Facebook is powerful. It beats other social networking sites in terms of conversion rates, sharing value, and numbers of visits. In this article, I’d like to show you a couple of ways to use Facebook for eCommerce to increase traffic and sales.
According to the latest Facebook stats, Facebook is still the most used social platform, with nearly 2.90 billion monthly active users.
- 2.60 billion monthly active users from all over the world.
- Many of those users are happy to share information about themselves.
- 1.73 billion users visit Facebook daily.
- Users spend 58 minutes on average on Facebook each day
- Facebook has over 80 million small businesses using Facebook Pages.
Optimizing Your Store for Facebook
The power of Facebook means that you should not miss out on the opportunities it provides for your online sales. Hence, let your potential buyers use Facebook to buy from you!
Facebook is the leader in sales conversion rates among social networking sites. Thus, offer sign up via Facebook if you haven’t already done so!
Use smart calls to action and engaging product descriptions in your Facebook advertisements. Additionally, facilitate your buyers’ engagements (likes, comments, shares) by including social media buttons on your website.
It’s widely acknowledged that an online store should be integrated with social media channels. Your shop is a place where you store your product information, while Facebook and other social media sites store networks of potential buyers.
Continue reading about a few essential facts you should consider when Facebooking for your (potential) customers.
- Posts with less than 80 characters attract 23% more engagement.
- Use emoticons to increase comments by 33%.
- Use quotes to get 26% more likes and 19% more shares.
- Use image-based content to get 40% more interaction.
- Phrase your post as a question: it will get 100% more comments.
- Your visitors will love discounts, deals, and special offers.
- Make your updates a combination of text-only, text & image, and image/video-only updates.
It is crucial for e-commerce stores must use product images and simplify the buying process, e.g. by directing to the check-out page or creating a Facebook app accepting payments.
You can move your customer support to your Facebook page, allowing your viewers to share feedback, compliments, suggestions, complaints, and concerns. Remember to respond to these comments promptly.
You can set up automated posts to make your work more efficient, mainly if you operate in different time zones.
How to Advertise Your Offer on Facebook Effectively
In e-commerce, a typical ROI from Facebook Ads is 152%. You may think the mere advertising of your shop will do the job and millions of buyers will be attracted to your products.
Unfortunately, with millions of businesses already advertising on Facebook, you are just one fish in the sea. All the same, you aim to grab the right audience’s attention.
To increase the click-through-rate, avoid creating generic ads
Don’t attract flocks of random shoppers. Identify your buyer profile, including their needs and problems, to attract the relevant audience. Identifying such needs is the key to your success.
Eliminate curiosity clicks
Avoid clicks that come from people who are unlikely to buy your product. They are only curious and not interested in paying for your offer.
Hence, prequalify your leads and filter out less desirable visitors by:
- Listing a price that will discourage those who are unwilling to pay this amount
- Addressing your audience: if it’s for Apple shoppers, say Apple shoppers, here’s something for you!
- Stating conditions of purchase, e.g.,, payment methods, shipping destinations.
Offer an incentive
Make relevant people click on your ad by using urgency, e.g. a limited-time offer. You can refer to your available stock by using:
- Phrases like limited time, only, hurry, last chance, offer expires, today only, clearance, act now, or prices rise.
- Trigger words, e.g., the ones that make people more responsive, for instance, using the word you introduce a personal connection. Words such as new, free, deal, or cheap are also enticing for most shoppers.
Use images appropriately
Images may be the first point of reference to attract or put off your potential buyers.
- First things first: above all, put the focus on the product, not your logo.
- Avoid cluttered images.
- Try to use images with people and present positive emotions to create a positive association with your product.
- Use product close-ups and a far shot in a single image.
- Ensure the viewer follows the line of sight: if there are humans in your ad, they should look towards the text in the ad. Your viewers will be more likely to follow the text.
Your Facebook Plan & Content Strategy
Planning your Facebook strategy is not only about posting regularly on the wall and winning more and less random likes.
Of course, you should post the latest company news and updates on products and benefits. Yet, simultaneously, you need to interact with your Facebook buyers.
State your goals with the help of Facebook analytics, e.g., number of fans, click-through, and contact-to-customer conversion rates. Results in numbers will help you to determine a clear direction.
State your ideal buyer profile and reach the right audience regarding their location, age, and interests. Compare it with your current results and make conclusions. Reaching the right audience will save you loads of time.
Keep your Facebook activities in line with the rest of your marketing efforts and campaigns: your posts should reflect and be integrated with your overall marketing strategy.
Create a content calendar that includes what’s and when’s. You need a consistent publishing flow, even at the busiest times. Your content calendar will keep your content strategy on track.
Create valuable expert content containing information about the industry, your product, offers, and company updates. Use your materials, but don’t be afraid to use quality content from other websites. Valuable content will help you to keep your audience engaged.
Publish high-quality content frequently.
- Use images.
- Listen to what your audience wants to read about.
- Use unique data, stats, and examples.
- Use occasional humor, but stay focused on relevant content.
- Link back to your website, e.g., by offering a compelling call-to-action that takes them to a landing page.
- Create dynamic content that changes based on a visitor’s profile or history of interactions with a company.
Turn Followers into Customers
Gain pre-transactional contacts
It may be easier and cheaper to make instant profits from immediate sales. It takes a bit more effort to make your customers return to your shop. Thus, take your time to get to know them, share something valuable with them and nurture your prospects.
Get valuable, loyal customers, not ANY customers.
Form quality relationships right from the beginning: get to know your potential customers, their needs, and expectations before becoming your clients.
When you find out what they need, provide them with a solution or a tip. Instill trust and loyalty first. It’s highly likely that when they finally do need your product, they will turn to you first.
Rise above the Internet Noise
Individuals and businesses tend to bombard Facebook users with posts, updates, and online shopping opportunities … minute by minute, second by second. Use what you have learned to ensure your voice is heard in the screaming world of social media.
Takeaway
To recap, here’s your takeaway from this article:
- Optimize your store for Facebook and use intelligent calls to action and apps allowing your buyers to make a purchase.
- Make sure your posts are engaging and get noticed by the relevant audience.
- Target your Facebook ads carefully, eliminate curiosity clicks and offer incentives for people ready to pay for your offer.
- Take time to develop your content strategy aligned with your marketing objectives. State your goals clearly.
- Get noticed in the harsh social media reality.
- Turn your contacts into loyal customers that bring actual value to your business.
Conclusion on Facebook for eCommerce
Remember… the statement ’Content is the King’ also holds accurate for Facebook. Rise above the Internet noise and make the most of the opportunities social media can provide your online store!
Relevant case studies of Todays.Agency
- A New Car in Town: Multi-channel Brand Awareness Campaign for the “Swedish Miracle”
- How we increased sales and decreased CPA from 21,52 £ per purchase to 4.12 £ in Facebook Ads
- We reached CPAs under 1 Eur in Google and Facebook campaigns
- Reviving the Romanian Market for Used Smart Gears through Lead Generation
