Tired of hearing about Facebook’s 500 users? So what’s next?
Social commerce.
According to Wikipedia, "Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves using social media, online media that supports social interaction and user contributions, to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services.
More succinctly, social commerce is the use of social media in the context of e-commerce."
But what does that mean to you?
You can now sell your merchandise and services on Facebook by letting your customers buy, but also letting them tell their friends. And letting their friends tell their friends. And so on. Even if you don’t offer e-commerce on your website, it’s now possible to provide that service to customers through the social network.
Most people are scared when you add e-commerce and Facebook together, thinking it will be hard to achieve, but it’s super simple.
Before I walk you through setting up your social commerce page, perhaps a few steps you take to kick-start your online sales would probably help.
If you already sell online, choose one or two of your best selling products for your Facebook test.
Or, choose an item of the week or create a GroupOn-style "deal-of-the-day" coupon.
If you’re a service franchise, you can create webinars, eBooks, podcasts, and videos to sell.
And’" this is a biggie’" if you don’t already have a PayPal account, create one. You can use their starter package, called PayLoadz, for free. This will allow you to test e-commerce before you have to upgrade to the $14.95 per month package. PayLoadz also will allow you to upload coupons, PDFs, links, and discount codes that are automatically generated when someone buys a product from you. It’s so simple you don’t even have to lift a finger. Well, at least not beyond using a finger to click a mouse.
Next, you have to create a new tab on your Facebook page. To do that:
- Go to Facebook and search "FBML." ;
- Click on "Static FBML." It will take you to the application’s page;
- Then click "add to my page."
- If you’re the administrator of more than one page, it will bring up a list and ask you which page you want to add the new tab’" find the FBML area at the top and click on the pencil icon to begin editing the page;
- Title your box (tab) and add content
- Go back to your Facebook page then click on the plus sign and click on the page you just created and it will automatically add to your page; and
- Finally, add your HTML code from the PayPal page. And voila! You have a tab on your Facebook page where people can buy your product.
Test it out. It’s an easy way to see how social commerce will work for your franchise. It doesn’t have to be some big, elaborate campaign. Just take one of your best selling products and test it out. Or create a thought leadership piece, like an eBook, and sell it there.
In an interesting note, Facebook’s Vice President of Product Chris Cox said there’s a push to expand social media beyond your computer screen across a broad spectrum of business. In an October interview with a national newspaper, Cox outlined a future where you’ll see, hear and likely buy what your business partners, parents and, of course, Facebook friends are consuming.
Gini Dietrich can be reached at [email protected] or 312-787-7249.
