Tips and tricks to maximise Facebook for an e-commerce business

Facebook has become one of the most effective channels through which companies can market their products and services to customers. Using it effectively for ecommerce requires a thorough understanding of the medium and the opportunities it provides. It can help you reach global audiences and make a good first impression long before the customer has been to your website. Anurag Avula, Co-founder and CEO, Shopmatic, shares some tips to use the Facebook platform for gaining edge for e-commerce businesses. 

Create your Facebook page and personalise it
Most users of Facebook aren’t on the platform for business, but to socialise. Your page must post content in a personable manner, which engages people and gives them something to relate to. Depending upon your business and brand message, communicate in a casually conversational way. Don’t try hard-selling or use language that is too bookish or corporate. Prices and product descriptions will bore users and prevent engagement. Use the platform to present a human face to customers. 

Post Regularl
Facebook users will typically check their account at least once a day – so make sure you have new material ready. It is recommended that you post daily, but that shouldn’t mean you post unnecessarily. Make sure you share something new and relevant as regularly as possible. If users comment or ask questions on your site ensure that you respond quickly as they will soon lose interest if there’s no reply. This helps ensure good brand recall in your customers. 

How to Advertise
While there are good reasons to pay or not pay for advertising, but Facebook’s powerful ad manager makes it easy when you have to. Depending upon your goal and target audience, you can start conversion, lead generation, or just drive traffic to your store. The Ad Manager will help you create goals, pick an audience, set a budget, and schedule a time for your promotional posts. 

Know Your Goals
How well Facebook is working for your company and how to measure that depends upon your business. The number of likes, email opt-ins, and click-through rates are useful metrics. If you are a new brand, awareness building – measured in followers and likes – can also be useful. 

Define Your Audience
Your audience can be broken down into age, location, interests, gender or connections, but for best results, set a close range and broaden gradually andgauge the interest. By using ‘custom audiences’ it is possible to re-target people who have already interacted with you before, or friends of existing followers, and even exclude current customers. 

Set your Budget
Not all Facebook ads are paid, but if you want to give your ad a boost, the site will allow you to set a daily or lifetime (of the ad) limit. This allows you to stick to your budget and compute how many clicks you get for your dollar. 

Now all that’s left is creating ads – 90 characters, a headline, and an image or video to make your pitch. Pick the right platform – desktop or mobile – though default settings are probably good to start with. Choose an image style, post great content and watch Facebook help your business grow!