How to Sell On Facebook Marketplace (Step-By-Step)

Have you been to a garage sale? Well, that same concept, but online, was introduced on Facebook in 2016, under the name Marketplace.

More recently, however, the Facebook Marketplace has grown in popularity to the point that 800 million people in over 70 countries use this platform to buy and sell products.

So, with so many people buying and selling on the Facebook Marketplace, I can assure you that this is the best time to start doing business through this platform! So be sure to read on, because at Hablando Digital I’m going to show you what you need to do to start capturing the attention of a new audience of customers.

You just have to take into account that selling through this channel is a bit different as it is going to be difficult to find another platform through which people discover your products so easily, especially if you take into consideration that, according to the social network management platform Hootsuite, 66% of Facebook users use their accounts every day.

The Facebook Marketplace is a growing community of people looking for products to buy immediately, so you don’t have to go out and look for them, they come to you thanks to its ability to categorise products for those who are looking for them! This makes it a super useful tool to help you grow your business.

What is the Facebook Marketplace?

The Facebook Marketplace is an open buying and selling platform where users sell and buy new and used items.

Benefit #1

Anyone can sell products or services through the Facebook Marketplace and gain access to a local audience.

Benefit #2

Facebook users can browse the entire Marketplace, select categories, view groups, or go directly to the shops they want.

Benefit #3

Each option presents the products according to the tastes and interests of the users on Facebook.

Benefit #4

Created as a P2P (peer to peer) platform, when someone wants to buy something on the Facebook Marketplace they contact the seller via Messenger.

This gives you a way to build a one-to-one and more personal relationship with the customer. In addition, Facebook is adding more functionality to the Marketplace that allows sellers to connect their accounts to payment processors such as Shopify and BigCommerce. This means that even if you initiate contact with the buyer through Messenger, payment for the purchase is made through the processor of your choice.

How to create a Marketplace account

Anyone can sell on the Marketplace, as long as Facebook approves the ad, based on its Commerce Policy.

Please note that you do not need an individual Marketplace account to get started, you can do so through your personal Facebook account or your business account!

First, click on the Marketplace icon.

Then select the “Sell something” option in the menu on the left.

Now, you can select the type of product you are going to sell from three options. In the following example, we are using the “Items for Sale” option.

Once you select one of these options, you must create the product advertisement.

Facebook requires each ad to have the following information:

  • Category
  • What you are selling
  • Price
  • Location
  • Description
  • Up to 10 product images

Once you have registered this information, the ad will look like this:

Press “Next” to start and then press “Post”.

Congratulations you have already made your first Marketplace listing on Facebook! But now the real work begins!

Since Facebook automatically includes your ad in the Marketplace, everyone who is browsing the platform will be able to see your product. In addition, the platform automatically creates your profile once you announce your first article. Once you sell your first item through the Facebook Marketplace, it will automatically appear as part of your “shop”.

This “shop” can be accessed through the “Shop” tab on your business page on Facebook.

After you have advertised and sold some items on Facebook you can start thinking about how to optimize your shop with excellent sales records. To do this, Facebook awards two marks based on how well you interact with your shoppers:

Very Responsive badge: awarded to sellers who respond quickly to potential buyers.

Community Recommended badge: Awarded to sellers who have a high rating on the Facebook Marketplace.

Both badges can give your reputation a boost on the platform, which definitely leads to greater trust in your brand and attracts more customers.

5 ways to use Facebook Marketplace for your business

Because Facebook is a social platform, the Marketplace lends itself to making a very personal connection with customers. For this reason, it is ideal for attracting new customers and promoting a relationship with them. Remember that your competition is other companies and other individual users, so establishing contact and trust is essential!

Therefore, I offer you five simple strategies to start getting the most out of the Marketplace.

Strategy #1: Increase brand awareness and the ability to be discovered.

Brand awareness is one of the fastest and easiest ways to increase your sales. Fortunately, being a social platform, it’s easy for Facebook users to discover brands on the Marketplace. The good thing is that the people who see your products are already in the search to buy, so all you have to do is increase the visibility of your products.

To do this, I recommend that you study the 11 main categories of the Marketplace, which are divided into more specific subcategories.

If you place your products in categories that attract your target audience, they are more likely to find your products while they are searching.

However, as you can imagine, this is not the only way to increase the visibility of your products on the platform! The more people follow your business profile on Facebook, the more items for sale will appear in their feeds. A good place to do this is in the product description.

The ads you create will also appear on the Facebook Marketplace. Just make sure you choose one of the following targets:

  • Brand awareness
  • Scope
  • Traffic
  • Video views
  • Generation of sales opportunities/prospects
  • Messages
  • Conversions
  • Sales catalogue
  • Shop Traffic

For more details on the process, look for the Facebook tutorial.

These strategies can help you increase your brand awareness so that users discover your products more easily on the Marketplace.

Strategy #2: Build trust with your audience.

Online shopping is based on trust. Therefore, the Marketplace has unique features that will help you gain the trust of your potential customers:

First, all transactions are initiated on Messenger, allowing you to connect with your buyers and have a one-on-one conversation with them.

Second, your shop page also gives you the opportunity to develop customer confidence, while working on your company’s credibility, providing information about your business and answering customers’ questions.

Once you have started to gain the confidence of your audience, you can start to test out new products and see how they sell.

Strategy #3: Monitor what sells most on Facebook.

Make the most of your advertising investment on Facebook by learning which products are most popular on the platform. How do you do it? Easy! Check the categories to see which products are the most sold.

You can use this information to create ads for items you know Marketplace customers are looking for.

You can also monitor the products visited on the pages of other businesses. Each time you access a shop, you can see the top-selling items at the beginning.

The Stores section of the Marketplace also provides personalized recommendations based on user preferences.

You see, with a little research you can find the most popular types of products, which will help you create more successful ads!

Strategy #4: Take advantage of Facebook personalization.

In addition to promoting your products, you can use the ads to reach people who have purchased from your shop in the past or who follow your Facebook page. You should take advantage of the fact that these people have already shown an interest in your business, so they are likely to buy from you again!

One way to do this is to create ads for similar or interest-segmented audiences.

Another way to connect with users who are interested in your business is to use chatbots. These are computer programs that allow you to have a conversation and automatically follow up with anyone who contacts you via Messenger, before or after a purchase.

The Marketplace also helps you identify the different types of products that sell best on the platform so that you can create offers or products.

Strategy #5: Try out new products.

If you are interested in launching a new product or if you simply want to test an idea, the Marketplace may be the ideal place to do so!

How? Well, simple. Because Facebook does the segmentation for you, you can test if a product or service appeals to your main audience. You can also experiment with price and see how your customers react to discounts or price increases.

Similarly, you can offer exclusive offers to obtain new products. By offering something different, you create new business opportunities and more loyalty among your customers.

Now it’s your turn

The Facebook Marketplace is a fast, simple, cost-effective and informative way to reach your target audience.

Through this platform, you can attract new customers, launch new products and build lasting relationships with your clients without investing too much time or money. Do you think it’s a good idea to develop a new sales channel that brings more people to your business?

It’s simple. First, create your Marketplace account, although you can start selling from your personal Facebook account or your business account. Once you have done so, there are five proven ways to take advantage of this platform to buy and sell for:

Increase brand awareness and the ability to be discovered by more customers: study the eleven main categories of the Marketplace.

Build trust with your audience: Learn which products are most popular on the Marketplace.

Monitor what sells most on Facebook: Check ads for items you know Marketplace customers are looking for.

Take advantage of Facebook personalization: create ads for similar audiences or for audiences segmented by interest.

Test new products: experience whether a product or service appeals to your primary audience.

Now, tell me, what strikes you most about Facebook Marketplace? Would you use it? If you already use it, what strategy would you implement to increase your sales?