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A way to attract customers by being where

they already are online, including Facebook.

Allows sellers to increase sales and reach new

customers by extending their online

footprint.

If you do not already have a Facebook page, visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/

Be sure to fill out all the information in the “About,” “Description,” and “Contact” sections so that users who land on your page are instantly engaged.

Your page should be visually appealing: ◦ Tip #1: Pagemodo (www.pagemodo.com) is a great tool to

create catchy cover photos for your page.

◦ Tip #2: Easy posts to draw attention to your page: Inspiring quotes, a daily meme, favorite recipes or opinion polls.

Growing your page the right way can take time, but focusing on the quality of your likes will ensure that the right people are engaged with your content.

Those who are engaged with your content are truly interested in the types of products you sell, and eventually, in buying those products.

Invite your personal Facebook friends to like your page (Encourage them to spread the word!).

Import your email addresses of customers from your boutique mailing list (Note: You can invite in bulk by going to the Admin. Panel).

Post content that your fans will enjoy and interact with (Remember: Every interaction is a chance for a new person to discover your page!).

1. Spread the word - Ask your current followers to share your page.

2. Cross promote - Ask your customers to like your page in your newsletter, on your website, in your store, via other social channels, etc.

3. Run a contest - Ask your followers to “Comment to Win” a free product.

4. Targeted Facebook Ads - Facebook ads are helpful if you get them in front of the right people. You can target based on gender, age, location and interest.

5. Be active - Constantly post engaging and entertaining content that your audience with will enjoy.

“Selling on Facebook has created a wonderful sense of community for my customers.” –Ashley Jernigan, owner of Southern Tots

◦ Ashley Jernigan founded Southern Tots while she was changing careers, selling traditional children’s clothing both online and through eBay.

◦ When she experimented with selling leftover inventory on Facebook, she faced overwhelming demand and refocused her efforts to selling through Soldsie.

◦ Southern Tots grew from one to eleven employees, expanded from a home office to a warehouse, and allowed a team of working mothers to forge a work-life balance.

Focus on increasing engagement (likes, comments, and shares).

Post compelling products for sale (new, well priced, and unique items).

Use flash sales when possible: ◦ Flash sales typically run weekly, take place over a

limited time, and offer items in limited quantities.◦ Recommendation: Sell at 7 p.m. local time from

Sunday night to Thursday night.

Price, style, & quantity matter most: ◦ Items that cost between $10 and $40 work best for your

first sale. ◦ Accessories work well because they’re attractively priced

& appeal to impulse buyers.◦ Try selling 5 to 10 of each product to increase urgency.

Best merchandise to sell:◦ New to the store or website ◦ Exclusively for sale on Facebook◦ Heavily discounted items◦ Limited stock of popular items

Before sale:◦ Promote your event (see promotion of sale).◦ To increase your reach, boost post with $10-50.◦ Email customers and fans about the sale.

During sale:◦ Be present so that you can answer questions.◦ Get as many people as possible to participate. ◦ When there are already comments, other people will

follow suit.

After sale: ◦ Mention that the product is sold out. This will create

urgency and prepare your fans for upcoming sales.

1. Offer a gift or discount with first FB purchase.

2. Run a promotion requesting people to share or get likes on their comments (the most shares or likes wins an item).

3. Promote through all social profiles: Leverage your website, Instragram, Pinterest, etc.

4. “Boost” promo posts: Spend $10-50 to “boost” your post and target a relevant audience.

5. In-store promotion or party: Have a cocktail or tea party at your shop to promote the launch of a sale or page.

First, thank everyone for participating in the sale, or if you did an auction or giveaway, congratulate the winner.

Then, take stock of the results:◦ How did customers respond to the new platform? ◦ If you distributed coupon codes, how many fans

used them upon checkout? ◦ What will you do differently to promote future

campaigns, if anything?

Not getting enough target signups before the sale.

Running sale posts with links in the middle of another promotion.

Running sales at non-peak hours.

Limited to no page or sale promotions.

Selling only products over $50 that are not discounted, new, or unique.

Selling too many products at once.

Share quality photos: Users that use photos see an average of 25% more likes and almost 20% more shares. Include attractive photos that are made of clean compositions and use good lighting for better conversions.

Advertise: Design targeted advertisements.

Use video: It doesn’t have to be a large production. Even a short clip showcasing your business can go a long way.

Great cover photo: When your business page gets ‘liked’ it makes a splash on other users’ News Feeds. Make sure your cover photo is eye-catching and looks good cropped as a square.

Polls: Create polls that are timely and related to your business. Use visuals to further increase engagement.

Quotes: Find and share inspirational quotes that can associate your brand with positive feelings.

Giveaways: Ask users to like, share, or comment on a particular post to be entered.

Make it a free-for-all: Have users like, share, or comment on any post for additional entries.

Offer discounts: Waive shipping or offer discount on their next purchase for completing the “like, share, comment” trinity.

Set goals: Perhaps you’re on the verge of your 10,000th or 50,000th like. Let fans know that whoever got you to your benchmark will get a prize.

Soldsie seller The Imprint Doctor increased engagement and followers on their page by:

Running milestone giveaways for every 100 likes.

Using polls with visuals to feature three different products and asked fans to comment on the one they’d like to win.

This helped build buzz around the page as well as helped to identify which products would do well in a sale.

Posting pictures of winners with their prize and tagging them causing the photo to show up in the winner’s News Feed.

Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your posts should be for your fans, 20% about your brand.

Customer service: Don’t delete negative comments and don’t get into an argument online. Instead view customer complaints as an opportunity to solve problems.

Running promotions: Make sure to stay informed of Facebook’s terms of service.

Selling on Facebook: Don’t push consumers onto a different site to make a purchase.

Scheduling posts: Figure out the best times of the day to post for fans.

Cross promotion: Integrate Pinterest, Instagram, and other social networks into your Facebook marketing strategy. Other social media platforms are opportunities to strengthen your Facebook business page.

Social Media Today: Independent blog managed by industry professionals that contains insightful posts.

Boom Social: Kim Garst’s blog offers practical and quick tips on managing your social media outlets.

Jon Loomer: Resource for those looking to improve on their Facebook marketing skills.

Splash Media: Get advice on online brand marketing from industry experts.

Hootsuite Blog: Aside from being a great tool to manage all your social media accounts, Hootsuite also offers insightful knowledge on their blog to help you stay on the cutting edge of social media.

Lighting: Even, natural lighting that’s bright enough to not require flash is ideal to avoid harsh shadows.

Text over photos: Facebook Insights proves that bright, clean images with text invite fan interaction.

Interesting or unobtrusive backdrop: Giving thought to your backdrop can help with store branding – creating the ‘feel’ of your Facebook store.

Demonstrate fit: When selling clothes, use live models or mannequins to showcase the items so potential customers can see how the clothing really fits.

Size & resolution of photos: Avoid blurriness and pixelation by paying attention to image resolution. A good rule of thumb for uploading to Facebook is 77PPI.

Sell Out Completely, Without Overselling Manage your inventory and product list right from Facebook for your

Facebook store.

Accept pre-authorized payments so that late-payers and cancelled orders won’t hold up your inventory.

Leave the Posting, Invoicing and Payment Reminders to Us Real-time, automatically-issued invoices make sure every comment gets

an invoice as they’re made.

Schedule reminder emails to get more payments.

Schedule your auctions ahead of time – anytime – from anywhere.

Shopper-Friendly Features Help to Grow Your Business and Establish Your Brand

Create and manage coupon codes.

Accept credit card payments.

Customers don’t have to leave their email addresses in the comments –it protects their privacy.

Customers can select add-ons at checkout.