Last Updated on March 4, 2022 by Learn Digital Marketing
Pandemic is about and there has been a lockdown for more than two months now.
Most people were self-sufficient with the products they had for a short period. Others hoarded products, which they collected just before the lockdown.
However, with no respite from lockdown and fast depleting provisions, people now are anxious. Physical shopping is next to impossible. However, the demand for various products has increased while the supply is at a standstill. People feel that the COVID situation will be long-term. Hence, they are looking for products like clothes, personal products, laptops, home supplies, and many more on different platforms.
Many SEO agency and startup businesses have a strong presence on the Facebook marketplace.
Are you a businessperson seeking to address this demand-supply imbalance?
Then it is the best time to go Online with your products! Yes, you can display all the products in your store on the internet. Your market will expand rapidly as many individuals access the Internet today.
How and where to go online
Some points to take ponder, however, are the heavy competition and question of visibility. There are many shopping platforms on the Internet but they cater to small pockets and may not give wide coverage over a large geographical area for our products.
So if you want more people to see your products than you should use an app that can reach wider audiences.
Facebook Marketplace is the answer to your need for the perfect platform.
About Facebook Marketplace
It is a marketplace where you can sell or buy any product digitally. A part of Facebook, it was introduced in 2016 to bring together buyers and sellers of a locality.
Facebook has the maximum social network users about 2.6 billion daily active users of Facebook highest compared to any other platform.
With this amount of traffic flowing in, its MarketPlace will be the most viewed commercial platform. This is because if Facebook members have a requirement, they just hit the Marketplace button and search!
Some advantages of this popular app
There are many other advantages of using Facebook Marketplace.
- One of the biggest advantages is that you need not download a new app for selling your products. If you have a Facebook account you can easily access Facebook Marketplace.
- Consequent to the first point, the posting is free there are no listing charges.
- Previously, Facebook users created groups for buying and selling products. Now this is not necessary as you can directly list your products for buyers to see
- Anyone can list on the marketplace. You can list your product under various categories.
- If you are a buyer search for your requirement under categories or special groups or directly go to the shop that is selling what they require.
- You can directly connect to a buyer or seller through personally messaging
- You can find the nearest buyer or the seller of a product and complete the transaction as per your urgency.
- The payment process is not difficult. You can connect payment processors such as Shopify and complete the process.
- Some other partners of MarketPlace are Bigcommerce, CommerceHub, ChannelAdvisor, Quipit, and Shipstation. Do note that all transactions take place outside the app legally.
Wait!
There is more. You receive special badges too!
- One is called Very Responsive badge – for the ones who are quick to queries from prospective buyers
- Community Recommended badge- for highly-rated sellers
A quick look at the menus on the app
On the left side you will find many icons such as
Browse – Clicking this menu will lead you to product listings. There is also a search button for easier access. Buyers can
- message the buyer asking availability,
- save the product for future access or
- share with friends.
Groups – Clicking this will lead you to different groups-based sellers
Shops – Your products get listed here
Buying and Selling – These icons reflect your purchase and sale history on the app.
Saved items – The items you saved get stored here.
Selling on Facebook marketplace
Anybody who has a login id on Facebook can sell on this app.
It could be a merchant or a one-time seller. The process for posting is different for both.
One more thing to note is that the listing should adhere to Marketplace commerce policies as mentioned below. https://www.facebook.com/policies/commerce
It is very easy to display your products on FB Marketplace. To list your products, follow these steps…
Step 1. Login Facebook. Click on the marketplace, the button on the left
Step 2. You will find a “+ Sell something button”
Step 3. Choose the product you want to list
Step 4. Fill in columns mentioning the category, the product you are selling, the price, location, tiny description, and up to 10 photos.
Some of the categories are – Vehicles, Property for rent, Home goods, Entertainment, Hobbies, Sporting goods, Musical instruments, Electronics, etc.
You can create item listings. There is a camera function within the app itself. You can use it to capture photos of your products for display. Next, sort your items based on category or location, or both.
Step 5. Click “Next” and finally post it. There is an option for saving as a draft as well. You can post it whenever you want.
Now, your post is there for billions of viewers to see. The post will automatically be updated to your store.
There are certain special functions that can help you manage your store profile.
You can also view past history of your messages and transactions. Another facility you can use is to create custom bids for items
Integration with other apps
Here is how one can integrate this app with the BigCommerce store. Just go to Channel Manager on BigCommerce store and choose Facebook. Rules of Marketplace scroll out. Choose the option “Interested.”
Now you are online on the app. Your uploaded profile will be reviewed within a week.
Baby and Kids, Bags & luggage, apparel, Home furnishings, and Beauty products are some categories that you can post under here.
Some tips for selling on Facebook Marketplace
Here are some tips to make your lists attract and retain buyer attention
- Post only original photos.
- Some photos are done to death on social media, hence buyers may lose interest in such products. If you post good and original photos then there are more chances of a sale.
- Hire a professional if you want. High-quality pictures garner more attention.
- Pictures from all angles and one with the product being used will help buyers understand your product
- Give a good title to your product
- Write a concise description covering all the features of your product and how it can cater to the requirement of your buyers
- Optimization can be achieved by including keywords in both title and the descriptions
- Be Price-perfect. Buyers tend to compare your products and pricing with similar products. Hence, to remain relevant, determine prices that will be fair as well competitive.
- Show the buyer proper documents such as certificates, etc so that he is comfortable to buy from you.
- Respond quickly to initial and follow-up queries from buyers. This way the buyer will know that you will provide the best service for your products.
- Keep your inventory up-to-date. Do not display items that have already been sold. Buyers will not want to waste time querying about already sold products.
Facebook Marketplace rules
The app is governed by rules that you can view under Commerce Policies.
- Products that are not allowed
You cannot post products such as Adult products or services, Animals, Alcohol, digital media, Gift cards, weapons, healthcare products, tobacco etc here.
- Only physical items
You cannot post such intangible products such as Jokes, Lost and found posts or News here. The products you sell should have a physical presence for listing on this app.
- Description dimensions
Your product description should match the photo and the title you have given to your product.
How can Facebook Marketplace improve your business?
This digital marketplace helps you improve your business in many ways.
This is how …
- You can post your products free. Post as many products as you want. You can add to the existing list by uploading new products.
- Product categorization no difficult task·
- Your products will be viewed not only locally but also internationally!
- You can track sale ability of products through Facebook ads. With this option, you can discover which products are most popular at a given moment. Few ways to do this is to observe – top picks and items you may like icons that appear on the app.
- You can build trust with your buyer with one-to-one messaging service
- You can personally bond with customers. Your profile is already on Facebook. The details you want to reveal are displayed for the buyer to see.
- View previous and the present transactions in the section “Your Items” This way you can keep tabs of customer loyalty or preferences and go forward.
- Ad service facility can help you to connect with your followers and old customers.
- You can reach a wider and a heterogeneous audience… According to stats of October 2018, 800 million plus individuals use Marketplace to buy and sell products.
- The app is available on Android and IPhone, hence it can be downloaded easily. There is desktop version as well for those using a computer.
- Anybody over 18+ can use it across the world so that is again so many customers.
- One of the most popular social media apps, WhatsApp connecting millions across the world is a subsidiary of Facebook. So people connecting with WhatsApp will surely visit Facebook
All these factors augment your market and help convert leads to high sales figures. You can also get Facebook Ads Management experts to manage your campaigns.
Facebook marketplace for Buyers
While sellers benefit from its visibility, buyers will also derive many pros from shopping on the Facebook marketplace.
- As a buyer you can easily find the items that you want category-wise or location wise
- View seller profiles before choosing what to buy
- View your past transactions and even messages.
- Message the seller directly for information or enquire about price and quality
- Set a filter on location. If you want to buy local products, you can mention in the settings. If you want outstation products, you may customize accordingly.
Being safe on the Facebook marketplace
Social media is best for making friendships virtually. But you need to be on guard due to the number of frauds happening online. Hence, be extra careful with your transactions, especially those involving expensive products like mobiles, electronic goods, and jewelry.
- Don’t give your personal information
- Gather details of the other person before personal meetings
- Follow the Facebook marketplace rules and your own brainpower to be safe.
As competition increases, sellers are looking for new ways to tap the market. Facebook Marketplace with its unbeatable reach and easy usage is the best way to achieve healthy sales, especially during these severe market conditions. Make the best use of the time now at your disposal and understand the workings of this wonderful app. Happy Selling or Buying!