How to sell lularoe on facebook
10 Things I learned from a Buy & Sell LuLaRoe Facebook Group
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. I MAY EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.
If you haven’t heard of LuLaRoe, you’ve either been hanging out under a rock or taking a social media hiatus because the internets are extolling the many virtues of “butter leggings” and LuLaRoe stuff in general.
LuLaRoe is a clothing line sold via multi-level marketing – MLM. Sort of the same concept as Pampered Chef, Mary Kay and that crazy mascara that makes your lashes long enough to trip over. It’s stretchy, comfy, of reasonably good quality and FUN. They have solids, stripes, florals, polka dots, chevrons and any pattern you can dream up plus a few you probably wouldn’t expect like root beer mugs and zebras. Fun. They have skirts, shirts, dresses and of course, their famous leggings.
They’re like butter, those leggings. They are.
I know comparing an article of clothing to something you slather on toast might seem weird but these leggings are deliciously soft to the touch. When I see someone else wearing LuLaRoe leggings, I get this urge to go up and touch them…I know that’s really weird but OMG these leggings.
No, no one is paying me or supplying me with free leggings to write this. I wish.
These leggings have nice high waistbands. After years of wearing low-rise jeans, trying to keep it all sucked in and hoping my assets weren’t on display, I welcome pants that sit right below my boobs. These lovelies almost make my muffin top disappear. I own four pairs and I’ve pretty much broken up with regular pants and I’ve never been happier. If these leggings had lips, I’d make out with them in public and not care who was watching.
You can buy LuLaRoe through individual consultants who sell via pop-up shops or Facebook groups. There are differences between the large buy and sell groups and the groups individual consultants maintain for clients.
The main difference is the people in the latter group can hide their crazy.
It’s hard to distinguish between the groups at first.
Someone might invite you to one of these big buy and sell lulapaloozas. It might seem innocent at first. You give in to the temptation to click “request to join group.” It’s a Facebook group for women who love leggings. Harmless fun.
Sucka.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
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Table of Contents
There are rules
There will usually be a pinned post at the top of the page outlining rules for that group. There might be some chirpy disclaimer about how the group is a shiny, happy place that doesn’t need a lot of rules followed by long list of do’s and don’ts that will get you ejected before you can say “ooh that print is just darling!” Follow the rules like it’s your job, ladies. This is not a drill.
- Don’t make fun of the merch
You might think the “elegant collection” is anything but. Avoid commenting that a shimmery tunic resembles a Hefty bag that your toddler threw glitter at.
Someone loves that garment with a passion that is all-consuming and a little scary. If you don’t like it, keep it zipped, sister. Ditto for making comments that those feather patterned leggings look like they’re festooned with tiny vaginas.
Just. Keep. Scrolling.
Trust me, you don’t want to invoke the wrath of a woman who’s been chugging Monsters and trolling LuLaRoe groups for 47 hours straight looking for one particular pair of cat-patterned leggings. Insulting her “unicorn” is probably worse than insulting her child. She will cut you. Be afraid.
- A unicorn is someone’s highly coveted pattern, not a mythical beast
If you spend 30 seconds in any LuLaRoe group, you’ll read about unicorns. Pizza leggings, any holiday patterns (pumpkins, witch hats, snowmen) or the granddaddy unicorn of them all, solid black leggings. Only in Lula La La Land are black leggings a rarity.
LuLaRoe limits their patterns so different consultants get different merchandise.
If you’re hell bent on finding your unicorn, you’ll probably cruise the groups. It’s a little like bar hopping. Which brings me to…
- Belonging to more than one LuLaRoe Facebook group is inevitable
If you get bitten by the leggings bug, you won’t be satisfied with just one group. You might find a consultant you like but you’re going to have to cheat on her so prepare yourself now. She’ll understand. Things escalate quickly. The hunt for those leggings with light bulbs wearing Santa hats will become your new obsession. Don’t feel bad if you forget to feed your children or shower. Totally normal.
- Used LuLaRoe is a thing
Once you zone in on your unicorn, you’ll do anything to get it, including buying someone’s gently used leggings for twice the retail price. Sounds a little gross, right?
“Here’s a picture of my parrot leggings! I’ve worn them 36 times so the butt is a little frayed.
There’s a hole in the crotch but they can be yours for only $50 plus shipping!”
Barf.
New Lula leggings retail for $25.00, which I think is a reasonable price but paying jacked up prices for used stuff defies logic.
- Acronyms are also a thing
Sometimes these will be explained in a post (check the files or group rules) and sometimes bewildered newbies are just left to flounder. For instance:
NWT – New with tags
NWOT – New without tags
EUC – Excellent used condition
GUC – Good used condition
FSOT – For sale or trade (just like Pokémon cards, right?!?)
ISO – In search of
DISO – Desperately in search of (AKA please hear my cry for help.)
- Sob stories to get free leggings are also a thing
“My husband left me. I lost my job. My dog died. I’m not sure how I’m going to afford Christmas for my kids but goshdarnit, if someone could just find it in their heart to give me a pair of leggings with little paper airplanes on them, I’ll find the will to go on.
”
And no, I’m not poking fun at anyone’s hard luck story or mental health but in times of crisis, leggings seems like a weird thing to fixate on. Most of these posts I’ve seen have a hint of scam about them and to the credit of most group admins, they’re usually taken down after the Lula masses come after them with virtual pitchforks and spears. I don’t understand how one could be so desperate for comfy leggings that they’d lie about their life imploding yet here we are.
PIN THIS POST!- Bidding gets…intense
In 1998, I saw two women almost throw down over Beanie Babies. Maybe they did throw down. The crazed look in one woman’s eyes and the way she clutched that tiny stuffed giraffe in her claws frightened me enough to make me turn and get the hell out of dodge.
LuLaRoe auction groups are kind of like that, minus the immediate danger of getting shanked. I say immediate because I’m sure there are some crazies out there who’d cut a bitch over some EUC paisley leggings from a pet and smoke-free home.
It just might take a minute but if zealous bidding results in someone else getting deprived of their unicorn, you’d best be checking your backseat when you get in your car. You never know.
- Roe is a verb
“This is how I Roe.”
“Show me how you Roe.”
“Roe, Roe, Roe your boat.”
“They see me Roe-ing…they hatin'”
I could go on but you get the idea.
- Buyer beware
In all seriousness, I love LuLaRoe but don’t get sucked into an online bidding war. No matter how obsessed you are with your dream leggings there’s probably no good reason to invest a ton of your time, effort and money into locating them. THEY’RE LEGGINGS.
You might want those leggings really bad. You might convince yourself that your life won’t be the same without them. Newsflash: You don’t need them and yes, your life will still be good if you let it.
It’s easy to find things you like and you never know…your unicorn might drop into your lap when you least expect.
I’ve found a dealer – er, consultant – I like who lives in my area and I buy most of my LuLaRoe from her. I can see the patterns in person (colors sometimes look different online…ask me about my black and orange leggings that I thought were a nice charcoal and gold) and even try things on. I know her return policy and I can indulge my new addiction without feeling like I have to look over my shoulder when I go out in public. These leggings are a very good thing but people take it a little too seriously sometimes. Dealing with someone who has her Lu La britches in a bunch on Facebook? Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Your mother probably told you to stay out of dark alleys. Some of those LuLaRoe buy and sell groups are just like dark alleys: the temptation to check it out is great but what you find might be a little scary.
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THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.
I MAY EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.
LuLaRoe has turned your Facebook friends into a leggings sales force
Betsy Stover was 17 when her mother asked her to help fax strangers, hawking a service that had the markings of a pyramid scheme.
“I always felt like a creep sending unsolicited faxes,” said Stover, who hated the chore, but knew the work required cold calls to succeed.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Dec. 11, 2017A previous version of this story included the wrong first name for Robert FitzPatrick, president of Pyramid Scheme Alert.
Stover, now a 38-year-old comedian based in Los Angeles, had largely forgotten about the experience until about three years ago. That’s when her Facebook feed started filling up with new direct sales posts touting cosmetics, jewelry and leggings.
Unbeknownst to her, friends Stover hadn’t seen in years had added her to private Facebook groups promoting body oils and makeup. She had little interest. It felt too similar to her mother’s get-rich-quick schemes, which had more to do with recruiting new distributors than selling actual products.
“It was super awkward,” said Stover, who discreetly left the groups. “With these people, there was always a looming sales pitch in the background.”
Unsolicited calls and face-to-face pitches once defined multilevel marketing — a $35-billion industry that recruits an ever expanding network of independent distributors to sell their products rather than rely on bricks-and-mortar stores.
Instead, today’s generation of multilevel marketing brands including Rodan + Fields, Stella & Dot and LipSense are often discovered on social media platforms such as Facebook, which gives distributors instant access to a vast network of potential customers and recruits with the swipe of a finger.
Rather than suffer the humiliation of cold calling, adherents can blast sales pitches and promote their brands online with little effort, attracting increasingly distant acquaintances who would have been previously unreachable.
It’s why many women such as Stover have seen their news feeds transformed from a place to keep up with friends and family into a clutter of livestreamed sales events, invitations to trunk shows and incessant promotional threads about moisturizers and lipsticks.
“This is what multilevel marketing has always done,” said Robert FitzPatrick, president of watchdog group Pyramid Scheme Alert. “It is the only business that ignores the boundaries of private life and professional life. It simply follows where people are gathered, and now that people communicate on digital forums like Facebook, it has invaded social networks.”
No recent company exemplifies the industry’s shift more fittingly — and controversially — than LuLaRoe, a Corona multilevel marketing brand that through Facebook developed a cult-like following for its patterned leggings and is now the target of five class-action lawsuits.
One of those suits, filed in October, seeks $1 billion in damages and alleges LuLaRoe operated a pyramid scheme, enriching itself by primarily selling inventory to its distributors, or sales consultants, rather than its customers.
The plaintiffs say the company did this by using social media to lure a sales force mostly made up of stay-at-home mothers into paying thousands of dollars to become consultants with dim hopes of turning a profit.
“Defendants achieved such rapid growth by enticing consultants with social media posts boasting large bonus checks and other lavish material possessions,” the suit says. Those rewards were celebrated with the hashtag #becauseofLLR.
Another popular social media slogan, “Part-time work for full time pay,” has been chided by critics as mostly untrue except for those lucky enough to get in on the business early.
LuLaRoe, which was founded in 2012 and surpassed $2 billion in annual sales this year, called the lawsuits baseless. The company said it has given thousands of consultants the opportunity to earn income. And it rejected allegations it was a pyramid scheme, explaining it does not reward consultants for simply signing up new sellers, but instead offers bonuses based on a cut of retail sales achieved by a consultant’s recruits.
Only 27% of LuLaRoe’s consultants received such bonus payments last year, which means about a quarter of the company’s consultants were involved in recruiting and maintaining a sales team — the multilevel part of multilevel marketing.
“LuLaRoe has grown exponentially over the last four years. Our success has made us the target of orchestrated competitive attacks and predatory litigation. We take all litigation — regardless of its lack of merit — seriously,” the company said in a statement.
In addition to the pyramid scheme claims, LuLaRoe has been saddled with complaints about shoddy merchandise, an unfair return policy and unsympathetic leadership (consultants say the company pressured mothers to sell their breast milk to pay for more inventory).
“It was an endless chain. They always wanted you to buy more,” said Pamela Winkelman, a Minnesota consultant who was introduced to LuLaRoe over Facebook and is a member of the $1-billion class action.
Before the lawsuits, LuLaRoe had built an ultra-loyal following thanks to its buttery soft leggings. The company’s embrace of all body types positioned it as something of an anti-Lululemon, the maker of pricey yoga pants whose former chief executive once suggested its clothes weren’t appropriate for bigger women.
By 2015, LuLaRoe had become a social media sensation. Its clothes couldn’t be found at stores or e-commerce sites. Instead, women had to join private Facebook groups run by the company’s consultants.
Once in, they had to hope the seller had their size and pattern — not an easy task because consultants had no say over what pieces LuLaRoe would give them to sell.
Those restrictions on supply sparked a frenzy. Women joined multiple Facebook groups scavenging for rare leggings — known as unicorns — with playful prints such as purple dragons or the solar system. Eventually, unicorns would show-up on EBay for double or triple their typical $25 sticker price.
The clamor for leggings also boosted the ranks of consultants, who were charged a minimum of $5,000 for their initial batch of inventory. LuLaRoe had about 30,000 consultants by the middle of 2016. Since then, the number has grown to more than 80,000.
“I never would have heard of LuLaRoe if it wasn’t for Facebook,” said a 31-year-old consultant in Southern California who didn’t want to use her name for fear of reprisal from the company.
(She is not a member of any of the lawsuits directed at LuLaRoe).
“I saw how these women were buying these crazy prints left and right. I figured there was a lot of money to be made,” she added.
The mother of two signed-up as a LuLaRoe consultant in 2015 and initially made a tidy profit. But within months, her suburban neighborhood was saturated with rival consultants who cut her earnings by two-thirds.
“Now I’m sitting on $22,000 of inventory in my spare bedroom that I can’t move,” she said.
Consultants say new recruits were being minted each day, in no small part because of LuLaRoe’s pervasiveness on Facebook. They say the company drove up engagement on the platform by encouraging consultants to post and comment as much as possible. It also urged consultants to launch Facebook business pages from which they could place ads.
LuLaRoe says it was its consultants who pioneered the company’s Facebook strategy. The brand adopted the strategy because it allowed consultants to interact more intimately with customers in a manner similar to salespeople in bricks-and-mortar stores.
“[W]e want to help get you to a place where you are a Facebook diva and your Facebook group isn’t just helping your business it’s practically running it for you,” the company says in a Facebook strategy tutorial posted on its website.
The Facebook groups, which routinely had hundreds of members, had a culture of their own. Negative comments about the brand were frowned upon. Acronyms such as FSOT (for sale or trade) and DISO (desperately in search of) abounded. “Roe” became a blanket verb, said Jill Robbins, a San Antonio blogger who wrote about her observations as a member of several LuLaRoe Facebook groups.
“I found a lot of people who drank the Kool-Aid,” Robbins said.
LuLaRoe rose as the number of people involved in all manner of direct selling in the U.S. grew to a record 20.5 million in 2016, up from 15.9 million in 2012, according to the Direct Selling Assn.
Experts say economic insecurity born out of the Great Recession has pushed more Americans to multilevel marketing — not unlike the way people have seized on the gig economy working for companies such as Uber.
With her background in direct sales, LuLaRoe co-founder DeAnne Brady has said she started the company envisioning a sales force of mothers who could earn income while raising children.
Jessica Wernz, a writer focused on family issues, says direct selling appeals to women in several ways: It offers a path to entrepreneurship and a promise of “sisterhood” to stay-at-home moms who otherwise struggle to find time for socializing. And it gives mothers in the workforce an alternative source of income that allows them to spend more time with their children.
What troubles Wernz is that it perpetuates the idea that mothers are best suited at home, not in an office.
“I love the idea of empowering women, but this is the exact opposite,” she said. “These companies are selling them on the idea that they’ll miss their kids’ childhoods if they have to go into an office.”
Facebook has taken a hands-off approach to multilevel marketing, saying it has no reason to limit the industry’s presence on the social network.
A Facebook spokesman declined to share any data about LuLaRoe.
The deluge of posts about direct sales can easily be removed by selected “hide post” next to any unwanted content, the spokesman added. Otherwise, posts about LuLaRoe and other multilevel marketing brands are subject to the whims of Facebook’s algorithm like most other topics.
The rules are different for paid ads. Facebook requires multilevel marketing brands to “fully describe the associated product or business model” and never to “promote business models offering quick compensation for little investment.” However, LuLaRoe consultants interviewed for this story who placed ads on Facebook say they never disclosed such information.
Facebook also prohibits ads and landing pages from containing “deceptive, false, or misleading content, including deceptive claims, offers, or methods.” Even if Facebook decided to banish pyramid schemes from its networks, it would have a hard time determining which companies to target.
Pyramid scheme isn’t a legal term, and the nation’s laws are notoriously vague about what it means. Most experts and industry officials, including those at the Direct Sales Assn, say the bar for a scam is when the majority of revenue is derived from recruiting new consultants rather than sales.
But others say that’s not enough. They argue the majority of multilevel marketing is predatory because it’s founded on the false promise of quick returns, when in reality, the overwhelming majority of consultants lose money.
“I’ve never once met a single person who earned income in multilevel marketing sustainably from retailing,” said FitzPartick of Pyramid Scheme Alert. “The model is impossible.”
FitzPatrick said legal ambiguity and powerful lobbying has protected multilevel marketing, an industry with close ties to the Trump administration. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is married to former Amway CEO Dick DeVos, the son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos. President Trump was once a paid promoter of direct sales firm ACN Inc.
Some of the biggest names in the industry, including Amway, Avon and Mary Kay have survived scrutiny for decades. Other stalwarts such as Herbalife and Nu Skin have paid millions in settlements, while upstarts such as beverage distributor Vemma Nutrition were effectively shuttered by the Federal Trade Commission.
LuLaRoe needs to take its consultants’ concerns more seriously if it hopes to continue growing, said Terri Villasenor. The Whittier resident signed up with the brand in August 2016 and believes it expanded too fast.
“The first three months were OK, but then it plateaued because they were saturating the market,” said Villasenor, 55, who gave her middle and maiden names because she worried LuLaRoe would retaliate.
She’s now stuck with 200 pieces of clothing no one wants to buy. She has no intention of purchasing any more inventory. Though not a member of any of the lawsuits against LuLaRoe, Villasenor is encouraged that disgruntled consultants are fighting back.
Dissenters are even exchanging ideas through private Facebook groups — much like the ones they started to lure recruits and customers. The forums can feel liberating to consultants such as Villasenor, who were wary of questioning LuLaRoe’s business until they saw others come forward.
“I felt like I was stuck in a cult,” she said.
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How to Get Started in 6 Easy Steps
Do you have a small business with big ambitions?
Selling through Facebook is an opportunity you should not overlook if you are looking to sell.
Facebook may seem like an old school platform by today's standards, but it has incredible reach. It is the third most visited site in the world after Google and YouTube.
If you don't know where to start, we'll show you how to sell on Facebook and how to do it successfully.
1. Find where to sell
If you're just starting out selling on Facebook, it's easy to get lost or confused.
The platform offers several options for profiting from goods.
Depending on who you are and what you are selling, you can use either the Facebook Marketplace or the Facebook Store. In the future, you will also be able to use Facebook Stores.
Yes, there is a Shop, and there are Shops.
Although all options are available to commercial sellers, not all are the same.
Let's take a look at the differences between the Facebook Marketplace, Store, and Stores before deciding which path is right for you.
Marketplace
The Facebook Marketplace feature, launched in 2016, is sometimes referred to as the answer to Craigslist.
Facebook has gone to great lengths to open up its marketplace to entrepreneurial sellers, but the feature is essentially a garage sale.
What does she offer 👍
Don't be scared - the Facebook Marketplace can be the perfect model for your business.
Selling with this feature you get potential benefits:
- If you have items for a one-time sale, great .
If you love selling antiques or renovating old furniture, you might like the pace of the Facebook Marketplace. - It's perfect for you if you want to keep your business local. Facebook Marketplace buyers can filter sellers by location, which is great if you don't have a shipping budget.
- Marketplace helps you find customers. Sellers need to interact a lot with buyers, from answering general questions to providing after-sales advice.
What is missing 👎
If you have big ambitions, you are probably just reading between the lines looking for cons.
However, in the spirit of balance, here's why you might not want to sell on the Facebook Marketplace:
- You can't brag about who you are . The Facebook Marketplace does not allow buyers to follow sellers, and the product information section is pretty basic. There is no storytelling on the Marketplace.
- Anyone can sell anything .
On the search page, your products will mostly appear next to a lot of low-quality products posted by less scrupulous sellers. - Buyers must contact you through the Facebook Marketplace if they want to respond to your ad. And when they do, there is every chance that the negotiations will fall on your shoulders.
Store
Facebook has had an iteration of the Store tool for some time. If you've downloaded the app for personal use, you've probably noticed it on the pages of your favorite store.
The Store feature is available to businesses of all sizes and is located in the navigation bar on the business profile page.
What does it offer 👍
In terms of getting your business noticed on social media, the Store feature has a number of real benefits.
Although the sellers seem a little more passive than on the Facebook Marketplace, the Store in turn offers:
- An opportunity to commercialize your business page.
While the page itself will be used for promotion and engagement, the Store feature highlights your products and their prices. - Viewable . Customers can immediately see your entire range in one place, as if they had just entered your physical store.
- Traffic for your site . Your Store is a place to discover, so add enough enticing content to it and shoppers will be redirected from Facebook to your own online store.
What is missing 👎
Shop is a great feature, but it has its drawbacks. Think about them before you get carried away with sales:
- He might look a little awkward . Buyers can't shop on Facebook outside of the US. This is a plus for traffic to your own site, but speaks of a lack of convenience.
- Display options are limited . Your product photos will need to match the standard Facebook background. Not the best option.
- Shopping is a bit primitive .
Potential clients don't have many filter options or the ability to view detailed shots.
Stores
So, Shop and Shops: what's the difference?
Introduced in 2021, Shops is an e-commerce platform developed by Facebook for small businesses.
Although the Stores are so new that they are still in development, it is very likely that they will take over the existing Store functions in a larger and better way.
Offering a much more personalized shopping experience, the new Stores update puts Facebook on a really solid footing in the world of e-commerce.
What do they offer 👍
If you're new to using Facebook as a small business owner, the Stores feature gives you all the tools you need to be successful:
- You can personalize your showcase . Facebook gives you a template that you then edit to match your brand identity. You can customize colors, logo and content.
- The whole interface is more like an online website .
Customers can fill and view the shopping cart. They can also create wishlists and return to recently viewed items. - Opportunity to reach the world level . The Stores feature has no location restrictions. It has suddenly become much easier to expose your small business to the wider Facebook audience.
What is missing 👎
While it seems like a better business proposition than the Facebook Marketplace and the more established Store feature, the Stores feature is still obscure:
- This function is not yet available to all . Facebook will be launching gradually, so you won't be able to switch to the Stores feature right away.
- In-app payment is still not available for all . But as you know, this means increase in traffic to your site.
- This is uncharted territory . No one yet knows how to sell in Facebook Stores, although everyone is interested.
Top tip
If you haven't noticed that Facebook loves the word "shop", there's something else we should mention.
You'll notice that some of the business pages already have the word "Stores" in the navigation bar. This directs users to physical stores rather than an e-commerce platform.
Users will be able to access your shiny new "Shops" e-commerce feature by clicking the button at the top of your business profile.
2. Look your best
Before you start selling on Facebook, make sure your business is ready.
Millions of people sell in this application. Eye-catching visuals, a cool backstory, and tons of prepared information will help your business stand out from the start.
Make sure you're all set up to start selling on Facebook with ease.
Start with your website
Of course, you can sell on Facebook without an online store. If you're only planning on making some money on his Marketplace, then all you really need is an account.
Otherwise, having an online store will be critical to your success:
- Customers will need it to make purchases . Without an in-app payment feature, users must go to your site to make a purchase.
- The site will show that you have a reliable e-commerce business . Users will want to learn more about your store if they see that you have a website.
- Synchronization of your online store with Facebook will also help you . If you're building a site on a platform like Zyro, you're provided with tools to help you sell, advertise, and track shipments in the app through a centralized dashboard.
Check sequence
If your online store looks good and delivers a compelling message, you've done your job well.
Make sure you're ready to do the same when you start selling on Facebook. Remember that consistency is the key to growing your brand.
Identity
A strong brand identity is the backbone of any successful business.
Do you want your followers to trust you and be loyal to your brand? Of course!
Make sure you look the same on all the channels you sell on, including Facebook. You should have a clear understanding of:
- The color palette you will use to visualize, design and package your store
- The tone of voice you use to talk to customers and write about products
- Your business principles and what makes your store unique
Pictures
Although Facebook is not the most visual social media platform, you still have to deal with short attention span .
Like a storefront in a mall, your business page or Marketplace ad should grab attention right away.
However, unlike a regular store, you sell things to people that they can't touch yet. Interest in your images as follows:
- Using professional photographs . Use our guide to learn how to take product photos.
- Formatting them according to the Store layout . There is nothing worse than badly cropped photos.
- Keeping the sequence b. Increase brand awareness by sticking to the same visual identity everywhere you sell.
Content
When customers find your store on Facebook, they want to know everything about it.
Although you shouldn't overwhelm users with information, it's annoying to have to search and figure it out when you just need to buy a product.
Get ready to prepare:
- Prices and product descriptions . Make sure your prices are accurate and the text is interesting.
- Short and clear value proposition . You can place it at the top of your Store tab so people can see it right away.
- Technical details . Add shipping information and email address - build trust.
3. Create a business page
Are you satisfied with the look of your brand?
The next step is to create your Facebook business page, which will serve as the entrance to your Store.
From here you can manage everything related to promoting your business among Facebook users.
If you are still not convinced that the Facebook Marketplace is the only way to sell products, this page will form the basis of your store in this app.
Check out our detailed guide on how to create a Facebook business page.
Add Store
Once your Facebook page is ready, it's easy to add the Store feature.
You can upload your entire product catalog or a selection that Facebook users want to see.
Select filter options for products that reflect those on your site, or that seem most intuitive to users browsing on their way to discovery.
Now that your Store is open, you are ready to get started.
4. Get subscribers
Despite the ease of listing items for sale, Facebook users won't get to your Store if you don't put in the effort to promote it.
Therefore, the Facebook Marketplace has an undeniable advantage when it comes to visibility.
In the Facebook Marketplace, if you have what people want, they will find your ad.
However, with the Store, this process takes much longer.
Personalize
One of the benefits of selling through Facebook is that you can have a more personalized approach to your customers.
We don't say invite them to dinner, but feel free to give them a little more information about your brand.
If you're going to sell on Facebook using the Shop feature rather than the Facebook Marketplace, it should be easy to retain customers through consistent posting.
Meet your team
Show your followers that they don't buy products from faceless robots.
If a team of people helps you sell, show it. It's a great way to personalize your brand and also add value to what you're selling.
You can tell about your colleagues in:
- In weekly presentations . Post photos of team members and their short bios.
Tell your followers what value your colleagues bring to your store, and finish with a couple of fun facts. - Allowing them to interact directly with their Facebook followers . Ask colleagues to take turns answering questions or posting content on your page.
- When they reach an important milestone, such as their birthday or the graduation of . Adding personal news is a nice touch. The main thing is that your Facebook page remains in the spotlight.
No command? This will not prevent you from interacting with users.
Think about how much you want to show about yourself on your business page. This may be overkill, or it can help build your personal brand.
If you're selling handmade items, sharing your personality in messages is a great way to interact.
Show them the “behind the scenes”
In a world obsessed with efficiency, people like to see small businesses that still find time to do things right.
We are all naturally curious. Social media is the best way for people to peek into other people's lives.
Take advantage of this by posting regular updates, for example:
- Photos of goods ready to ship . If you manage everything yourself, customers will enjoy a personalized approach to the delivery of their goods.
- Fascinating videos of how you create . From pottery on a circle to icing on cakes, share what they love with people.
- Product demonstration . If your products are innovative or require some effort to use, ask your team members to try them out on video to add variety to your posts.
If you're using dropshipping or working in a poorly lit warehouse, get creative with your posts.
You will always have to think about what to sell next, so share what inspires you. Try not to be another faceless dropshipping store.
Show your range
Opinions.
Facebook is full of them.
With over 2.6 billion monthly active users, you're sure to get feedback on your posts on your Facebook page.
Encourage people to share their opinions in your store by posting your products on the home page. It's fast, free, and will help you better understand your customers.
Show items
Users first learn about your store on your business page. Don't hide items in the Store tab and expect people to stumble upon them naturally.
With a little effort, you will likely find that placing items on the front page will affect what you sell in the future.
Make your job easier and advertise your products:
- Lighting up all new products . Add some information about why you are selling this particular product. If you want to add multiple products at once, publish them as a new collection.
- Highlighting weekly favorites . Show some love for your existing products and show them on the home page from time to time.
This way you can increase your sales. - Giving customers a chance to see what's new in . Don't forget that subscribers can comment on your posts. Such updates will bring you the desired reviews.
If the thought of it tires you, plan ahead.
As with any other social networking application, there is a optimal time to post content on Facebook. If these moments do not coincide with your free time, plan publications in advance.
This is a simple action available in the app if your Facebook page is set up for business. You can also use a third party app or hire a freelance social media manager to do the scheduling for you.
Post related content
If you have a personal passion for the products you sell, tell your followers about your industry.
Chances are if you sell smartphone accessories, your followers will be interested in an article about the latest ways to take selfies.
Do you sell jewelry in a specific location? Buyers would probably like to know about local jewelry crafts.
You can also share:
- Trend reports that match your products . Let your followers know that they can find the hottest items in your store right now.
- Articles where you were mentioned . Does your store attract media attention? Your Facebook page is the best place for news coverage.
- Events you are going to attend . If you also sell products offline, share any related information on your page. Your local Facebook followers may want to see who is behind the brand.
Don't forget to link your social media accounts to each other.
Does your store have an Instagram account? Are your products popular on Pinterest? Share your latest posts across all platforms.
This way you will be consistent and let your Facebook followers see that you are also active on other platforms.
5. Invest in Marketing
Facebook gets most of its revenue from advertising.
You have to figure out their complex ad setup if you want to promote your brand and increase sales, but tread carefully.
You will be able to advertise your page, posts on it or your website through Facebook. The purpose of advertising is to generate interest, not to make instant sales.
Ask your users to provide an email address to sign up for your newsletter first, instead of pressuring them to buy something right away.
Using advertising is another great way to build trust and credibility. Selling through Facebook requires a long-term strategy.
Use the right tools
As you would expect from a multi-billion dollar revenue stream, Facebook ads have many levels.
Before you start using advertising, decide which tools are right for you in the first place.
Ads Manager
While the Business Manager account is best for agencies and large businesses, you'll probably want to start with Ads Manager.
This tool is purely for launching campaigns.
It's powerful and fully manageable, so there's nothing to worry about.
In Ads Manager, you can set goals, find your audience, and get creative with your ads.
Facebook has developed comprehensive guides for every aspect of Ads Manager, so take the time to learn as you go.
Facebook pixel
Unless you're running advertising campaigns for entertainment, use this service.
The Facebook pixel is a snippet of code that essentially tells you the ratio of revenue to ad spend.
You place a code on your site so that every time someone makes a purchase through Facebook, you can track that conversion in a report.
If you don't know how to add Facebook pixel to your site, find someone to help you. This is an invaluable resource for optimizing your ad experience.
Target users
Facebook has billions of users and it can be tempting to target them all.
But you need to have a clear understanding of your store's target market, and most importantly, focus on it.
Facebook has also made it much easier to set up ad targeting options.
You can start targeting by:
- Location, language, and work
- Age, gender, and relationship status
- Interests, education, and net worth
You can also target broad categories or make it more specific to interests, which will bring more accurate results.
Interest-based targeting allows you to find people based on what they say they like, which Facebook groups they follow, and what they talk about the most.
You may feel like a spy, but interest-based targeting will increase your sales.
Stick to the brand
Make sure you don't spend too much targeting on a terrible image.
Proper visualization of your ads is the key to their success on Facebook. You want your store to stand out for the right reasons, right? Then think carefully about how to attract attention.
There are many types of Facebook ads.
You can create videos, use canvas ads, or even GIFs if it suits your brand.
Although it might be better to start simple. Keep doing the same ads as for your site and:
- Avoid stock photos . Use your library of breathtaking images to showcase your products in the best possible light.
- Make sure your visuals match your brand values . You pay for ads that drive visitors to your store, so don't deviate from your brand identity.
- Stick to one style of typography . If you want to add some text to your ad's visuals, make sure it matches the typography on your site.
You don't have much time to sell your store with words.
At first, the attention of users will be attracted by the image in your ad, but you will still have room for text. If you don't know how to express yourself beautifully, find a friend who can help you.
With a short, attention-grabbing headline and a short line of text, you'll need to engage the viewer, generate desire, and complete the ad with a call to action.
6. Share user content
Your Facebook shop is full of products. You create great content. You have launched a successful advertising campaign.
What's next?
After all this hard work, you are definitely ready to start selling on Facebook. But don't forget communicate directly with your subscribers .
Unlike the Marketplace, where you are in direct contact with customers, using the Store requires a more dynamic way of communication.
Understanding User Content
User-generated content is any content created about your brand by someone not associated with it.
So if a customer tags your Facebook page with their photo or posts a review on one of your products, this is considered user generated content.
And your store can profit from it.
Repost photos of users
User-generated content gives your store something traditional marketing can't achieve: credibility.
No one cares if your ads say that 9 out of 10 buyers love your products (that's really a cliché, by the way).
Customers trust other customers . User-generated content influences the buying decisions of the majority of people surfing the Internet, and it all starts with visual elements:
- Encourage customers to share photos of their purchases on Facebook. Add a small note to each delivery and include a hashtag that buyers can use.
- Share content across platforms . Instagram is the best place for user generated content. Repost in the app, but don't forget to post on your Facebook page as well.
- Add a theme to your clients' content . Ask them to share photos of pets posing with your products or interact with your products in some way. Get creative.
Turn user-generated content into ads
If user posts give you more credibility than ads, you know what to do.
Integrating user-generated content into your Facebook ads is a smart move. You prove that your store is authentic and demonstrate that your products are already benefiting other people.
Could you:
- Add reviews to your listings . Use the best genuine reviews or ratings of your favorite products to provide strong proof in advertising that they are worth buying.
- Use user photos in advertisements . If you want to diversify your visuals, use the Facebook carousel ad format and run a series of compelling customer images.
- Create ads with incentive . Encourage customers to use a hashtag so you can see their content and repost it as an ad right away.
Example - Toyota
Driving user-generated content can make your store a huge success.
Car brand Toyota created an entire Facebook ad campaign in which musicians posted videos or photos of their performances using the #feelingthestreet hashtag.
Viewing the original posts, followers voted for their favorites to form the Feeling the Street Band.
The winners were given the opportunity to tour and play all over Australia.
This Facebook campaign increased Toyota's engagement by 440% - the campaign was well worth the effort.
Host giveaways
Encourage your subscribers with prizes from time to time.
There are many ways to get people to enter the Facebook contest that will benefit both you and them.
Subscriber engagement will skyrocket, as will your brand reputation. This move may sound like the opposite of Facebook sales, but it will pay off indirectly:
- Run a naming contest . If you need to come up with names for your products, ask your followers to help. They don't even need a prize, although that would be nice.
- Turn themed photos into a contest . Remember those pictures of pets. Offer a prize to the most beautiful pet, and get brand loyalty in return.
- Let people win your products . You can set aside something for the giveaway. Why not boost your store's visibility by letting lucky followers win some items?
Are you ready
Now that you know how to sell on Facebook, start by increasing those sales.
Whether you decide to stick with the Facebook Marketplace listing or see the need for your own store, Facebook offers many dynamic ways to sell products.
Keep active, and sales will not keep you waiting.
Facebook secrets revealed by former employee
Increasing pressure on Facebook
Whistleblower who leaked thousands of secret documents used strictly within the company revealed herself on Channel 9's 60 Minutes program0651 CBS . The leaker, whose name is Frances Haugen, worked as the lead manager for combating citizen misinformation.
In an interview, she said that during her work Facebook has regularly proved that it prefers profit over the safety of its users.
“He literally pays for his profits with our safety,” Haugen explained. In a television interview, the manager said that she kept tens of thousands of pages of internal documents so that "no one could doubt that this is true."
She also told a reporter that her lawyers had filed at least eight complaints with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
These appeals say that there are significant discrepancies between Facebook's internal research and the company's external statements.
Haugen noted that social networks have a negative impact on people's mental health and incite hatred.
This interview is a continuation of the recently increased pressure on Facebook. A previously anonymous source, who turned out to be Haugen, provided The Wall Street Journal secret documentation with the secrets of Mark Zuckerberg's corporation. Thanks to them, among other things, it became known that inside Facebook and Instagram there is a multi-million group of VIP users made up of politicians, activists and celebrities who are not subject to the company's standard content moderation rules.
According to internal documents, there were at least 5.8 million Facebook VIPs in 2020.
In addition, Facebook experts in 2019In 2018, we found that some social media groups were posting advertisements for housekeepers as a front for selling women as slaves or sex workers.
Facebook also knew about the criminal acts that were committed with the help of the social network in developing countries, but often did nothing. This includes cases of using Facebook to incite violence against ethnic minorities in Ethiopia, recruiting, training and paying employees for the Mexican cartel.
One of the latest revelations was an internal Facebook study that indicated that the social network Instagram can negatively affect young users. The photo and video sharing service did the most harm to young girls. The documents indicated that the social network pushed them to suicidal and depressive thoughts.
Internal conflict
37-year-old Haugen is a fairly well-known person in Silicon Valley. She previously worked for IT corporations such as Google, Pinterest and Yelp. In May, she quit Facebook.
She specializes in developing algorithms and other tools that determine what content will be shown to users.
“I saw a lot of social networks, and Facebook was much worse than anything I had seen before,” the specialist explained.
She noted that she started working for Facebook to protect the social network from attempts to interfere in elections through her platform. However, over time, she realized the unwillingness of Mark Zuckerberg's company to correct its shortcomings.
According to Haugen, some of her colleagues were of the same opinion. However, the specialist decided that if the situation is not corrected from the inside, then it is necessary to complain to external structures.
“At Facebook, I've run into a conflict of interest over and over again between what's good for society and what's good for Facebook,” Haugen explained. According to her, the social network has always chosen to optimize its algorithms to promote its own interests in order to make more money.
Haugen feared that she would be caught collecting data, since the service records all the actions of employees at the workplace, and the data being studied was not related to her duties.
On the evening of May 17, her last day at work, she left a farewell message in the Workplace search bar to explain her motives.
“I don't hate Facebook. I love Facebook. I want to save her,” Haugen wrote.
Facebook Response
"Every day, our teams must balance protecting the right of billions of people to express themselves openly and keeping our platform in a safe and positive place," Facebook spokesperson Lena Pitch said in a comment.
She noted that the company is making efforts to combat the spread of misinformation and harmful content.
“To say that we encouraged bad content, knew about it and did nothing, is simply not true,” the head of the press service assured.
To protect Facebook's reputation, one of the company's top executives, head of global policy, Nick Clegg, was interviewed by CNN . In it, he also defended a Facebook study on how Instagram affects the mental health of adolescents.
“Our job is to soften the bad, reduce it, and increase the good. And this is what this study is about, ”explained the head. He considered that Facebook, on the contrary, does much more than anyone else in the industry.
