The world of social media has opened up new and exciting ways for businesses to connect with their customers. These platforms have also paved the way for smaller businesses that previously struggled to compete in the marketplace to thrive again.
With over 300 million active users, Facebook has become the leading social network for businesses of all sizes. In fact, according to Statista, by 2021, it’ll be the second-largest general online commerce sensation after Amazon.com.
Other lesser-known sites like Instagram and Pinterest also offer incredible potential for small businesses and individuals looking to sell their products directly to a target audience.
Also read: How to Get Rich on Facebook Marketplace: How To Sell Your Stuff and Make Money
The challenge is finding a niche that won’t be oversaturated in your local area or industry as there are many people who reside in areas where these social media sites are already well established.
1. Be clear and intentional with your product photos
Before you make any other changes to your product pages, you should know that photos are the first thing that people see when they come to your page. The most important thing to remember is that product photos make a huge difference when it comes to how much your product sells for. Photos are the No. 1 thing buyers look at when deciding if they want to make a purchase from you.
So it’s important to remember that your photos should always be high-quality and clear. And, if possible, should be a close-up of the product you’re selling. If you’re selling a jacket, for example, a photo of it on a hanger won’t do much for you. Instead, try taking a photo of yourself wearing the jacket to give potential buyers a better idea of how it looks on.
2. Use relevant, high-quality product photos in your ad
While photos on your product pages are important, they aren’t used in your actual ad. Instead, your ad uses teasers to entice people to buy your product. Make sure that you include high-quality photos of your product in your ad.
This will help entice your customers to click “buy” faster. The best thing to do is to use the same photos from your product pages, but cropped or cropped and zoomed in to show a closer view of the product.
These images will often be the first thing that potential buyers see when they’re shopping on Facebook. If they are unclear or low-quality images, they may not even click on your ad to see the rest of your details.
3. Be strategic with your ad text
Beyond the images in your ads, the next most important thing you need to remember is your ad text. This is the main content area where you have room to write a title and a description of your product.
The title should be clear and concise. You can use a question to your advantage here, as well as something to spark curiosity amongst your audience.
The description is where you can be slightly more creative and give a little more information about the product. This is an area where you can also use bold keywords and phrases to help boost your click-through rate to your product page. Be sure to include all of the relevant details about the product you’re selling, including:
- What the product is
- The brand or type of the product
- How many items you have for sale
- Any special or additional features of the product
- The price of the product
- The condition of the product
- The delivery options and how long it will take to ship
4. Show people what’s in-stock and available to buy right away
One of the biggest problems that people have when buying online is not knowing whether or not the item they want is in stock and available to purchase. This is especially true when it comes to items like clothing, especially if they are looking for a specific size.
To fix this problem, make sure to include what is in-stock and available to purchase right away in your ad. This will help you sell more products with fewer clicks.
5. Don’t forget to include a price and condition of sale
It’s important to include the price of your product in your ad, as well as the condition of the product for sale. This will protect you from receiving negative reviews from buyers who expect the product to be in a certain condition when it arrives.
If you say that it’s a new product but you sell it as used, you could get in trouble, especially if someone expects it to be in new condition and it’s not.
6. Make it easy for people to buy from you
When people are on your ad, they should be able to see, at a glance, everything that you can do for them and how easy it is to buy from you. Make sure to include your payment method, shipping terms, and how fast you can get the product to them.
This will help streamline the buying process and reduce the amount of clicks it takes for someone to make a purchase.
7. Be visually appealing
As you’re crafting your ad and product listings, remember to keep them visually appealing. This means that you should use the recommended format for your ad, as well as keeping your title and description short and sweet.
Be sure to include a call-to-action (or CTA) at the bottom of your ad, as well as links to your website or other social media pages where people can learn more and shop more easily.
8. Optimize your titles and product descriptions
Your titles and product descriptions should be optimized for search engines. This means that you should include keywords that people are likely to search for and find your products.
You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find the right keywords to use in your product titles and descriptions.
This will help drive more traffic to your Facebook Marketplace product pages and help you sell more products in a shorter amount of time.
9. Be transparent about your product condition
Finally, make sure that you are transparent about the condition of your product. If it’s used or refurbished, make sure to let people know in your ad. If you’re selling an item as new or brand-new, you can be slightly more specific and let buyers know that this is the case.
This will help you avoid receiving negative reviews and feedback from customers who were not expecting the item to be used or refurbished.
10. Offer fast and free shipping to buyers
Finally, make sure that you are offering fast and free shipping to your customers. This is crucial when it comes to selling on Facebook Marketplace, as people are often looking for a quick and easy way to make a purchase.
They don’t want to sit around and wait to get their hands on a product, only to find out that it’s going to take a long time to get to them. If you’re able to offer free shipping, this will help you sell more products. If you can’t offer free shipping, make sure to include the shipping rate in your ad so people know what they’re getting themselves into.
11. Leverage selling events
When you’re selling seasonal or one-time events like concerts or festivals, try to tie your product listing into the event itself. For example, if you’re selling tickets to Coachella, you might want to include the header “Coachella 2019: See Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and more live!”
If you’re selling a one-off product like a ticket to a comedy show, you can use different copy to drive home the reason why you bought the ticket and why your product is special. You might want to say something like, “I have an extra ticket to see Dave Chappelle in New York City on Saturday, March 9th. You can come with me!”
12. Create a sense of urgency in your ad copy
If you’re selling an item that’s available in limited quantities, let your customers know that they need to act fast. Try something like, “Selling out quickly! Only 1 left in stock!”
If you’ve discovered an item that you really like but don’t have a use for it anymore, try to tie in how quickly your inventory is selling out. This could go something like, “Only 5 left in stock! 1 sold while ad was open!”
13. Promote the benefits of your products
Instead of listing all of the features and specifications of your products, focus on how your customers can benefit from owning them. For example, if you’re selling a new vacuum cleaner, you might want to include something like, “Now you can clean your whole house faster!”
If you’re selling a product that solves a problem, you might want to write something like, “Finally, a solution to overly dirty clothes!”
14. Set a flex shipping deadline and be transparent about shipping costs
If you’re selling an oversized item that would be very expensive to ship, let your customers know upfront. Something like, “Flex shipping! Save $$$ by choosing ground shipping!” If you’re selling a product with high shipping costs, you might want to include the amount of money you’re charging for shipping in your product listing.
This could be helpful for customers who are trying to decide between multiple products they’re interested in. Something like, “Shipping costs $15.”
15. Welcome questions and answer customer concerns before they buy
If a customer asks you a question through the Marketplace messaging system, you have the opportunity to not only answer their question but convert them into a sale.
You might want to start your response with something like, “Great question!” or “I’m happy to help!” Try to avoid starting your response with “Yes” or “No” unless the customer asked you a specific question that can be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No”.
16. Don’t forget to promote your business outside of Facebook
While it’s extremely important to make sure your product listing is clear and accurate, it’s also important to make sure you include some information about your business on the Facebook Marketplace itself.
Make sure your business name and contact information are visible so that customers can easily navigate to your Facebook page to learn more about you and your business.
17. Prepare for success
Even though the Facebook Marketplace is a great way to sell your products and make some extra cash, it’s important to remember that nothing happens overnight. You’ll want to set realistic expectations for yourself and make sure you’re not getting discouraged if you don’t see immediate results.
Try to think about the long-term benefits of selling on the Marketplace as opposed to the short-term goals. If you’re patient and put in enough effort, you’ll be amazed at how much money you can make from selling on Facebook.
18. Make your title easy to read and understand
When creating your product titles, try to keep them short and to the point. Your title should be descriptive enough to make the customer want to click on your ad, but it shouldn’t be too long that it’s hard to read.
For example, if you’re selling a pair of shoes, you might want to use the title “Women’s Running Shoes” or “New Balance Women’s Running Shoes”. If you’re selling a computer, you might want to use the title “New HP Pavilion Laptop”.
19. Don’t forget the small details
It’s easy to get so caught up in the numbers and the big-picture that you forget the small details that really make a difference. Before you start selling on Facebook, make sure you have an attractive profile picture, an accurate and descriptive cover photo, a business name and a clear business description.
Make sure your product descriptions are as detailed as possible and that you’re following Facebook Marketplace guidelines. Stay up-to-date on Facebook Marketplace policies to avoid getting your account suspended.
20. Highlight why your product is unique
If you’re selling a product that’s similar to other products on the Facebook Marketplace, it’s important to highlight the ways that your product is different and/or better than the rest. Try to avoid directly comparing your products to other sellers’ products as this could get you in trouble with Facebook.
If you’re selling a pair of shoes and another seller is also selling a pair of shoes, you might want to mention the types of activities that your shoes are best for, or you might want to mention the materials that are used in your shoes.
