There is no denying that Facebook has critical mass with over 50% of Australians now estimated to be on the social networking site, and spending a whopping 6 hours and 46 minutes per month while there.
Furthermore, Facebook is growing by 100,000 new accounts each month, so it’s inevitable that marketers are trying to figure out how to monetise the site.
It started with social analytics trying to estimate ROI, moved to banners that directed consumers to store websites and now stores are integrating their offering within the site – affectionately called F-shops.
It takes lots of time and money to drive traffic to e-commerce sites – so it makes sense that marketers will try to sell where people are already connecting. What is harder to understand is why people will shop where they go to connect.
More concerning for marketers and industry experts is that recent research by ThreatMetrix that says 50% of people don’t trust Facebook as a shopping destination.
Facebook is full of scantily-clad outfits, bad language and fraudsters – much like a red light district, so why would people want to shop there? It’s like putting designer stores in the heart of Kings Cross. It’s fine to socialize there, but no-one wants to shop there. So what can ou do today to make it more premium shopping experience?
The Rules
Rule 1. It’s not about how many ‘Likes’ you have
Many brands think the more ‘likes’ they get the more sales they’ll get. This is erroneous. It’s estimated that less than 5% of content that brands post is seen in news feeds or engaged with. So you would be better off increasing the engagement on your site first instead of just the traffic.
Rule 2. Exclusive deals
Give people a reason to revisit. Do this by providing unique offers and money can’t buy opportunities. Give them a reason to regularly come back to your site to check that they’re not missing out on these offers.
Rule 3. Ongoing engagement
It’s very hard to sell to people you don’t have a relationship with. Use your F-shop not just as a tool to sell, but to create dialogue. These dialogues are what form relationships. These relationships are what create sales.
Rule 4. Use offline to drive online sales
If you already have a “bricks and mortar” store, use this as an opportunity to further engage your existing customers. Use offline as way to up-sell with special offers for your F-shop.
Rule 5. Train your audience
It’s a good idea to train your audience to look out for content. For example, if you are an online fashion store, each Monday post “celebrity outfit of the week and the matching outfit you’re selling with “buy now” functionality. Wednesday could be a behind the scenes at fashion parties, then on the Friday morning post a deal there at the same time that is available for that day only.
Rule 6. Social media is a database too
Marketers are always segmenting their databases, but when it comes to social media they seem to have a spray and pray approach. Treat your Facebook store like all your other marketing activities – test the tone, messaging, content, offers and see which is most useful.
Rule 7: Strategy never ends
How many times have you heard that strategy never ends? Test and learn. Ask for feedback and respond to feedback. Ask your community what they want and deliver it.
Rule 8: Use F-shop as a business reputation management tool
Facebook is not only great for building a relationship with your consumers; it’s also an exception tool to use for public relations. Want to tell people about the great charity work your company has been doing that no one else has heard about? Your company’s green initiative? Do it on Facebook. People like to see companies doing well or use it as a crisis management tool when things go bad
Rule 9: User experience is king
The user experience is of paramount importance on Facebook, who, for the record seem to change their code frequently so don’t be under the assumption you can create a store and never update the code again. New components are added to the F-commerce platforms regularly – stay on the lookout for the updates and see if they’ll make the experience better. They’re there to help.
Rule 10: Do it well, or not at all
Brands that create stores need to be prepared to invest in them. Investment comes from strategy, media, staff head hours, tech updates – and much more. Not every brand should have a place on F-Stores. Ask yourself – does yours?
Final Word:
Facebook shops can solve people’s problems with profit for businesses – it’s a win-win if done correctly. But only if done corretly.
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