We've been shopping online regularly for years, and it's no longer surprising. However, not everyone knows that they can not only easily buy but also sell. Facebook is one of the platforms where creating your own online store or digital shop window only takes a few minutes. Selling on Facebook is that simple.
Why sell through Facebook
Online commerce has exploded in recent years, but especially during this last one, in which the COVID-19 pandemic has changed many of our daily habits. Now that we cannot or do not want to get into closed spaces with hundreds or thousands of other people, online sales are the great option to buy and sell for many users, stores, entrepreneurs, etc.
In the case of those who want to sell through the Internet, nowadays it is not necessary to invest in their own online store, with a server, payment gateways, etc., which technically are not easy to configure for any type of user. . And this is so because social networks have been able to realize that they can act as virtual shop windows, something that brings benefits to both the user and themselves.
For a long time, forums and other Internet pages have been used as a way of contacting users interested in the sale or purchase of a specific product. On Facebook, for example, there are numerous group pages where this type of activity is carried out, although everything is done in a very conventional way.
These public groups are basically like a bulletin board where each user interested in selling something publishes their message with their corresponding photo and through the comments you interact with those interested, whether or not they have closed the deal and proceed to sell it and sent your Proceeds or face-to-face collection.
This is just as valid as any other method, but it's not the best way to do it. Especially if your intention is not to sell something only in a timely manner, but you want to find a way to generate recurring income based on your work and those products or services that you offer.
Therefore, the best approach is to take advantage of the various tools Facebook offers for selling online. Not only are they very easy to set up, but you also benefit from all the advantages that social networks in general, and Facebook in particular, offer.
- Social networks like Facebook allow a reach of very high potential users
- Many users are already familiar with its use
- You will not need to invest in an online server or other tools, they give you everything
- You can take advantage of its promotional tools to have a greater impact
- With Facebook you can take advantage of the integration with other platforms such as Instagram or WhatsApp
So, perhaps if you are starting to sell online and want to expand your market without too high an investment, you may be interested in knowing what options you have to sell on Facebook.
How to sell products or services through Facebook
Facebook is one of the social networks that quickly realized that there was an important business opportunity in the use of this type of platform as online sales outlets. And not only because of those percentages that can be taken from the sales generated, but also because of the increase in activity and users that it entails.
Facebook currently offers three different options for selling online: stores, catalogs, and the marketplace. Each of them offers its advantages and would be oriented according to what type of user and activity they want to carry out. So let's get to know them one by one, how they are created and configured.
Shops on Facebook
Facebook online stores, or Facebook Shops, are, as their name suggests, places where sellers can create a kind of virtual storefront if they already have their own online store, or use them as a place where they start and finish the purchase itself.
The choice between one or the other option will depend on you, if you have your own website, the ideal thing to do is to use it only to make yourself known, reach a larger audience and then all of them go to your page to finish the purchase. It would be the showcase type use mode.
However, if you don't want to get bogged down with your own options, creating your own store and allowing purchases to be initiated and completed through Facebook is a very attractive option. To create your own Facebook store, the process is as follows:
- The first step is to go to Business Manager
- From there you can sell on Facebook, Instagram or both platforms at the same time
- Choose Create a store and click Start
- The stores are available for physical products, so read the next page in detail and start configuring everything
- Select where to checkout. To do it on Facebook or Instagram you will have to have the company located in the US and a bank account in that country. If not, you will have to redirect it to your website or finalize the purchase with courier
- Create a Facebook page if you don't have one yet or select one you already have
- Add the products
- Confirm everything and sell
As you can see, it is not a complicated process at all, so it will only take you the time you need for these initial configuration steps and preparing all the products that you want to sell online with their images, description, etc.
Product catalogs on Facebook
The second option is product catalogs. This Facebook option is a kind of online showcase that serves as a showcase for your products or services. Yes, in this case you can sell services such as consultancies, creation of digital products or anything else without the limitation of stores that "force" you to be physical products.
To create a catalog on Facebook, the process is practically identical to the previous one.
- Enter to Business Manager
- Select the type of catalog you want to create (ecommerce, travel, real estate or automobiles)
- Select the upload method: upload product information or connect to ecommerce platform
- Once your catalog is created you can easily add or remove items
The only point to consider with the use of Facebook product catalogs is that there is no option to complete the transaction unless you meet the requirements of being a physical product and having a store already created within the platform. Even so, it is a very interesting option to sell online or, at least, improve sales by giving visibility to your products and/or services.
Facebook Marketplace
The Facebook Marketplace is a kind of eBay or Amazon integrated into the platform. In other words, what users interested in selling some type of product do is advertise so that other interested users can easily find them.
So, for example, if you are interested in buying something in particular, you can search the marketplace, read the opinions of users who have already done so, inform yourself as you would with the comments of other users on other platforms and once you decide to look for that seller that convinces you the most if there are several that offer what you are looking for.
Once you have it, you only have to contact us to finalize the transaction. And in the event that you are the one who wants to take advantage of this tool to sell, what you have to do is the following:
- Go to section Facebook Marketplace
- give to + Sell something
- En sale item select the photos with which you want to illustrate the publication and fill in all the necessary information
- Hit Publish and that's it, to wait for possible buyers
Within Facebook Marketplace there are differences between a business and a regular seller that are worth knowing in order to understand what interests you or is most convenient for you.
Advantages of stores, catalogs and marketplace on Facebook
Now that you know the three options that Facebook offers its users to sell through its platform or boost said sales in its online stores, let's talk about the advantages of each of the options.
Advantages of Facebook Shops
Stores within Facebook are the ideal option for many, although at the moment it is not something that everyone can take advantage of equally. Undoubtedly, its main advantages are the following:
- Unique brand experience by being able to customize all aspects offered
- Your own space where you will only show what you want
- Boost traffic to your own website for online sales
Advantages of Facebook Catalogs
For their part, catalogs are the best option to publicize what you offer visually.
- They allow an orderly display of your products
- Control of the items
- Greater visual impact
Advantages of Facebook Marketplace
The last Marketplace option is also very interesting:
- If you are constant in the publications and they make sense, the latter is important, the visibility of your project will increase and you will see how the flow of clients is also growing
- You can take advantage of the geographic data of each user so that your products are shown to the users closest to you
- More options to be found in searches
- Improves the relationship between seller and customer
Boost sales on Facebook
At this point, further improving sales on Facebook is possible through things as basic as those you could do both in physical stores and in other types of online stores. For example, keep your products updated and have quality photos to make them look good. Also answer users who have questions or want to know some additional information.
That participation and that it is not left as something neglected is vital for the store to work and generate more and more traffic. After all, Facebook itself is going to give you more visibility if it sees that you are capable of generating more movement of users.
Marketplace's website offers general tips that you can apply to everything, including how to leverage these sales options on other platforms owned by Zuckerberg's company. Selling through Instagram, in particular, could be interesting, and it doesn't take much time or require a significant extra effort.