How To Sell Products On Social Media

You are no longer limited to selling products from your website. Now, very effectively, you can sell products from social media platforms including:

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Pinterest

Not all people use all social media channels so it can be good to think about which platform works best for your audience. In this article we discuss how to sell products on social media.

SELLING PRODUCTS ON THE FACEBOOK SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

Facebook have introduced tools that allow you to sell your products online.

Facebook Shops

Meta has recently introduced a new feature which allows businesses to sell products directly from Facebook and Instagram. With Facebook Shops, you can connect your ecommerce provider (WooCommerce, Wix or another Facebook Partner brand) and load your products onto Facebook and Instagram. Customers can then visit your social media pages and shop from your Facebook Shops tab, rather than having to visit your website to shop your product range.

Facebook Ads and Boosts

With Facebook ads, you can target a specific audience with direct links to your website so the audience can purchase your products. There are various types of Facebook ads, some of which allow you to advertise multiple products at once and add unique links to each product. Facebook ‘Boosts’ allow you to turn a post on your Facebook page into an advertisement. Boosting your post gives you the opportunity to add a button which links to your website so customers can easily shop if they’re interested in the product in your ad.

Facebook Marketplace 

If you have the time, listing products on Facebook Marketplace is a great way to go, just watch out for scammers.  

SELLING PRODUCTS ON INSTAGRAM 

Instagram will allow you to showcase your products with images and videos, Instagram has now made it possible for users to shop as they scroll.

The Product Tag and Shop Tab

If you’re posting images of your products on Instagram, you should absolutely be using the product tag feature. Instagram gives ecommerce stores the ability to tag a product in a photo with a direct purchase link.  The goal is to capture the audience’s attention with an attractive image of a product and instantaneously make a sale via a product tag on the image. 

Tagging products on posts will also add your posts to the ‘Shop’ tab on the Instagram Explore page. Here, users can open the tab and see products for sale that are recommended for them based on other accounts they engage with on the app. To start tagging products on your Instagram posts, you first need to be approved as a shopping account. Follow these steps from Instagram to get your brand’s IG account set up for Instagram Shopping.

Instagram Stories Swipe Up

If you have over 10,000 followers on your Instagram account, you can use the ‘Swipe Up’ feature on Instagram Stories. When you post a photo or video to your Instagram Story, you can add a link which viewers can swipe up to visit. This Swipe Up feature can be used to link audiences directly to your website where they can purchase your products.

Instagram Ads

With Facebook Ads Manager, you can set up ads for Instagram. Instagram ads are great if you want to target a specific audience and direct them to your website to purchase a product. These ads can appear in the Instagram feed as sponsored posts with a link button that directs customers to your website. However, you can also create ads for Instagram Stories With Facebook Ads Manager, where customers can swipe up to purchase the product you are advertising.

SELL YOUR PRODUCTS USING PINTEREST MEDIA

Many of Pinterest’s users are on the platform because they are looking to be inspired. Pinners can purchase as they see products, rather than having to leave the platform to search for products on Google.

Pinterest Lens

Lens is a feature on Pinterest that allows Pinners to take a photo of something and then use that photo to search for related ideas and inspiration. With this tool, Pinners can then shop for similar items (to what appears in their image) straight from the app. This means that if your business is advertising products on Pinterest, users can be exposed to your ads through image search rather than keyword search. When the product image comes up in the Lens search results, Pinners can click on the relevant link and purchase the item from your website.

SELL PRODUCTS WITH TIKTOK MEDIA

TikTok is a short-form video sharing app that allows users to create and share clips that are up to 10 minutes long.  Users can create clips by adding elements to their videos easily from a shared sound library.  Users on this platform are from 13 to 39.  To sell on TikTok you must first have an account and one that is a pro account- a business account will give the most advertising flexibility. There are a few ways to sell and promote your products on TikTok. 

Share content – create videos that engage your audience in a fun way. 

Use influencers – get in touch with influencers and get them to share videos of them using your product. 

Encourage user generated content – Create a video asking users to create posts of themselves using your product for a chance to win a prize or the product for themselves.  

Advertise with TikTok – pay for advertisements to be shared with your selected audience.  You will need to generate a video that engages your audience but this is very effective.  

CONCLUSION

Social media has revolutionised the way we can sell products to our audience. Their tools are cost effective and make it possible to be specific when targeting your audience. We highly recommend selling via social media to any ecommerce based business.