Facebook started off as a simple social media platform to connect with friends and family, but it didn’t take long for it to turn its sights on businesses and advertising. Learning to sell on the Facebook marketplace is a great way to grow your business given the pervasiveness of social media ecommerce.
In the following guide, we’ll talk about how to sell on Facebook marketplace, including important tried and tested strategies.
- What is the Facebook Marketplace?
- Why Sell on Facebook Marketplace?
- How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace – Our Step-by-Step Guide
What is the Facebook Marketplace?
The Marketplace was added to the social media platform in 2016. Think of it as a safer and more enhanced version of Craigslist, where you can sell different kinds of things to a local audience. Instead of limiting your sales to a localized area, the Marketplace also allows businesses to sell goods nationwide.
In fact, many have gone so far as to say that the Marketplace has completely replaced platforms like Craigslist, with more than 800 million users across 70 countries taking advantage of the Marketplace. That’s almost 30% of the entire user count on Facebook.
The Facebook Marketplace has huge upside potential if you know how to use it right. For small ecommerce businesses that are just looking to establish a foothold in a competitive niche, the Marketplace could help you get more customers. The best part? You can sell virtually anything that you want on the platform. Before you learn how to sell on Facebook marketplace, there are a few things you should know.
Why Sell on Facebook Marketplace?
There are plenty of reasons why you should seriously consider expanding your ecommerce presence to sell on Facebook Marketplace. Here are a few of the benefits that it offers.
1. Custom Page Design
Experienced ecommerce sellers know how customizing their page design draws more interest in their products. A well-designed page with dynamic content affords your business the space to stand out in an oversaturated and competitive market, even as it highlights your unique brand ethos and philosophy. Facebook gives you an edge here, letting you customize your page according to your specifications and tastes.
2. Tap Into a Big Market
Facebook has 2.8 billion users around the globe. You absolutely need to include it as one of your customer acquisition channels. Learning how to sell on Facebook marketplace is a great way to tap into this market. You can also use Facebook for ecommerce marketing as well.
3. Directly Connect with Consumers
Selling on Facebook marketplace allows you to directly connect with and sell to your consumers. You can easily offer support by way of voice calls, messages, or even through comment feedback. And you can announce recent developments with the brand and company through status updates. Once you know how to sell on Facebook marketplace, you can engage with customers and promote your products directly.
For better support, you can even create a Facebook Messenger Bot, especially if you are using Laravel Cloud.
4. Detailed Analysis
Facebook gives you a plethora of tools at your disposal that you can use to better figure out how people interact with your business. Its centralized dashboard, for instance, helps you explore post reach and shows you how you can tweak your posts for a larger following.
5. Integrations and Extensions
Many people who use WooCommerce or Magento for their ecommerce stores will benefit from expanding their digital offerings on Facebook. There are built-in integrations and extensions available that you can use. Integrating Facebook for WooCommerce is a great way to automatically post your products from your WooCommerce store on Facebook as well.
How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace – Our Step-by-Step Guide
If you are still reading, I’m assuming you have made the profitable decision to sell on the platform. Here are 7 steps to learning how to sell on Facebook Marketplace to raise your profit margins.
1. Create Your Facebook Marketplace Account
Create a Facebook account if you don’t already have one. You don’t have to create a special account on Facebook; your normal account will work just as well. Or you can use a seller profile with a dedicated page. Just make sure that you fill all of the information as accurately as possible.
Your genuineness and personality should shine through your page to make a connection with your audience and increase sales. For this, create a full-fledged account with all relevant details, including details like your location, a profile picture, and other information. Don’t leave any blanks. This is the first step to selling on Facebook Marketplace.
2. Finding Products to Sell on Facebook Marketplace
This is a bit trickier than you might think. Just like on Craigslist or eBay, you can sell virtually anything that you want on the Facebook Marketplace. But for profit maximization, look for high-demand items such as the ones on this list of trending products to sell.
You should also check out your competition. How do they present product descriptions, for instance? And make sure you’re following best practices when it comes to ecommerce product images. Take clear photos in good light using a high-resolution camera. Add a detailed description for what you are selling and set an appropriate price.
3. Conduct Product Research
One of the best ways to effectively maximize your profits when selling on Facebook Marketplace is to conduct some product research beforehand. Before selling on Facebook Marketplace, you need to keep your customers in mind.
Many ecommerce sellers miss this step, but for Facebook to play an important role in revenue generation, you should primarily sell goods that are in high demand.
Thankfully, product research is not difficult. First of all, find out what’s in demand. You can use Google Trends to figure out what people search for the most in your area.
Then, you can look for suppliers on platforms like AliExpress to get the best deals. Choose products with decent profit margins. While most people generally use the Marketplace for selling one-off items, you can use plenty of tools like Jungle Scout to estimate sales data on larger marketplaces like Amazon. This will give you a better idea about what sells on those big platforms, and allow you to optimize your marketing strategy on Facebook to sell similar products.
Obviously, you don’t need to use any third-party software in order to do your research. You can easily get a better idea regarding demand, profitability, and what your competition is doing by just checking similar pages. If you want, you can distinguish your products through unique ecommerce packaging as well.
There are quite a few different categories of products that you can sell on the Facebook Marketplace. These include:
- Deals
- Electronics
- Entertainment
- Vehicles
- Housing
- Family
- Clothing
- Housing
- Home and Garden
- Hobbies
It’s also important to note that some products might not be sold through this avenue. These include:
- Adult toys
- Alcohol
- Human parts or fluids
- Tobacco products
- Recalled products
- Digital accounts or subscriptions
- Virtual currency
- Gambling services
- Medicinal products
- Hazardous materials
- Gift cards
- Event tickets
- Weapons
- Drugs
4. Estimating Demand
How do you figure out what people are interested in buying? More importantly, how do you figure out what products will see higher demand in the future so that you can stock up?
There was an interesting case study about a few companies that were one of the first to find out about COVID-19 in Wuhan, months before it reached Western shores. Expecting the inevitable, they ended up buying millions in gloves and masks. As you can imagine, they profited heavily as the virus broke out throughout the country and people began to buy masks and gloves en masse.
Keep an eye on new ancillary products when estimating demand For instance, in the past year, Sony and Microsoft both released new consoles. Plenty of companies immediately introduced licensed alternatives, including controllers, headsets, and other ancillary products, all centered around these gaming systems.
Stay on top of trends around new releases of popular products, and see if you can offer ancillary products to further boost your sales. To really find those exclusive items, you need to dig deep and scour the web to figure out what’s trending. These are the products that will help you land those neat profits.
5. How to Post Products in the Marketplace
The next step is to set up your store. This includes everything from listing the items on your Facebook store to making sure that they are presented well. Knowing how to post on Facebook Marketplace at the right times can make all the difference.
Step 1: Creating a Listing
The first step is to create a new listing. You can check the bar on the left of your Facebook Newsfeed, and click on Marketplace. From there, click on Create Listing to view the different options. Choose the type of listing you want.
Step 2: Add Details
The next step is to add the details of your item, along with pictures, the price you are asking, and anything else that you’d like to add. Then, just click “Next,” and you will get to see a preview. From there, you can Publish your listing on the next page.
When adding details, try to be as descriptive as possible. For instance, you should define its condition, how it’s been used, and any other details that you want to add. Make sure that the buyer has a clear idea of what you are selling. This way, all their questions will be answered through the description only.
Step 3: Boost Your Listing
You can also boost your listing to make it visible to a greater audience. Click on “Boost Post” on the top right, and then select the duration of your post. You also need to specify your budget for the promotion.
In order to boost the post, you will first have to make a payment in advance. You can either pay via PayPal, a credit or debit card, or through online banking. Enter the details and confirm your payment. The post will be boosted right away.
Step 4: Select Audience
Once you are done, you can select different groups in which you’d like to post the listing. This is a good way to get more eyes on your listing and attract more offers quickly. You can click on multiple groups in order to post the listing automatically in there.
Step 5: Mark as Sold
Once your product has sold, you can just mark it as sold. This way, people will know that the product is no longer available and won’t bother you with inquiries or questions about it.
6. Use Facebook Advertising to Your Advantage
Check on a few price comparison websites to find out whether you are charging the right amounts from your customers. Once you know that you are offering value, it’s time to look at some advanced selling tips.
Facebook allows you to “boost” your posts, which is just a fancy term for promoting your posts on the platform. Go to “Listings” in your account and then click on “Boost Listing.”
You can define your daily budget and the duration of the promotion, and Facebook will do the rest. Facebook also gives you the option of tailoring your audience and then checking how your posts perform. This will make it easy for you to determine the impact of your promotional spending. Once you start, you can also use multiple upselling techniques to increase your profits.
7. Take Customer Service Seriously
Customer service should be your absolute priority when selling on Facebook. Remember, you are not the only player in the market. There are going to be others selling the same products as you who will vie for your customers.
The best way to distinguish yourself to sell on Facebook marketplace profitably is to provide prompt responses to people who ask questions. This will distinguish you from the competition and get you more customers.
And make sure to respond to all messages and comments on your posts! You can also talk to ecommerce consultants in order to maximize your brand reach.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to sell on Facebook marketplace is a crucial skill that will help you promote your business and generate good sales. It’s an excellent way to buffer your profits and supplement your income. Moreover, selling on Facebook will garner more social proof for your business, which will improve your company’s goodwill. Visit the Cloudways webinar on price and sell on value.
Najam Ahmed
I work as a digital content producer at Cloudways. Besides that, I love to read, and i love to play the guitar. Fan of all things Arsenal and the Patriots. Occasional gamer. I like to fly drones too. Jack of all trades.
