Brick & MortarGuide to Selling onfacebook

Social Commerce is a way to attract customers by being where they are so you aren’t pulling them away from what they are already doing. Lot’s of small businesses–virtual and brick-and-mortar– are making millions of dollars engaging customers, building “community” and selling their goods exclusively on Facebook, Instagram and other social sites.

Our goal is to help people become successful at leveraging the “Social Economy” through Social Commerce. This eBook is a guide to help you get started with building your brand on Facebook and implementing the tried and true best practices that have made so many brands successful.

We’ve helped hundreds of sellers extend their online footprint, increase sales and reach new customers by selling on Facebook and Instagram. Through that experience we have learned quite a bit, and with this guide we are sharing what we’ve learned with you.

Thank you for downloading our eBook. We hope you find the information inside helpful and inspiring as you begin to ramp up your Facebook-brand, build your community and create a valid sales channel for your business.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to visit our blog, or contact us directly.

We are here to help!

“Social Commerce is a way to attract customers by being where they are so you aren’t pulling them away from what they are already doing.”

Chris BennettCEO, SOLDSIE

2

Table of Contents

Creating Your Page

Building An Audience

Planning Your Sale

Promoting Your Sale

Evaluating Success

Optimizing Your Page

Success Stories

Snapshots

Additional Resources

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Before you can start selling on Facebook, you’ll need to create a Facebook page for your business. We assume that you already have one, but if you don’t, get started on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/). Be sure to fill out all the information in the “About,” “Description,” and “Contact” sections so that users who land on your page are instantly engaged. Let your potential fans know who you are, what you offer, and how to get in touch. Typically, fans are wary of pages that are incomplete or have missing information.

Your page should be visually appealing. You need to persuade users to “like” your business so that they will subscribe to your updates and announcements to see what you have for sale. That means choosing a bold cover image and posting plenty of photos, infographics, and other graphic content that enlivens your page.

Creating Your PageBefore you can start selling on Facebook,

you’ll need to create a Facebook page for your business.

PRO TOOL Pagemodo is a great tool to create unique, eye catching cover photos for your facebook page.www.pagemodo.com

With pricing plans that range from Free ($0) to Agency ($33.25 per month), Pagemodo offers to build entire pages for small businesses–complete with tabs, “like” gates, and, yes, cover photos. The end product is attractive, professional, and designed to capture and expand your audience.

Quick Tip: Easy posts that get your page attention: Publish inspiring quotes, post a daily meme, share favorite recipes, best dressed celebrity photos, questions or opinion polls.

4

It is very important to build an audience that will engage. You should put your energy into finding people that will like your page because they are truly interested in the types of products you sell, and eventually buying those products. If you have an audience that isn’t engaged with the content that you post, it will make it more challenging for you to conduct successful sales.

Growing your page the right way can take time, but focusing on the quality of your likes will ensure that the right people are engaged with your content.  

Getting Quality Likes

So how do you actually get quality likes? Start with who you know: Ask friends and family to like your page - (even if they aren’t potential shoppers) they are invested enough in you as a person that they will interact with your page and their friends will see it. This is the ONLY exception to the “must be a potential customer” rule and its mostly to get you started.

• Invite your personal Facebook friends to like your page• Import your email address of customers from your boutique mailing list • Note: You can invite in bulk by going to the Admin Panel and selecting “Build Audience” for your page.

To grow likes and the engagement on your page, it’s important to post content that your fans will enjoy and interact with. Every interaction is a chance for a new person to discover your page. The more people engage (like) the content that is on your page, the more it will spread and bring you new followers. Your existing fans are more loyal and more willing to spread the word about your Facebook page if you post compelling content that is in-line with their interests.

Building An AudienceIt is very important to build

an audience that will engage.

“Selling on Facebook has created a wonderful sense of community for my customers.”Ashley Jernigan | Southern Tots

5 Ways to Boost Likes on Your Page

Spread the word - ask your current followers to share your page

and tell their friends about you. Loyal fans bring other high quality

and potentially loyal fans with them.

Cross promote - Anywhere you come in contact with your

customers, tell them about your Facebook page!  Ask your

customers to like your page in your newsletter, on your website

in your store and in any other promotional materials you provide.

Run a Contest - Ask your followers to “Comment to Win” a free

product.  To further your reach, you can suggest they share the

post as well. NOTE; You can not require them to share to win or

Facebook could remove the post and/or shutdown your page.

Targeted Facebook Ads - Facebook ads are helpful if you get them

in front of the right people. Targeted ads are a bit more expensive,

but they will help you get in front of your target customer. You can

target based on gender, age, location and interests of people that

are potentially interested in your products.

Be Active - Constantly post engaging and entertaining content

that your audience with will enjoy. Post at least one status update

per day. You can experiment with the timing of your posts to see

when the majority of your followers are active.

1

2

3

4

5

5

Selling on Facebook is different than selling on a website or in stores. Think of it as a way to put your best foot forward, increase awareness, get engagement, stay top of mind and get more sales in store, on your website, and on Facebook.

Selling on Facebook works because of the social and viral nature that increase your reach. When people comment to buy, it leads to more people seeing the post and further sales.

Sellers that focus on increasing engagement (likes, comments, and shares) and post compelling products for sale (new, well priced, and unique items) enjoy steady, consistent growth. You need a engaged group of fans to achieve success. Usually, pages with more than 1,000 likes find it easier to get sales than pages with less engagement.

The most successful brands on Facebook use flash sales as their main approach to selling. These typically run weekly, take place over a limited time, and offer items in limited quantities.

Planning Your SaleSelling on Facebook works because of the social

and viral nature that increase your reach.

Pro Tip: The best day to run a sale is on a slow day in the store. The successful brands typically run sales at night. We recommend selling at 7 p.m. local time from Sunday night to Thursday night.

Merchandise & Pricing

When it comes to your merchandise, price, style, and quantity are what matter most. Items that cost between $10 and $40 work best for your first sale. Potential buyers are more likely to buy moderately priced items on impulse, while they are browsing their newsfeed.

Try selling 5 to 10 of each product to increase urgency. Accessories work well because they’re attractively priced, and they appeal to impulse buyers.

Best Merchandise to Sell

• New to the store or website • Exclusively for sale on Facebook • Heavily discounted items• Limited stock of popular items

Sale Schedule

Before the sale:

• Promote your event (see promotion of sale)• To increase your reach, boost post with $10-50• Email customers and fans about the sale

During sale:

• Be present so that you can answer questions.• Get as many people as possible to participate When there are already comments, other people will follow suit.

After sale:

• Mention that the product is sold out. This will create urgency and prepare your fans for upcoming sales.

6

Promoting Your SaleBefore you schedule your sale (or “campaign”),

build up awareness among your current customers.

5 Ways to Promote Your Sale

Targeted emails: If you already have a customer list (one you’ve

collected at the store) offer them a special gift or discount if with

their first Facebook purchase.

Offer a Giveaway: Run a promotion where you give away 3 of the

items that will be on sale, requesting people to share or get likes

on their comment (the most share’s or likes wins).

Promote through all your social profiles: leverage your website,

Instragram, Pinterest and Twitter to drive awareness to your sale.

“Boost” promo posts: Spend $10-50 to “boost” your post and

target a relevant audience.

In-store promotion or party: Have a cocktail or tea party at your

shop to promote the launch of a sale or page. Display all the

things that will be available but don’t let people buy them! Have

it be a “pre-sale” viewing giving people the opportunity to see

first hand the beautiful items that will be exclusively sold in your

Facebook sale.

Before you schedule your sale (or “campaign”), build up awareness among your current customers. You can print out small flyers announcing your grand opening on Facebook and hand them to customers at the register, you can email your current clients and promote a post that announces your upcoming sale.

Another way to entice your customers is to create and pass out coupons. While a customer may not add your first Facebook sale to their calendar, they’re much less likely to forget a voucher for 50% their first online purchase! Publicize your first sale by making frequent updates counting down to the date and time. Try something to the tune of the following announcement:

Exciting news: You can now shop at [Your Store] by commenting! Register here [link] then, come back on [Date] and comment, “SOLD” on items posted during our sale. You’ll receive an email invoice to check out (invoices left unpaid for 24 hours will be cancelled). Don’t miss it!

Pin the post to the top of your Facebook Timeline by selecting “Pin to Top” from the drop-down edit menu.

Pro Tip: Host your sales both onsite and online to create traffic will flow from one to the other. Shoppers on Facebook are more inclined to stop by your boutique and customers from the boutique want the exclusive deals online.

Use ‘Sneak Peaks’ to Build Anticipation

Packaging Model Inspiration

1

2

3

4

5

7

Once you’ve created your page, selected your inventory and promoted your sales–then, conducted the sale–it’s important to evaluate the success.

First, thank everyone for participating in the sale, or if you did an auction or giveaway to congratulate the winner. Then, take stock of the results.

Review your sale:

• How did customers respond to the new platform? • If you distributed coupon codes, how many fans used them upon checkout?

• What will you do differently to promote future campaigns, if anything?

After your first sale...Plan for the next! Most stores run one sale a week. Waiting past two weeks will severely hurt your chances of running another successful one because your page will go stale, and fans tend to forget the sale.

Make a point to keep up momentum to build a business on Facebook and get more fans. It’s easy and fun! Your fans will love it, and they will especially love the idea of purchasing through comments.

Evaluating SuccessOnce you’ve created your page, selected your inventory and promoted your sales–then,

conducted the sale–it’s important to evaluate the success.

Did You Know: Having a clear call to action in your post makes fans more inclined to like, share, and comment on your posts?

Avoid These Common Mistakes

1 Page didn’t get target signups before the sale: Tulle did this

and had 0 sales on their first sale. We believe this would have

changed if they had waited.

2 Run sale posts with links in the middle of another promotion:

Tulle did this and had 0 sales on their first sale. We believe this

would have changed if they had waited.

3 Run sale at non-peak hours: Shany Cosmetics ran it at

midnight; as you can guess, they got 0 sales

4 No page or sale promotion (or very little)

5 Selling only products over $50 that are not discounted, new,

or unique.

6 Sell too many products if you post too many at once, it can

overwhelm your customers and give them too many choices,

which causes them to choose nothing.

8

Optimize Your PageTo keep them engaged, focus on

these things to optimize for success.

Tips for Hosting Giveaways

Run a social media campaign the week before a sale and ask users

to like, share, and comment on a certain post for the chance to

win a free item, or another enticing prize. Make sure to deliver the

goods, though—fans will be disappointed if you don’t, and that’s a

brand-killer.

• Make it a free-for-all. You can also extend the “like, share,

comment” campaign and make every update you post fair game,

not just one designated photo.

• Offer discounts. Announce that you are waiving shipping fees or

granting 10% off the purchase total for users who complete the

“like, share, comment” trinity.

• Set goals. It may be that your page is verging on your 1000th,

5000th, or 10000th like. Tell your fans that when you reach the

benchmark, the person who likes your page and engages with

your post will win a prize.

Remember, Facebook fans get a lot of information and are constantly bombarded by offers and updates from their friends and brands they love. To keep them engaged, focus on these things to optimize for success:

High quality content

Post high quality photos that are ready for their close-ups. Photos have grown from 25% to 50% of all News Feed content. Sellers should make sure that their uploads attract, rather than repel, their customers: clean compositions, good lighting, and high photo quality are a must for best conversion.

Advertise

Design targeted Facebook ads: The News Feed makes not only accommodates bigger ads, but more of them than before. The advertising section on the lower right hand side of the personal feed, for example, hosts more advertising slots that move with the scroll bar.

Use video

Start sharing video content: It doesn’t have to be a big production–even a ten-second video showcasing your products, packaging and shipping procedures will go far in capturing your fans’ attention and winning new exposure.

Have a great cover photo

Upload an attractive cover photo that can withstand cropping: When someone “Likes” a brand or business page, it makes a splash on other users’ News Feeds. Make sure that your cover photo is eye-catching and looks good cropped to a square as well.

Pro Tip: Drive customer engagement through product polls. Facebook fans love being privy to exclusive information, and the transient nature of the platform makes it prime estate for rewarding updates. Post photo comparisons of different products and ask fans to vote on their favorites. It’s a great way to showcase items, encourage customers to speak out, as well as keep a finger on the pulse of what’s popular!

Accessory ConciergeThe founders of Accessory Concierge, for

example, found incredible success, selling

out of inventory during their very first

Facebook sale, and becoming a million-

dollar business within 16 months.

9

“Our claim to fame has always been a high-end shopping experience for amazing products at affordable prices,” says DeMaria, who started Jenny Boston as an in-home trunk show in 2004. “We love being unique in what we do.”

When the duo decided to bring part of the business online, they sought out a brand-consistent strategy for promoting their brick-and-mortar stores.

“We’ve grown our fan count by 2000% increased sales to over $10k a week in sales on Facebook, and in my stores sales are up 100% since I started selling through comment selling with Soldsie.” – Jennifer DeMarian, Jenny Boston

DeMaria discovered Soldsie in late 2012, and thought it would be a creative and fun way to drive traffic to the stores, as well as reach a customer base outside of New England.

Jenny Boston launched its inaugural weekly Facebook auction on October 3 – DeMaria’s birthday – and it has since become a significant source of revenue for the company.

“The Facebook sale is amazing because a customer that’s not even familiar with [Jenny Boston] will see the comment, and it becomes contagious. It’s virtual word of mouth.”

Jenny Boston’s Wednesday evening Facebook auctions have become so popular, that the company hired a fulfillment team and rented a warehouse to keep up with customer demand.

“Thursdays are now our busiest weekday, because we drive customers who missed the Wednesday night sale to our stores. We make sure to stock the same items. We’ve had longtime customers tell us that they love how easy and fun it is to buy on Facebook. We can’t put a price tag on that.”  

When Jennifer DeMaria and Kristen Maynard opened their first boutique in 2008, they resolved to provide their customers with affordable, on-trend accessories in a fashionable and beautiful setting. Four years and six successful stores later, Jenny Boston has become a well-established brand in the Greater Boston and Connecticut areas.

Success StoryJENNY BOSTON

10

SnapshotsAccessory Concierge &

Polkadot Alley

“Within five minutes, we were selling out of everything we had.”

Amy Claro and Amy Coffey, ACCESSORY CONCIERGE

• Dallas moms Amy Claro and Amy Coffey launched Accessory Concierge in April 2012 to gain more flexibility in their work schedules.

• When their first Facebook auction sold out within five minutes, they knew they’d found a viable venue and quit their full-time marketing and sales positions.

• Today, Accessory Concierge is a million-dollar business and employs five people, including a fashion blogger.

“With Facebook, my sister or best friend comments on my page, that draws in their friends to see what

we’re doing. It’s just so much faster.”Ashley White, THE POLKADOT ALLEY

• Ashley White, owner of Polkadot Alley, was a schoolteacher in Lubbock, Texas when she started her business in 2007.

• By 2009, her profits and a new baby led her to quit her teaching job, but it wasn’t until 2011 that she realized she could reap higher rewards by selling women’s clothing on Facebook.

• Ashley grew her sales from $5,000 to $150,000 a month in sales by switching from her store website to Soldsie.

11

Additional Resources7 Rules Every Social Media

Manager Should Follow

1. Mind the golden ratio of social media: 80% of your posts are for the benefit and enjoyment of your fans, while only 20% talk about your brand.

2. Don’t delete negative comments, and never get into an argument online! Take customer complaints as opportunities to solve problems that, more likely than not, more than one person is experiencing.

3. Running a promotion? Be informed about Facebook’s terms of service. Savvy business owners shell out the cost of running giveaways through an app so they don’t risk page deletion.

4. Don’t push consumers onto a different site to make a purchase. The beauty and the dark side of selling on Facebook is that it’s passive. You’re showing up where people already are and you’re getting in front of them when they’re there.

7 Rules Every Social Media Manager Should FollowFrom Cooper Smith Koch, Founder of Cooper Smith Agency

5. Organic reach is a bust–boost and sponsor your posts. Without outside help, posts only reach about 16% of your fans. Sponsoring a post means that more people see stories created about your brand, whether it be a fan’s like, comment, or share.

6. Figure out the best times of day to post for your fans. Facebook retailers that target mothers may find their posts falling flat when they post during peak dinner-, bath-, and bedtime hours. Figure out what works best for your audience.

7. Integrate Pinterest and Instagram into your Facebook marketing strategy. Other social media platforms are opportunities to strengthen the brand personality you’ve curated. For Facebook comment retailers, it’s also important that your profiles on Pinterest and Instagram link back to your Facebook business page.

12

5 Social Media Blogs You Should Be Following

Social Media Todayhttp://socialmediatoday.comSocial Media Today is an independent blog managed by industry professionals. Their posts are insightful and full of good old-fashioned knowhow.

Boom Socialhttp://kimgarst.com/blogKim Garst’s  blog offers very practical and quick tips on how to manage your social media outlets. Her posts are concise and easy to read and great for smaller organizations as well as large businesses.

Jon Loomerhttp://www.jonloomer.comThis site is for those solely interesting in improving their Facebook marketing skills. Not only does he offer videos and podcasts, but also he is available for one-on-one coaching.

Splash Mediahttp://www.splashmedia.com/blogsBased in Texas, Splash Media hires heavy hitters of the industry to give you some of the smartest advice on online brand marketing.

Hootsuite Bloghttp://blog.hootsuite.comHootsuite is a fantastic tool for managing multiple social media outlets at once, but Hootsuite’s blog is another great resource for learning how to stay on the cutting edge of the social media you wield.

Additional Resources5 Social Media Blogs You Should be Following &

Photography Quick Tips

Photography Quick Tips

1. Find a good source of lighting: You need it to be bright

enough to not need a flash, even, natural lighting is ideal so

you don’t have harsh shadows.

2. Place eye-catching text over photos: With the Facebook

News Feed inundated with images, the key is engagement–

Facebook Insights proves that bright, clean images with text

invite fan interaction.

3. Pick a backdrop that’s interesting or unobtrusive: Giving

thought to the backdrop will help with your store branding–

creating the “feel” of your Facebook store.

4. Use models to demonstrate fit: When customers are basing

their purchases only on photos, it’s important to show them

what it will actually look like on a person–this will make it

easier for buyers to decide.

5. Pay attention to size and resolution: Avoid blurriness and

pixelation, by paying attention to resolution. Photos should

be crisp, but not so big that it makes uploading to Facebook a

pain. 77 PPI is a good rule of thumb.

13

Soldsie is a Facebook app that allows youto sell your products through comments

on your Facebook business page and on Instagram.

Sell Out Completely, Without Overselling• Manage your inventory and product list right from Facebook for your Facebook Store.• Accept pre-authorized payments so that late-payers and cancelled orders won’t hold up your inventory.

Leave the Posting, Invoicing and Payment Reminders to Us• Real-time, automatically-issued invoices make sure every comment gets an invoice as they’re made.• Schedule reminder emails to get more payments.• Schedule your auctions ahead of time — anytime — from anywhere.

Shopper-Friendly Features Help to Grow Your Business and Establish Your Brand• Create and manage coupon codes.• Accept credit card payments.• Customers don’t have to leave their email addresses in the comments — it protects their privacy.• Customers can select add-ons at checkout.

14

Learn MoreRequest a demo at www.soldsie.comor contact sales at sales@soldsie.com

15