Facebook is the largest social media platform on the planet today. Saying Facebook is massive is a bit of an understatement! At one point, many businesses built their entire clientele off of Facebook and using Facebook advertising. Unfortunately with the algorithm change in early 2018, many businesses were sent into a downward spiral. Because of the massive shift away from business pages in 2018, methods of Facebook marketing have had to change. For many eCommerce businesses, Facebook is still a viable option for social media marketing, but there are a few new strategies to look into if you want to “beat the Facebook algorithm”.
The 2018 Facebook Algorithm Change
Before we even get into the new Facebook marketing strategies, we really need to tough on why we need them in the first place. A little over a year ago, Facebook was a wondrous place for businesses. People would make their entire income off of Facebook! In early 2018 though, everything changed. With the change, Facebook began to highly favor personal profiles and business pages felt it! Engagement dropped off sharply, viability became nearly non-existent, and the cost of ads seemed to increase.
Facebook basically made it more difficult for business pages to be seen, but with some good social media marketing strategies, there are wonderful workarounds that make Facebook still a viable marketing option for eCommerce businesses.
Facebook Marketing Strategies for eCommerce Businesses
Now that we know why eCommerce stores need new Facebook marketing strategies, let’s dive into some of the things small businesses can do that will drive sales and increase online visibility.
Using Paid Facebook Ads
Look, you may not want to hear this but when it comes to Facebook marketing, using their paid ads is pretty much a must. Especially since the shift in 2018, your visibility is low, many of the people who opted in to follow your page wont even see your posts organically. It is a slightly annoying money grab from Facebook ? Sure is, but it is a necessary evil if you want to be able to successfully market your business on Facebook in 2019.
Create Custom Audiences
When it comes to using paid Facebook ads as part of your marketing strategy, it is important that you set up custom audiences that you want to reach. While some people will create one audience and run all of their ads targeting that group, this is not recommended. You want to show different ads to different people, so creating more focused audiences can help you more effectively market to the right people. You can target people who already follow you, people who have visited your website, as well as people with specific interests. Depending on what campaign you are running, you will want to tweak your audience and make sure you are reaching the best people for that particular ad.
Test Different Ad Types
Facebook offers quite a few different ad types depending on what your overall goal is. You can set conversion ads to sell more, traffic ads to increase website traffic, or engagement ads which increase your Facebook engagement. I suggest that you test out all of these ads depending on what you are promoting.. Trying to promote a particular item? Check out the conversion ads…. Want clicks through to a blog post? Traffic ads may be right for you!
eCommerce Re-targeting Campaigns
Another type of campaign that can be extremely beneficial is the re-targeting. These campaigns focus on users who have been to your site, places items in their shopping carts, and then abandoned the cart. Re-targeting ads are a bit more legwork, but well worth it to increase sales. One of the main reasons people tend to abandon their carts is because of high shipping costs, so a re-targeting campaign showcasing a deal on shipping may convince these people to return to their carts.
Use Videos!
People love video. It is no secret that video ads tend to preform much better than traditional ads with only photos. So if you want to increase your conversions, engagement, and lower your CPS try adding some videos to your Facebook ads schedule and watch how they perform.
Use Dynamic Ads
Another type of ad that you need to be using is the Dynamic Ad. These are highly automated and really tailored to the user who ends up seeing the ad. They are a type of re-marketing ad, commonly seen used by sites like Amazon and Walmart… You can select single or multi-product ( multi-product is highly recommended), and this will be shown to your target audience. According to internal and external studies, companies who are using these Dynamic Ads are seeing a 20-30% CTR increase and a 20% increase in conversions.
Organic Facebook Engagement for eCommerce
Facebook isn’t all about paid ads and driving conversions. Sometimes is pays to use your social media platforms to share your more personal story and really connect with your audience.
Share Photos (No Links)
Want to engage your audience and expand your Facebook reach? Share photos! Either photos of product, customer supplied photos, photos of your storefront… the key though, is to have an engaging caption, typically asking a question, and to NOT include a link anywhere in the post! I know this may seem strange, don’t link to my store? But actually yes, not every post should link somewhere off of Facebook. Actually, the Facebook algorithm prefers posts that do not direct you off of Facebook. So share fun photos, stories, and videos to connect and engage with your audience and see your brand recognition continue to grow.
Respond to Comments
This probably doesn’t need to be said, but always respond to comments and messages. It shows you care about your clientele and that you are ready and willing to engage with them and answer any questions you may have. It humanizes you, makes your customers know you are a person and not just a brand. When they feel a connection with you, they will be more likely to want to spend their money with you.
No matter what kind of eCommerce business you are running, these Facebook marketing strategies can help propel your business and increase your sales.
ProductCart is here to help with all of your eCommerce needs! From marketing to backed content creation and website design, we want to see your business boom and will be here for you through every step of the process!
