Beginners Guide to Sell Products on Facebook

A hat shop owner in an urban area decides to increase his customer base. He has embraced social media, email marketing, abandoned cart emails and rewards programs, all of which have helped him to bring back loyal customers. What about new channels? What about social media selling? Although it’s common for businesses to have a Facebook business page, not everyone knows how to sell on Facebook.

The slow move towards shopping on Facebook has a good reason. Facebook is not a place where you can buy stuff. For that, you go to Amazon, eBay, or Etsy. Facebook has also changed its policies on selling so many time that some companies don’t want it to change.

People are right to be fed up with Facebook’s antics. Facebook’s user base is incredible, but you can’t deny it. Facebook’s target marketing tools are superior to any email marketing or loyalty marketing plan.

How to create a Facebook shop page

First, you need to create an online shop for Facebook. We offer a 5-step guide to help you create that shop and sync it with your website.

This tutorial is for you. Keep in mind, however, that you might encounter some unexpected situations.

Facebook appears to be changing the way online shops integrate on a daily basis. These guides will be kept up-to date, but it is possible that some steps may differ.
Another option is to set up an online store on Facebook, but not to link it to your ecommerce platform. Instead, you would add products manually to Facebook and manage orders.
US-based companies ( ) have the option to link their eCommerce platform with Facebook. This allows them to receive payments directly from Facebook. Although it can be tedious, the process is possible. Sorry, PayPal is not available.
Facebook currently prohibits non-US ( ) companies selling directly on Facebook. Your products can be displayed, but that’s it. You can use the Facebook plugin to show your products. Apps for other platforms are also available. This simulates a Facebook shopping cart, but the customer will be redirected to your site when they wish to purchase.

We recommend that you continue to read the complete 5-step guide for creating a Facebook Shop Page. These are the steps, in a simplified version.

Navigate to Facebook and create the Shop tab.
You will need to set up details about your shop.
If you are a US-based company, configure the payment method.
To add products to your WooCommerce or Shopify, you can link your BigCommerce or other ecommerce platform.
You can manage your orders through Facebook as soon as they arrive.

There are many advantages to running an online shop through Facebook. It’s less user-friendly and predictable than ecommerce platforms such as Shopify, however.

Facebook has a lot of popup guides that can be used to help you with new features.

BigCommerce: How to Sell on Facebook

BigCommerce, another major ecommerce platform, often doesn’t require any introduction. It is similar to Shopify, but has what I consider a simpler interface for setting up your Facebook Shop. It walks you through the process step-by-step, and asks for details such as shipping and returns. Shopify doesn’t offer this feature. It saves you time by taking everything out of the way right from the beginning.

The dashboard will show you the Channel Manager tab.

Select Facebook

Other channels, such as Amazon and Pinterest, can also be configured.

A new page will appear. Click on the Connect to Facebook button.

BigCommerce will ask you to first connect to your Facebook account, just like Shopify. This is normal. This is a normal thing to do.

You can choose to continue with your personal account.

After the integration, you are brought back to Bigcommerce dashboard.

Select your Facebook Page from this dropdown. A Business Manager account can be connected to your Facebook account. This account is necessary for collecting payments and running ads.

Once you are done, click on the Next button.

Next, you will need to provide details about your shop, including the address and phone numbers.

This means that non-US retailers are not currently eligible for this instant integration. A social security number is sufficient for US stores.

Click the Next button.

You must specify the shipping options available to potential customers on the Shipping page. This should not differ from the shipping options you provide on your online shop.

You can choose from standard, expedited or rush shipping, or any combination of them. Then, you’ll be asked for details such as how long it takes to ship and whether there is a charge.

Next, you will need to decide how long you want your return policy to run. They want to see an email address for customer service.

Once all is done, click the Next button.

BigCommerce will ask you to accept the Facebook Terms & Conditions after you have set your shipping and return policies. These Terms and Conditions are worth reading at minimum. Many people don’t know how Facebook uses customer and vendor information.

Click on Accept Terms.

Next, you will need to configure your payment settings. Click the Edit Payments button. After that, you will be asked to fill out a few pages with your personal information. This includes your bank account number and social security number. The payments will be deposited directly to your bank account once you have completed this step.

After you have completed payments, click on the Next button.

Category mapping is required to connect to Facebook. This is necessary for indexing, ranking, taxes and indexing on Facebook. There are thousands of categories available so it is important to be as specific as you can. It took me through the Photography category, and eventually I found individual products like optics or lighting. It’s a good thing, because customers will be more likely to find your products if you are specific.

Once you are done, click the Next button.

That’s all! To send all BigCommerce products directly to your Facebook shop, click the Export button. You can close the process by clicking the Finish button.

It looks very similar to Shopify’s Shopify tab. Your Facebook Page automatically generates a Shop tab. BigCommerce allows you to organize your collections and control how they appear on Facebook. You can also remove products or add them to your collection as you wish.

Advertisements are also possible via the BigCommerce or Shopify dashboards. It is great to know that your ecommerce platform allows you to manage your orders and advertisements.

Squarespace – How to Sell on Facebook

Squarespace is another popular option for quickly creating a website and adding an online shop. Squarespace is not like BigCommerce and Shopify. It was originally designed for creating a basic website. It doesn’t offer all the ecommerce-based tools that you would expect from BigCommerce and Shopify.

Squarespace’s commerce functionality is still good. Squarespace’s user interface is unbeatable. It is easy to create products and link to your Facebook account. You can also export details to place on Facebook.

This is the one thing that might stop some people from using Squarespace. Although you can link to your Facebook Business Page Squarespace does not offer a way to sync products with your Facebook Shop. You can still create a Facebook Shop. However, the products must be manually added or exported from Squarespace and then imported to Facebook.

Here are some things you need to know:

Click on the Settings tab.

To proceed, select the tab Connected Accounts.

Click the Connect Account button.

Squarespace offers many benefits. Squarespace offers many advantages. One is the ability to link to almost every social network. This does not usually mean that you can automatically publish to your social networks.

To move forward, click on the Facebook icon.

Like all ecommerce platforms you will need to first connect to your Facebook page. After that, click the Continue button.

Before you go back to Squarespace select the Facebook Business Page that you wish to link. To give you an example of how it works, I will again use my Holiday Hut page.

Click the Next button.

Next, you will see what Squarespace can do with your pages. This means you can now post automatically to Facebook without needing to go through any hoops.

Click the Done button.

After you return to Squarespace dashboard, it is time to adjust your push settings. Squarespace will now be able to push your Facebook news feed product pages and content (like blog post) automatically. Although it still needs your permission to do so, this is the integration.

Click on the Save button to save the page. You can also modify the default posting format. This would require you to choose a link format.

Squarespace is not able to integrate directly with Facebook Shops so manual publishing is required.

The connection with Facebook allows you to post posts about your products or generate part of your Facebook ads.

Squarespace products have a social sharing option. Click on any product to edit, then go to the Social tab and create a Facebook page with your photos and details.

Export the data if you want to send product details to a Facebook Shop.

Go to Inventory.

You can then export all your products, or click on individual products to export their information. Above the Inventory list, you will find the Export as CSV button.

What about advertising with your products on Facebook

This functionality is somewhat less robust than the Bigcommerce and Shopify features.

You can also go to the Marketing tab and manage some of these processes.

Click on Promotion to see Facebook Pixel and Ads.

There are two fields. The first is for adding a Facebook pixel. The Squarespace Pixel can be attached to your Squarespace Page. This allows you to collect information about your customers. This makes it easier to target the right people when creating a Facebook ad.

Squarespace automatically creates the next one. This is a dynamic feed URL you can copy and paste into your Facebook Business Manager. This will pull your product information into Facebook Ads, allowing dynamic advertisements with accurate prices, titles, photos, and descriptions.

Facebook does most of the work. Squarespace doesn’t offer the option to update your inventory on Facebook. You also won’t be able to create ads directly from your Squarespace dashboard. Squarespace offers valuable tools that can help you manage your products on Facebook faster. It is especially useful for targeting ads.

What products should you sell on Facebook?

There are many opportunities for selling on Facebook, but there are also many hurdles. The big question is how to sell Facebook.

Let’s suppose you own a print-on demand store that sells custom hats or t-shirts. These t-shirts might be a hit in your shop, but would it make sense to also place them on Facebook? Dropshipping stores that sell unique women’s dresses might be an option. Is there a market for this on Facebook?

This topic will be divided into three sections:

What products should you offer on your Facebook Shop?
What should you advertise on Facebook
What products should you offer on Facebook Marketplace?

What products should you offer on your Facebook Shop?

This question is not easy to answer. This is like a movie studio trying to decide what type of movie they should make next. Many questions are not answered and many need to be asked. Research and preference are also important.

What movies have had success in the past?
Are there any genres that we haven’t covered yet?
What do our regular population enjoy?
Is it something that our employees really enjoy? Are we willing to spend our time watching it?

Similar questions can be used to choose which products you want to sell on Facebook.

What items are most popular online?
Are there any trends you aren’t aware of?
What are the Facebook demographics like?
Do you want to target a few specific demographics?
Are you interested in selling products that are popular, even if it’s not your thing?

Unfortunately, Facebook doesn’t have much data about what is selling well. It’s also difficult to determine which ads on Facebook are successful.

Although you may like an advertisement with thousands of likes it doesn’t mean that you will convert.

Marketing often works in waves. A billboard, a billboard and an email campaign may all be seen by someone who is interested in your products. After being reminded many times, the customer makes a purchase when they see a Facebook advertisement for the same product.

It’s impossible to decide which products you should be selling on Facebook or online.

We can only speculate, but we can give you some suggestions for products that have potential.

Start with Amazon. Although you don’t need to replicate what’s on Amazon’s site, it is a good place to start to look at all the products available. Amazon also regularly releases trending reports , and best-sellers based on categories .
Also, consider Google Trends. This is a great opportunity to get ideas from Amazon and then see how they perform on Google.
To find out which products are the most profitable and how saturated markets have become, browse EcomHunt
Follow blogs on ecommerce platforms. Blog posts often feature the top products at the moment. Shopify, for example, has a blog post that they update regularly.

Did you get the answer?

Although it might not be what you are looking for, it is a smart way to discover which items may sell on Facebook and in your online store. It’s a good rule of thumb to say that you shouldn’t be able to sell it on your website.

What should you advertise on Facebook

Advertising a product on Facebook will only work if it is desired and targeted properly.

Although it’s difficult to predict which items are most ripe for advertising there are some suggestions based upon observations and metrics. Here are my recommendations for advertising on Facebook.

Facebook is a great place to advertise digital products. This allows you to keep your overhead low and target only those who are interested in digital products.
Facebook Ads are flooded with informational products. Everything can be sold, from training videos to courses.
While this is just a observational statement, my wife and many other women that I know have purchased dresses on Facebook.
It makes sense to promote unique or customized products on Facebook, as it ties into these dresses. They may decide to purchase if they feel that Facebook is the best place to find the item. They may also not want to lose or forget the link.
My Facebook feed is full of “fun” items. This includes things such as party supplies, art kits, and board games. It could be that people use Facebook to have fun. It makes sense that you would rather see an advertisement for a silly party game or a pair of shoes than an advertisement for dress shoes.
Sponsored posts can be a great way to get people to your blog if you are cautious about advertising products. Offer digital downloads and discounts for free to get people on your website or on your email lists.

What products should you offer on Facebook Marketplace?

This is what we’ll be discussing in the next section! Facebook Marketplace has a few items that are very popular. We will discuss how Facebook Marketplace can be used to sell rare, custom-made, or used items such as memorabilia, antiques, and memorabilia.

Comparison of selling on Facebook and your own website: The pros and cons

Online store owners often look for new ways to reach customers. Facebook is an obvious option. However, it’s worth taking into consideration the many benefits and drawbacks of opening a Facebook Shop and selling products there.

This is a great resource for those who are hesitant about investing the time necessary to create a Facebook shop. You may find that this list has benefits you didn’t know about.

Facebook Selling: The Pros

Facebook has more than 2.5 million users and is a great place to find new customers. It’s almost like being connected to the whole world.
Facebook offers many marketing opportunities, including getting followers and updating statuses.
Few ecommerce platforms offer one-click apps that allow you to link your store to Facebook. This allows you to keep your inventory and product details up-to-date in real time.
Advertising on Facebook is usually very affordable.
Advertising can be pulled directly from your Facebook Shop.
Facebook ads offer incredibly detailed targeting options so that you don’t waste your money advertising to people who aren’t interested.
Facebook Messenger is integrated with your Facebook Shop. This gives you an AI-powered customer service module that responds automatically with links to products. You can also use it manually.
You can customize your shop with the tools provided. This allows you to have a clean, beautiful storefront that displays your products in various galleries.
Facebook Insights allows you to see how customers respond to your posts, products and shop.
It can be difficult to establish a brand amid the Facebook noise, but your brand visibility may increase. More than 74% of users on social media are followers of brands and enjoy interacting with them.
Everything is already in place. You don’t need to worry about how to create a landing page or your payment gateway. All the details are available for you.
Facebook is a competitor to Amazon and Google. It may sound strange to be rooting for Facebook. However, this competition is beneficial so that you don’t have only one place to sell.

Facebook Selling: Cons

Your website is eliminated when you sell products via Facebook. All of your marketing tools will be rendered ineffective for Facebook sales. It is more difficult to get customers to sign up for your email list, to give them receipts, or to show other products, blog posts, or resources.
Problems with branding are a real problem. Facebook customers who purchase your products see your logo and blue colors all the time. If you direct them to your website, this is not the case.
Your current workflow must incorporate several elements. Your customer service team might need training in Facebook Messenger. It is also important to determine the best apps to sync products.
Payment methods for US companies are limited to what Facebook uses at the moment.
Non-US businesses cannot currently collect payments via Facebook. All transactions are sent directly to your website. In some cases, this could be a positive thing. However, it would be nice to have payment options.
Many people don’t like buying products via Facebook. Some people would prefer to shop on Amazon, while others prefer your website. While most people think of Facebook as “social,” other options are for browsing products.
We have found that you will receive many “weird customers”. Sometimes they are bots. Other times, you realize that bored people and internet trolls have time.
Some online stores to Facebook integration apps may not be as friendly. While some are excellent, Facebook has not released their own. Third-party apps have to be able to comply with Facebook APIs and regulations.
Facebook is a distraction device. Consider your Facebook feed. People tend to scroll at a fast pace. Let’s suppose they arrive at your shop to look at a product. Guess what? Guess what?

How to sell on Facebook for free

Selling on Facebook can be done for free. A business profile, shop or product post on Facebook is completely free.

However, there are hidden costs.

Take, for example:

If a US-based business sells a product via the Facebook payment processor, a fee will be charged.
If you intend to list products on your website and then sync them with Facebook, then you will likely have to pay for an ecommerce platform.
Shipping your products will require you to pay shipping costs.

Some of these costs are just part of online business. We understand that not everyone wants to spend money on Facebook, especially if they are just trying it out or using it for a side hustle.

Here are some suggestions for those people:

To avoid shipping fees and payment processing fees, only sell on Facebook Marketplace
Instead of creating an online store using an ecommerce platform, you can sell directly through Facebook. This is not something we recommend for legitimate businesses. However, it may work for occasional custom items.
Avoid using Facebook ads to promote your products. Facebook ads are the only thing you must pay for. If targeted correctly, Facebook Ads can be a great tool for businesses. Some people don’t need to post a boost or create an ad for the product. You can sometimes get the distribution you need by sharing the product on both your personal and business pages. You can also avoid ads by using the Facebook Marketplace tool.

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