Selling from a Facebook Page - Methods to Increase Sales

Todays post is about some methods you can use on your facebook page to increase the chances of you getting orders and sales.  After all this is what you are actually there for right? Obviously i can't guarantee these methods will work for everyone, but from my time running selling pages etc i have built up a good idea of what works and what doesn't in general terms.

Who are you selling to?

The first step to increasing your sales is to look at your audience. The first thing you learn in any marketing course is to identify your target audience, and its the first step for a very big reason - There is no point in advertising products to people who are not interested in them. You could offer the goods to people for free and if they are not interested in it to start with they still wouldn't care if they had that product or not.

So you need to think about who you are attracting people to your page - what kind of people are they? Are they people who would be interested in actually buying your products? If your page has a lot of 'false' likes you will basically need to work on attracting a new audience.

How to find people interested in your products is actually quite easy - you say this is what i sell, if you like it come like my page to see more....yep thats it - see fb does actually make some things easy for you! The trick is to make sure you are asking people who are interested in buying things in the first place, so make sure you are posting in a place where there are buyers and not just other sellers.  (Yes ok some sellers are buyers too BUT remember a lot of people are selling on fb or have set up a small business because they need an extra income - they often do not have money to spare).

What about people already on your page? 

Ok so what if you have already built up quite a lot of people on your page? Even if the people who have liked your page are not interested in buying your products they can still be useful contacts.  They might not be potential buyers BUT they can help you in a number of ways so all is not lost.

Firstly, with the new settings and restricted reach of many pages anyone who engages with you on your page will help to increase the reach (people who can see the post). So if your likers start to engage with you it will help other people to find your page and products.

People who have liked your page with no interest in buying from you are highly likely to be other small business people. IF you do manage to build a relationship with them they can be a good source of support, information, feedback and possibly referrals as well - this does tend to be based on a reciprocal relationship so remember to offer the same in return.

If you are really struggling to make any sales on your fb page the people already there can also be a useful sounding board - would they like to see a different range for example? are there competitors you aren't aware of? The people on your page MAY be a useful source for conducting market research.....

Look at your facebook page through the eyes of a potential customer....

There are certain things that simply put people off from buying on fb pages so try to make sure your page:

Is warm and inviting - don't just post pics of things you are selling and hope people will buy them.  You need to welcome people and make you page a nice place to visit.......think of it like it is your shop and treat people the way you would like to be treated as a customer (or potential customer).

Has clear information about how to purchase - what should someone do if they would like to buy something? Don't assume it is obvious.

Has prices and descriptions on everything for sale - This is one of the most common reasons people don't buy from a page.  Especially if you have to wait for replies etc the chances are high the buyer will see something else they like on another page where they don't have to ask.

Has information about payment methods accepted - The most common form of payment on fb is paypal.

Has information about returns/problems - Let people know what to do if they have a problem with a purchase.  Don't forget under the distance selling regulations you are obligated to have a returns policy.

Has decent quality photographs of products - Your photos should be clear, uncluttered and show the item from different angles.

Is updated regularly - show people that your page is managed and checked on a regular basis and you have new products being added.  Keep the range of goods interesting.

Offer discounts/give aways etc to customers but do so with caution - Be careful not to be discounting goods constantly - offers should be clear and time limited to meet fb terms and conditions.

Respond promptly - It is difficult sometimes to monitor your page all the time but do try to respond as quickly as possible to queries.


Create a Sales Campaign 

This one is about sitting down and actually planning what it is you are going to do in order to generate sales.  It doesn't always have to be about spending money on advertising, it could be posting an album of your goods in a local selling group, using a networking page, offering a discount etc etc.  For this type of campaign i would suggest focussing on just a few products rather than trying to sell your whole range.

Check your pricing

I have deliberately left this one to the end, because in my view you should know what your selling price is.  If you have done your research to begin with and used a system for working out your pricing then changing it should really only be a last resort.  I know craft people in particular find it difficult to price their goods, but you should know what it costs to make, and you should know what profit margin you are looking for.  If you decide to alter your prices it should be after you have sat down and done the calculations, not just because someone else is selling similar goods at a different price.

I hope you have found this post useful.....I could write more but don't want to turn this into a marketing and sales essay LOL! If you have any other tips you would like to share please do leave a comment.

If you would be interested in sharing your business story regarding selling on fb on this blog please contact me on thesellingcafe@gmail.com or on my facebook page.