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Online Marketing - Facebook and Beyond
by Lori Peterson
I want to preface this article with the disclaimer that these are not the only right answers to marketing and you should tailor your plan to fit your situation and personality. These are the tenets I follow because they work for my business and fit my personality. Also, I fall short of following my own advice pretty frequently. These are ideal days where nothing urgent hops up into my lap (usually that urgent matter is a dachshund in need of snuggles).
Marketing isn't some mystical art. It's just getting your work out there in front of people and then having solid business practices so you keep any new customers you capture.
There are quite a few options for selling on Facebook, some of them encouraged by Facebook, some not-so-encouraged. It is an evolving social network and the rules change periodically so the key is to stay nimble!
1. Have a plan.
I treat marketing like a job. I get up in the morning, check email, respond AFTER I've had my coffee and get started on prioritizing my to do list for the day, carrying over anything I didn't get done the day before (bad Lori!). I make marketing a daily task, like cleaning beads.
2. Hit the pavement (and by that, I mean the Internet).
There are a bunch of Facebook selling groups and they are hot right now. Wonder where all those eBay buyers went? There they are! Get those beads out for them to see and make it effortless for them to purchase. Decide when you are going to list the beads, and where, and start getting your prep work done - taking and editing photos, creating the write up, etc. Don't forget to check your messages and respond promptly and courteously.
3. Find a selling venue that fits you.
There are lots of them out there now so find a few that really work with your style of selling. If you like the 'set it and forget it' version of selling, Etsy might be a good fit for you. If you can handle a bit more of a hands-on approach, Facebook might be worth it for you to check out. Some of the groups typically allow 24-48 hour auction style listings where there is a starting bid, and you can opt for a "Buy it Now" price which ends the auction. Other groups have single-seller "trunk shows" where a seller has the floor for two days and sells all their beads during that show with no other sellers competing for attention. With this style of group, one has to sign up for dates and there may be a waiting list. They usually require you to be pretty prolific as far as listing goes during your show so start saving those beads up if you choose this type of venue.
4. Promotion - paid and free.
There are a few different ways to promote your sales on Facebook. The first is to use your personal page. This is a gray area on Facebook and some will say it isn't allowed but I've yet to have my knuckles rapped. Try not to be the person that posts a dozen sales notifications and nothing else as that's a good way to get "unfollowed" and people generally consider it annoying and somewhat rude. Make your business posts "public" so even people who are not on your friend list can see your posts.
Another way of promoting on Facebook is to create a business page (once known as a fan page). This also allows people who are not necessarily on your friend list to see your work and it might end up in the "suggested" posts for someone you don't know, based on their interests. This is free but you can also opt to "boost" a post by paying a small fee to Facebook. You can choose who to target with the promoted post, how much you want to spend and how long you want the post boosted.
A third option is to create an ad in Facebook. This ad can direct the target to a website, an Etsy store or your business page. These can be very effective for targeted marketing and getting people to your site. You can choose your budget, your target audience and duration, much like the post boosts. These will show up in feeds as "sponsored posts". The targeting can be very specific so it can be a cost effective use of your advertising budget.
Whichever type of promotion you choose, consistency is key. Try to be active wherever you are selling. Keep the product and the buzz going by posting daily, preferably a few times a day. Keep your eyes open and see where things are selling and what types of things are selling in which venues. Buyers tend to haunt the same places every day and they will pick and choose from the many groups and settle into a couple they prefer.
Another tip I will give is to keep your page relatively free of controversy. Don't post any extreme or inflammatory viewpoints on your page. Keep that kind of thing away from anything your business touches. You want people to want to do business with you, and whatever your views are, it is guaranteed that 50% of people will disagree with them and suddenly you've lost half your customer base. Stay professional, even on your personal page, unless your personal page is completely quarantined off from your business activities.
5. Business basics.
Run a reliable, customer-focused business. Be responsive to messages. Be courteous, friendly and polite. Send invoices promptly and ship quickly. Package the product carefully to minimize any chance of breakage. Have a fair returns policy and be prepared to stand behind your product, cheerfully.
6. Branding.
Invest in business cards or business postcards and include them with every purchase. Put your logo on pretty much everything that goes out to a customer or potential customer. Make it easy for customers to find you by providing your data on every communication - name, email address, business URLs, etc. Consider sending out newsletters to customers who have requested updates on your sales and new product releases. You want customers to remember your name associated with your product so they can come back for more!
Getting your name out there can be a challenge, especially for those new to online selling. It's a brave new world and the game changes so frequently that having multiple venues and keeping your eyes open for the changes is key. Social networks are a user-created space, for the most part, and flocks can disperse and form in the blink of an eye. Using the social aspect of it can really help if you are interacting with your peers and listening to the current buzz of information. Keep your eyes on the horizon and take the wheel and steer, my friends!
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