The ultimate goal for any marketing campaign is to increase revenue and profitability for the client. Obviously, this is much easier said than done. One of the best ways to do this is to drive people from a company’s social profile (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) to their website, either through paid content such as Facebook ads or through posting content on their social feed. Sounds like a lot of red tape, right? Well, have no fear, because social platforms like Facebook are looking to streamline the online sales process for companies by allowing them to make their very own Facebook Store.
Reason 1: Reach Billions of People
You’re probably asking yourself, why in the world would I want to set up a store on Facebook? There are currently over 1.7 BILLION active users on Facebook. Now obviously not all of these users are going to be buying your product or service, but that’s still a massive audience for your business to market to, and better yet, more people to buy your product then you probably would have had before.
Brands like Lillians of Dickinson, a women’s fashion boutique located in North Dakota, started out by building a Facebook Store tab on their page instead of building an actual e-commerce site or posting products on Amazon or Etsy. Websites like Amazon and Etsy can be a red ocean for small businesses, especially those in the women’s fashion industry. Opting out of starting with an e-commerce website or posting their products on Amazon or Etsy panned out so well in fact, that in just 6 days, they were able to generate $2,500 in revenue through their Facebook Store.
Reason 2: Win-Win for Both Parties
What better way to communicate to potential customers than through Facebook while serving them ads that take them to the company’s Facebook Store page? It’s a win-win for both parties. The brand gets to advertise and sell their products on an already established platform with an easy-to-use interface, and Facebook gets to keep users on their platform instead of driving them away to someone else’s website.
Reason 3: Seamlessly Integrate Sales & Social
Facebook Store allows companies to create a “shop” tab right on their company page. Instead of driving people to your Facebook page, directing them to the website, and then hoping they buy a product from it, people can now buy directly through the shop tab.
What’s the big deal about all this? It eliminates almost half of the steps in the path-to-purchase. It is becoming increasingly important in this day and age to simplify processes, and when the sales process is streamlined, the possibilities are endless when it comes to growing a business. Not many businesses are currently using this feature as it is still new territory for many of them. Maybe because companies are already so invested in their e-commerce websites and they feel it takes away the value from what they already have established. For smaller businesses starting out, Amazon or other distribution services can be highly competitive and hard to break through with so much competition housing themselves on sites like these. Also, it’s far cheaper to build out a Facebook Store, than it is to commission a third party to build out that website for you.
Reason 4: Innovative and Cutting Edge
I have to admit, as a digital marketer, it does sound a bit crazy that Facebook is taking on the challenge of shifting from just a social platform to a social marketplace. It’s exciting to potentially have e-commerce capabilities on a social platform that we all find ourselves spending much of our time (maybe too much!) on already. I see this as a perfect tool for small-to-medium-size companies who are looking to establish themselves with an e-commerce presence. Let’s face it, it’s easier (and cheaper) for a small business to conduct their business online than in a brick-and-mortar location.
What’s that you said? You want purchasing capabilities through Facebook Messenger? Well I have good news for you.
Using the Messenger App isn’t anything new and people have been communicating with brands directly through Messenger for awhile now. Now you don’t even need to leave the Messenger app to buy a brand’s products. A company called Shopify has a pretty nifty tool, where companies can set up a messenger bot, that allows people to buy products directly through that bot, without even having to visit that store’s website, or even their Facebook Store! More information on purchase ability through Messenger can be found here.
Reason 5: Free & Easy
It’s safe to say that most people you know have a Facebook or had one at some point, and are familiar with the interface. This is what makes the Facebook Store so great. Not only do you already have an audience of over 1 billion people, but you’re placing your business on a platform that’s familiar and easy to use, even to the most novice user (LOOKING AT YOU, DAD). It also doesn’t take nearly the same amount of time or effort to set up your Facebook Store as it would to build out a brand new e-commerce website.
So, what’s your business waiting for?
Ready to set up your Facebook Marketplace? This website provides great step-by-step instructions on how you can set up your Facebook Store for free!
SCS UNITES WITH SWARM – A DIGITAL PERFORMANCE AGENCY, TO ADD MORE FOCUS ON RESULTS
Together as SCS, the new union will include 100 people across three offices – Atlanta, Southern California, and Ottawa (Canada) – and offer an integrated digital, media, creative and marketing consultancy designed as a modern, agile-solution at scale for national and international brand management.