Facebook, historically known as a virtual hub for socializing with friends and family, has transformed into an innovative eCommerce platform. From the new Facebook Marketplace to interactive shopping experiences, users can enjoy more than just conversations on this popular website – they can build genuine businesses.
If you’re looking to expand your business and reach new customers by selling stuff online, Facebook Marketplace is the perfect platform for you. Over 140 leading eCommerce brands already leverage Facebook Marketplace to attract more customers, increase sales and realize greater success. Becoming part of an ever-evolving platform that continually grows in popularity is a win-win situation for every business.
In this guide, business owners can learn how to take advantage of one of the fastest-growing eCommerce platforms – Facebook Marketplace. We’ll show you all the tips and tricks for getting started with selling on this platform that is quickly becoming a favorite among brands everywhere.
In an aha! moment, the Facebook marketplace was introduced in 2016 and soon became the center of eCommerce attention. It has since become an invaluable platform for entrepreneurs of all levels as its streamlined features make selling simple and buying seamless.
Boasting one of the largest user bases in the world with a remarkable 2.963 billion monthly users, the Facebook app is revolutionizing digital commerce through its Marketplace service. By offering eligible Facebook Users nationwide shipping options for products across various categories, they are leaping beyond local boundaries to reach an unprecedented number of customers around the globe – expanding their horizons and business potential exponentially.
Along with its unprecedented customer reach, the Facebook Marketplace is designed to be efficient and is blessed with an array of features that guarantee success when selling on the platform. Currently, more than 100 brands use the Facebook Marketplace as the face of their virtual business and the platform sees an average of 800 million monthly visitors.
Benefits of Selling On Facebook Marketplace
Selling on Facebook Marketplace is revolutionizing the way businesses market their products and services. With a simple setup, seamless integration with other platforms, access to millions of customers around the world, and secure payment processing – it’s no wonder so many companies are taking advantage of this powerful sales channel for eCommerce success.
Here are some benefits you can expect from using the Facebook Marketplace;
Increased Exposure
Facebook’s Marketplace is the best place to unleash your business potential as it promises an endless stream of organic or paid traffic. You can take advantage of millions more customers than through traditional methods, and see just how much traffic you can generate to guarantee sales.
Your product has the potential to reach billions of eyes when you list it on Facebook Marketplace. This level of visibility is unparalleled and gives you instant access to a larger target audience. With such a wide audience, you maximize your chance for success by meeting thousands of interested customers each day.
With Facebook Marketplace, businesses are empowered to take control of their success. It offers a flexible platform for growth and expansion – allowing entrepreneurs to scale up or down according to need. Create additional products and services as business demands change – an exciting opportunity for building revenue streams.
As your business expands, you could add more traffic generation channels and improve the strength of your virtual storefront. You could even join buy and sell groups to connect with local customers and sellers alike.
Cost-Effectiveness
The Facebook marketplace eliminates costs from marketplace listings, promotions, and product exposure to help you save money in the long run.
Reduced costs from promotions allow users of the Facebook marketplace to invest in providing quality products or even scaling their product range. This way, they reach out to a wider audience and retain the high quality of their products.
Higher Conversion Rates
By leveraging the power of Facebook Marketplace, you can see improved results in their conversion rates and turn browsers into buyers more effectively than ever before.
Facebook marketplace is looked at by over 400 million people so if you have great product listings and wonderful products, you are guaranteed a consistent stream of customers.
Secure Payment Method
Facebook Marketplace facilitates secure payments through its payment processing system, minimizing risk and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Thanks to Facebook Marketplace’s commerce policies on the payment method, use of fake currency is eliminated and seller integrity is protected.
Facebook Marketplace makes it simple for buyers to quickly complete transactions and merchants to easily monitor payments – all without ever needing to leave the Facebook app.
Who Can Sell On Facebook Marketplace
With Facebook Marketplace, anyone is free to create a listing and take advantage of this valuable tool. It’s as simple as having an existing personal account on the social media giant – no strings attached.
Unlike other eCommerce sales platforms, Facebook marketplace charges nothing for listing and for each sale, the seller pays 5% of the sales value.
Thanks to the Facebook marketplace’s limited number of caveats, the Facebook marketplace is great for new entrepreneurs and a more profitable way for existing entrepreneurs to open a self-enriching virtual store.
How To Setup A Facebook Marketplace Account – Step-by-Step Process
With just a few steps, you can start selling in no time on Facebook Marketplace. You can get started by making sure your account is ready to go – and following these steps;
Step #1 – Log into your existing Facebook account or join Facebook
With an active Facebook account, you can log in to access the Marketplace. Don’t have one yet? Just sign up and provide a few details about yourself and your shipping address. Don’t forget to agree to the terms of service before completing setup – then it’s time for take-off.
Step #2 – After you log in, navigate to the ‘marketplace’ section
Once you’re logged in to Facebook, you are greeted by a plethora of menu options.
To navigate on Desktops, simply click on the Marketplace icon located on the left sidebar.
On mobiles, things are a little different. Simply tap the marketplace sign located at the bottom of the toolbar, beside the notification icon.
Step #3 – Click Create a Listing
For desktops
Once you click on the Marketplace icon on the left toolbar, a list of business options would appear. Simply click ‘Create a listing’.
For Mobile Phones
The marketplace icon expands to give a ‘Sell’ menu – click on it. In the resulting menu, under ‘Create new listings’ choose items.
To create a listing you have to select a category. Here are the total available categories on Facebook Marketplace;
Vehicles
Property rentals
Apparel
Classifieds
Electronics
Entertainment
Family
Free stuff
Garden & Outdoor
Hobbies
Home goods
Home improvement supplies
Home sales
Musical instruments
Office Supplies
Pet supplies
Sporting goods
Toys & games
Buy & sell groups
Step #4 – Add Information About Your Items
Once you choose to list your items for sale, you must add enough information to attract and educate your customers. You are required to add quality pictures of your item, the title of the listing, and the price of the item. Consider your Facebook Marketplace page as your business page – just like you’d place as much emphasis on your business page, do the same for Facebook Marketplace.
While adding information about your item, remember to include relevant information like age, condition, and other relevant information for the buyers.
You gain your customers’ trust by ensuring that all item information is precise and up-to-date. Providing accurate product details will help cultivate a reliable relationship with potential buyers.
Step #5 – Choose Your Delivery Method and Click ‘Publish’
After you give all the necessary information to sell your product, you must choose a means to deliver each product upon purchase. You must add credible delivery options as it increases the chances of your item being purchased.
If you’re satisfied with all elements of your listing, you can tap on ‘Publish’ to complete your listing. You promote your business to a huge audience of potential customers by publishing your listing.
Optimizing Your Facebook Marketplace Listings
You can maximize your success on Facebook Marketplace by creating an optimized listing. Creating a great product listing enhances the visibility and appeal of your product. Below are a few ways to optimize your Facebook Marketplace Listing.
1. Take Professional Photos
Pro-level imagery is essential for your product listing – after all, it’s their first glimpse into the world of what you have to offer. By utilizing high-quality shots and captivating descriptions, customers can envision how your item could improve their lives – a win/win situation. Your product details should contain as many details as possible to convince local buyers of your product’s authenticity.
2. Craft Product Descriptions
Crafting the right product description is a must for any business – it helps build customer relationships by helping customers quickly understand and appreciate your products. With an effective, well-written description that communicates its unique value proposition, organizations can make sure their offerings stand out from the competition.
3. Split Test Images and Descriptions
Split tests can be extremely valuable for understanding customer perceptions of your product and creating messages that truly captivate them. By testing with different images and descriptions, you’ll gain insight into what works best to increase conversions in the long term.
Knowing your competitors’ strategies is key to giving you an advantage in product positioning. With the right approach, yours will be sure to shine brighter and stand out from the rest.
6. Review Results for Areas of Improvement
Data is a powerful tool – use it to make strategic changes to maximize sales performance. When you review competitive reviews, you understand the gaps between you and your competitors.
7. Implement Recommendations to Optimize Your Listing
By evaluating the results of how people interact with your product listings, you can improve how you present and market your products. You can use the insights from the analytics to create better product descriptions and images, modify how you target customers and improve your Facebook marketplace listings.
Choosing The Right Products To Sell On Facebook Marketplace
Standing out from the crowd is essential for success in today’s highly competitive market. You maximize your profit potential by giving customers something special – like attractive products with fast shipping and reasonable prices that are accurately described – an unbeatable combination.
Here are a few things to set you on your way to identifying a great product;
Product’s Profitability, Demand, and Competition
Maximizing your profits on the Facebook Marketplace starts by selecting items that are in high demand and have a low competition rate. Keeping an eye out for these two criteria will help you make informed decisions about what products to sell and how profitable selling those products will be.
Product profitability is essential for merchants to maximize their returns. By researching the cost-benefit of each item – from profits, sales frequency, and competition levels – merchants can identify those with a potentially high margin that might be worth exploring further as Marketplace listings.
When selecting products to list on Marketplace, competition should be taken into consideration. Understand how popular an item is and its performance relative to similar items – if lots are competing for attention then it can be harder to get yours noticed; however, conversely, a good level of demand with limited competition could indicate great potential.
Stay On Top Of New Trends
In today’s digital world, the key to successful sales on Facebook Marketplace lies in staying ahead of emerging trends. It is essential for business owners to have an understanding of their target market and be aware of how consumer behavior evolves with new developments.
Successful sellers stay ahead of the trends by staying informed about what’s hot in products and services. Making strategic decisions rooted in knowledge is sure to result in fruitful rewards.
For example, if you notice a growing acceptance of eco-friendly products, you may want to consider products in such categories.
Trend spotting can help your store stay ahead of the curve, leading to lucrative opportunities to attract interested buyers. Instead of relying on guesswork when selecting products for inventory, gauging customer acceptance could be a key indicator as to whether or not they’ll prove successful in sales.
Product’s Availability
When you decide to select a product for sale, understanding how available those products are is important in their ability to remain an enduring business opportunity. To ensure your business’s long-term success, it’s key to evaluate potential sources for products with guaranteed availability. Monitor how dependable those providers are – their reliability could be the deciding factor in achieving future achievements.
You automatically secure the best prices for your customers – when you acquire large volumes of popular items like smartphones and laptops to offer unbeatable bargains.
With unique, custom-made, or vintage products often proving harder to come by, stocking them can be a challenge – but those who can do so could reap more rewarding returns.
Where To Get Products To Sell On Facebook Marketplace
With retail arbitrage, savvy Marketplace sellers have the opportunity to source products at a discount and resell them on Facebook for profit. To make this strategy successful you must be able to identify items with potential resale value – so think outside of the box as you hunt down inventory.
In dropshipping, retailers do not have exact stock of the product but purchase the items from a third party when an order is made. Facebook Marketplace sellers are free from storage and shipping stress with dropshipping.
Tips For Profitable Selling On The Facebook Marketplace
The Facebook Marketplace could be a profitable tool for eCommerce businesses if used correctly. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your Marketplace listings and increase sales;
Tip #2 – Take high-quality photos using good lighting
Appealing visuals are a key factor in customer satisfaction. Taking the time to master product photography with effective lighting, angles, and equipment can ensure your listings have an eye-catching effect on customers – even leading them right down the checkout aisle. Taking pictures from multiple angles helps in selling items to a specific target audience.
When you upload photos, upload up to 10 photos, close-ups, product use images, and even instruction videos if possible. Taking great product photo improves gives your new listing audience with more buyers and other interested parties.
Tip #3 – Reply to questions in a timely manner
At the core of a successful business lies exceptional customer service – and that includes responding to questions from prospects in a timely manner. Providing real-time answers to product queries, shipping timelines or any other inquiries is paramount in building strong relationships with customers and fortifying trust between them and your business. Facebook Messenger is a great way to give your buyers a more personalized customer experience.
Responding to customer inquiries reinforces the message that your business is dedicated to fulfilling their needs and demonstrates commitment and respect for them. Leverage this investment in excellent customer service by building trust with customers, which can boost sales.
Tip #4 – Provide a detailed item description
When customers make an informed purchase decision, everyone wins. You help your buyers get the most out of their investment by ensuring descriptions are accurately detailed and clear – that way they can decide for themselves if a product is right for them.
Enhance the customer experience with distinctive product features, helpful usage instructions, and efficient delivery times.
Tip #5 – Negotiate offers
Through negotiation, both buyers and sellers can come to advantageous agreements that not only benefit the customer but also create new sales opportunities. With great negotiation skills, businesses are poised to make a great impact on success in the market.
Spice up your sales by incentivizing customers – consider offering bulk discounts or free shipping to entice people and move merchandise quickly.
Tip #6 – Use tags to make your listings easier to find
Make sure your business doesn’t get lost in the shuffle – including appropriate keywords and tags on all of your listings will make them easier for customers to discover. Put yourself ahead of the competition by ensuring that potential buyers have no trouble finding you and accessing what they need.
Make sure your product stands out in searches by strategically tagging keywords like name, brand, color, size, and features. This will help you reach the right shoppers who are more likely to purchase from you. In healthcare products for example, including health-related tags could help your listing gain more visibility.
Tip #7 – Expand To Other Marketplaces
Businesses looking to expand their reach and gain new customers can benefit from branching out beyond the Facebook Marketplace. Utilizing other platforms such as Amazon or eBay offers a great opportunity for businesses to make themselves more visible, thereby increasing potential buyers significantly.
Tapping into new markets and opening the doors to greater earning potential. Selling across multiple marketplaces will help your brand become increasingly visible, maintain a constant stream of income, and ensure you remain competitive in today’s digital marketplace.
Fulfilling Orders On Facebook Marketplace
Delivering orders on Facebook Marketplace is essential for your business’s success. After all, happy customers will leave positive feedback which boosts brand credibility – not to mention the word-of-mouth referrals that come from satisfied buyers. Prompt order fulfillment helps build a notable reputation in no time and gives customers a personalized customer experience.
Fulfilling orders on Facebook Marketplace is a breeze. With just one click, you can review your order details and start packaging and shipping. Plus, with the order tracking feature, you’ll always know where an item stands in delivery – making it easier than ever to maintain efficiency for seamless ordering processes.
Here are a few ways to ensure you fulfill orders while selling on Facebook Marketplace;
Contact customers who have purchased items from you
Providing tracking numbers and other details for customers
Responding to customer inquiries about orders
Contacting customers if there are any issues with their orders
Providing customer support for any questions or complaints about products or services
Ensuring customer satisfaction with their purchases
For healthcare products, ensure they are healthy to use
Following up with customers after they have received their orders
Collecting payment for orders
Conclusion
If you’re ready to take the plunge and list your first item on Facebook Marketplace, you will enjoy invaluable advantages for expanding your businesses, offering buyers access to a wide variety of products, prices, and services.
To be successful here, consider researching popular items that will entice customers; setting competitive pricing strategies with attention to detail; uploading high-quality photographs showcasing what makes your product special; and ensuring quick delivery times for customer satisfaction.
By selling on Facebook Marketplace, you can make your business soar to new heights and provide exceptional service to spark valuable relationships with buyers that lead to increased profits.
Taking advantage of this opportunity starts now for an amazing future ahead.
8-figure Amazon seller and serial online entrepreneur since 2015. Research and practice various online business models, and apply his in-depth learnings to further expand and grow his businesses as well as help others to achieve greater successes. Ex-VP of a high tech VC in Vancouver and a Management Consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Master's Degree from HEC Paris.
