The Facebook marketplace is a relatively new feature that lets users sell secondhand goods, toys, games and other locally listed items. It’s separate from the general selling groups on Facebook, which are more like garage sales with a limited audience. With the addition of this new function, users can now sell their old things directly to their friends and neighbors.
The best part? You don’t need to be an expert in e-commerce to get started! Users love the convenience of selling their stuff directly to other members of their community—not to mention getting cash back for something they were going to throw away anyway. But it’s not as simple as posting a picture and waiting for the offers (or lack thereof) to come rolling in.
Selling on Facebook is a great way to advertise your business and sell your products. The company introduced its marketplace feature as a way for people to buy and sell items directly from businesses in their community.
The social network also has an option to add your online store to give customers easy access to your products. However, creating an account and listing your products is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using Facebook as a place for selling things.
To really get the most out of the experience, you need to know the hacks that make everything easier. Keep reading for more information about how you can sell more items on Facebook, why it’s worth it and insider tips from experts who have been there before.
1. Create a well-stocked Shop and ad campaign before you begin selling.
If you expect to start generating significant revenue with your ads, you should have a large enough inventory to keep your customers happy. You don’t want to run out of the item they’re looking for, or have to tell them you can’t get more in for weeks.
You’ll also need to be sure that all the items you put up for sale are high quality. You should also create a catchy ad campaign; the Facebook Ads Manager is a great place to start. Your ad should include a catchy headline, a description of your product, and an image of the product. You can also use these ads to drive traffic to your website, or to Facebook Groups that are related to your product.
2. Make sure you have pictures of the items up close.
No matter what you are selling, you need to have pictures that clearly depict the item. If you’re selling clothing, make sure you get a close-up shot of that item and that the tag is visible. You can use your smartphone to take and upload these pictures, but make sure you have adequate lighting.
If you have a DSLR, you can use that to take higher-quality pictures. If you have a tripod, you can set it up outside or in a room with no natural light to avoid shadows and glare. You can also take advantage of editing tools like Photoshop to make your items look even better.
3. Be clear about your price and shipping info.
Make sure your customers know exactly how much an item costs and how much it will cost to ship to them. You can include this information in the ad itself or in the comments section. It’s also smart to include a return policy in your ads. Customers are more likely to buy something if they know they can return it if they’re not satisfied.
4. Don’t use emojis or slang in your ad or description.
Facebook doesn’t recognize emojis or a lot of internet slang, so avoid them when writing ads and descriptions. Keep your language simple and straightforward, and use the language that your target audience would use.
5. Use Facebook advertising to help get exposure.
If you’re just starting out on Facebook, you might not want to jump right into selling items right away. You could use Facebook ads to help get your Shop and items listed on the Marketplace some exposure before you’re ready to start making sales.
This is an excellent way to get your name out there and generate interest in your products. You can create an ad that links to your Facebook Marketplace Shop. Or, if you’re not quite ready to make sales, you could create an ad that links to a landing page where visitors can sign up to be notified when you’re ready to start taking orders.
6. Try using video ads to increase engagement with your audience.
If you’re using image-based ads, you’re likely getting some engagement, but video ads will help increase this engagement even further. You can create a video ad using a smartphone or computer camera.
Also read: How Do I Get Facebook Marketplace Icon on My Android Device
You might want to include closed captions if you’re using text in your video. You can use Facebook Live to broadcast a video on your page, or you can upload a video to your page and then send it out as an ad.
7. Set up tracking so you can see what’s working and what isn’t.
You can use conversion tracking to find out what types of ads are bringing the most interest to your Shop. Once you’re ready to start making sales, you can track your best-selling items and the ads that generated the most sales — so you can focus your energy on those ad campaigns.
You can also use conversion tracking to find out where your customers are coming from — which will help you target your ads more effectively.
8. Run Facebook Ads that link back to your Shop and product pages.
Once you’re ready to make sales, you can use Facebook Ads to link back to specific products on your Shop. This is a great way to drive awareness of your products and speed up the sales process. You can link specific products to general ads, or you can create ads that link to specific product pages.
Ads that link to product pages will automatically display the products you select. You could also create ads that link to your Shop page or a general landing page where visitors can sign up for email notifications when you’re ready to take orders.
9. Build a brand presence with your profile.
Your Facebook profile is a great place to start building your brand. You can add a cover photo, a profile picture, and information about yourself and your company. You can also link to your Shop and other social media accounts from your profile.
Be careful not to over-post, however. Facebook users expect posts to be limited, so be respectful of your audience by only posting when it’s necessary. You should also be sure to respond to comments and messages in a timely manner.
10. Be responsive and transparent.
Customers want to feel like they can trust the companies they’re doing business with, and they want to feel like they matter. You can help your customers feel more trusting and secure by being responsive and transparent. If a customer contacts you about an item, respond to that message quickly.
People appreciate companies that respond to them quickly and thoroughly, so keep your customers happy by responding to their queries as soon as possible. If you make an error with an order or with a product, be upfront and transparent about it.
Let your customers know that you’re sorry, and let them know what you plan to do to fix the problem. By using these hacks, you should be able to make your Facebook Marketplace experience a successful one.
11. Offer free shipping to build your customer base.
Facebook users love free shipping. If you’re trying to build a customer base of repeat customers, offer free shipping to build trust and loyalty. Make sure you’re not losing money by doing this — Facebook Marketplace does not allow sellers to offer free shipping.
If you are shipping items for the cost of the product plus a small fee for the shipping label, it is still considered paying for shipping and is allowed.
12. Optimize your ad to showcase the value of your product.
When you’re posting your ad, you have the option of selecting how much it costs and for how long it will be available for purchase. Choose a price that is competitive, but not too low to damage your profit margin. You can set the price for free if you have an item that is not selling.
At the top of your ad, include the title of the item and the price so that someone can scan your ad and immediately know what they can buy from you. Be sure to include a description of the item, including any relevant details that make it stand out from other similar products.
13. Utilize Facebook’s built in advertising platform.
Facebook offers a robust advertising platform that you can use to direct your ad to a specific group of people based on their interests, demographics, and more. If you have a product that appeals to a specific segment of the population (e.g., a car seat for children under the age of three), you can target that specific audience with your ad.
Facebook’s algorithm will also show your ad to other people who might be interested, but not in the targeted segment — and there is nothing wrong with that.
14. Use local hacks to tailor ads to particular markets.
You can target your ad to a more specific geographical area than simply the general Facebook user base. For example, if you sell baby products, you can set your target location to be moms in your immediate area, moms in your surrounding area, moms in a certain city, or even moms in a certain zip code.
Doing this will make your ad more visible to people who are most likely to buy from you, while decreasing the amount of irrelevant clicks on your ad.
15. Don’t rely only on organic reach, use paid ads as well.
The great thing about Facebook is that once you set up your ad, it can go viral organically. People can like, share, and comment on your ad, which will show it to more and more people. However, don’t rely solely on this happening. You will get more for your money by paying to promote your ad.
16. Set up your shop before you start selling.
Facebook Marketplace allows you to set up a store within your ad where people can click and buy what you’re selling. This is a great way to provide more information about your product, including where it was made, materials used, and any other pertinent details that your ad might not have enough room for.
17. Use Facebook Messenger to communicate with customers.
As you build your Facebook following, you might receive questions from people who are interested in your product. If they ask you a question in the comments section of your ad, it will take you a while to get back to them.
Instead, use Facebook Messenger to communicate with your customers so that you can answer their questions right away. Facebook Messenger is also a great place to ask customers for feedback and reviews. You can ask them to rate your product and leave a review right in the app.
This makes it easier for people to leave reviews than if they were to go to your Facebook ad and leave a comment.
18. Make sure your photos are top notch.
Ultimately, people don’t buy what you write, they buy what they see. Make sure that the images you use in your ad are high quality, close-ups of your products, and include any relevant information about your product such as the price, materials used, and more.
Facebook allows you to include up to three images for each of your products, which means you have a great deal of space to showcase your product in different environments and contexts.
19. Leverage Facebook’s built-in audience.
Facebook has a built-in audience you can use to your advantage. Use the targeting options to find people who are interested in your products and services. For example, if you run a print shop, you can target people who like specific magazines and newspapers that are in the journalism industry. You can also target people who like different types of businesses to expand your customer base.
20. Don’t rely on organic discoverability.
As mentioned above, organic discoverability is when your product rises to the top of Facebook Marketplace without having paid for any visibility. While this does happen for many Facebook Marketplace sellers, it is rare.
You will likely have to rely on paying for some visibility on this platform to make sure your product is seen by enough people to make a profit. Facebook is a great platform to sell your items and make some extra cash. These 10 hacks will help make your Facebook Marketplace experience more fruitful and profitable.
