other promotion.

If you want to drive online sales for your business, images and graphics that feature discounts

and promotions are an engaging way to give your Facebook fans what they want.

Image posts receive 53% more likes, attract 104% more comments and see 120% more

engagement than other posts.

Combine the power of image posts with the draw of a sale or discount and you’ll see increased

online revenue.

#1: Offer Promo Codes for Holiday Sales

Here’s an example of a promotional graphic Diamond Candles put out for their Labor

Day sale:

- Create an engaging graphic to promote your discount or sale during holiday seasons

such as Black Friday discounts, a 10% Off discount or a Buy 2 Get 1 Free offer

during Cyber Monday, Boxing Day or Labour Day.

- Include a promotional code in the images and graphics for sales advertisement, so

you can track the revenue from your campaign. When you post the image to your

Facebook timeline, use a clear call to action in the copy of the post so your fans

know exactly how to complete their purchase.

- Holidays like Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day and even Labor Day are a great time

to promote sales and discounts to your Facebook community. And an appealing

graphic draws attention to the promo code for your special holiday offer.

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#2: Reward Fans Who Tell a Friend

Rent the Runway used a Share to Unlock promotion that gave sharing fans early access to

their Fourth of July sale.

- Create a graphic that tells your fans you’ll unlock a special promo code if your

image receives a certain number of shares.

- If you don’t have a very big fan base or you don’t receive a lot of engagement on

your Facebook page, require fewer than 100 shares to unlock the code. Because only

people who already engage with your page are likely to see your updates, you might

want to kick start engagement with a promoted post.

- The good news is this type of promotion helps you increase organic engagement so

you won’t have to pay to promote your next offer.

- While they drive revenue for the company, one additional bonus of Share to Unlock

promotions is that they increase engagement with fans and build brand awareness

with friends of fans.

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#3: Show Off Product Features

Fitness fashion brand Ellie used a graphic to point out some of the best features of their

fitness tank, while encouraging fans to buy the top in the post message.

- Your Facebook page is a great place to show off the best features of your products.

- Create a graphic to capture your fans’ attention and point out the features of your

product that aren’t immediately visible.

- Post the image and include a call to action with a direct link to the product in your

online store to make purchases as easy as possible.

- Online your images and graphics need to do the talking and selling.

#4: Give a Free Gift with Purchase

For example, this free Greenies jar offer from PetSmart is popular because it’s promoted to

people who already purchase Greenies products.

- Offering a free gift with purchase may be one of the oldest promotions in the book,

but it’s stuck around because it’s a very effective revenue-generating tactic.

- Create an appealing graphic to offer a free gift that’s relevant to your target

audience.

- If you have a large fan base, use custom audiences to make sure the right people

see your offer.

- The right photo and clear graphics can make your free gift offer stand out.

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#5: Countdown to a Deadline

The smart marketers over at MarketingProfs used this tactic to boost sales from their ecommerce

store in a countdown to their B2B Marketing Forum event.

- A Countdown promo keeps your fans hyper-engaged for an extended period of

time.

- Create a graphic that reveals, for example, a 24-hour sale on a different popular

product from your ecommerce store each day for 10 days.

- Excited fans will visit your Facebook page to find each day’s image and you’ll see

a boost in revenue from Facebook for 10 days straight.

- Cool graphics help keep fans interested in the countdown and contribute to its

success.

#6: Promote a Limited-Time Offer

- An image that promotes a limited-time offer helps create the sense of urgency

needed to drive sales NOW.

- The use of images when promoting Limited-Time Offers encourages your

customers to take advantage of your promotions when they first see them.

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Goal #3: Use Facebook Buy and Sell Groups to Sell or Promote Your

Products

These groups function much like an Etsy shop or EBay – some are set up for direct selling, while

others require users to bid over a set period of time (usually 24 hours).

There are local groups for everything you can imagine, especially in bigger metropolitan areas:

household items, kid’s clothes, baked goods, cars and even real estate. Try searching Facebook

for your city or town name, and see what comes up.

#1: Find the Right Facebook Sale Group

It’s simple to find a sale group on Facebook. Go to the search box at the top of your screen and

type in your city or area, plus a term such as “sale group,” “yard sale” or “buy sell trade.” A long

list of options will probably appear. If not, broaden your geographical search. For instance,

instead of using the name of your small town, search your county name or the nearest larger city.

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You may also have a “sale groups” tab in your left-hand column that will give you a list of

suggested groups and a map of where they’re based.

To join a group, click on the name. You’ll see a green “join group” button toward the top of the

page. Once you click it, the button will show that your membership is pending. That’s because

the group’s administrator will have to approve you. For a community-based sale group, this is

typically a formality, but be patient: It may take a little time for the admin to OK your request.

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#2: Read the Rules

Once you join a sale group, the very first thing you should do is read the rules. You’ll typically

find these either in a pinned post at the top of the page or in the group description along the right.

Rules will vary widely from page to page, but they’ll typically specify the following:

Buying/selling area: While you may be able to join a group for a city where you don’t

live, it’s common for the rules to require you to deliver your item there.

Acceptable items: Some groups are general and allow just about everything; some are

more specific (furniture, toys, clothing). Certain items, though they may seem to fit the

group, may be excluded. They may also specify that an item must be in good or excellent

used condition (“GUC” or “EUC”) with working batteries, no stains, and so forth.

Instructions for selling: Most groups will require you to post a current photo of the item

you’re selling. That means you can’t simply find a stock photo online and use it;

members need to see the item in its current condition. They may also specify that you

describe it as fully as possible and name a price — for instance, no free items or asking

for members to make an offer. Finally, many groups will prohibit you from listing a large

“lot” of items, allowing only a certain number per post.

Instructions for buying: Again, rules will vary by group, but most groups will allow a

potential buyer to post either “interested” or “sold” under an item. “Interested” is

essentially a placeholder, giving you a certain amount of time to ask the seller questions,

see whether your spouse likes the item, or do some research on the purchase. If you

haven’t decided to buy the item within that time period, the seller can move on to the next

person who posted.

Ban on self-promotion: Sale groups offer quick access to a potentially large audience, so

admins often ban members from posting about their own businesses or services.

Once you’ve read the rules, make sure you follow them. While most admins understand honest

mistakes, repeat offenders are usually removed from the group.

#3: Take Good Photos

Good, clear photos from multiple angles are often the difference between making a sale and

seeing your item languish.

If possible, get a picture in natural light, which is less harsh. Try not to use flash. If needed, dust

or wipe down your item, and move it away from other clutter. If you can, find a solid

background that will help it “pop,” and be sure to get a close-up of any flaws so that potential

buyers are clear about its condition.

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#4: Describe the Product for Sale

Good photos are most important, but a good description is a close second. Tell the buyer exactly

what they’re looking at. If you’ve barely used the item, say so — maybe you’re only selling

something that was the wrong size, or a gift that wasn’t your taste.

For furniture or other large objects, post dimensions. If there are any flaws, be specific. If you

have a smoke-free, pet-free home, it’s worth noting — both are selling points, especially when it

comes to furniture or clothing.

#5: Set a Fair Price

Before you list anything, scan your group for similar items. What are they being listed for? Is

there any interest? While you don’t necessarily need to resort to rock-bottom, yard-sale prices,

you still need to take into account two main factors: demand and condition.

#6: Look for More Specific Groups

You’ll probably have much better luck selling an item if you can find a group that’s as narrowly

tailored as possible — it helps to make sure you’re reaching members that are more interested in

buying.

Also note that there are some groups with more of a focus on pricing and quality: “yard sale

groups,” “upscale groups” and everything in between.