Your e-commerce website is there for a reason. You want people to learn more about you, what you can do for them, and how you can make their lives better. Above all, you want to make a sale and increase your profits; more visits equal more prospects, but that will not happen if you sit around waiting for everyone to arrive. You need to actively direct traffic your way by using the world’s biggest social media site, Facebook.

There are many ways to use Facebook to drive visits to your e-commerce site. On a platform that boasts over 2.5 billion users monthly, your market is seeking businesses to fulfill their needs and wants. Let’s explore how to promote your e-commerce website on Facebook by utilizing features proven to drive traffic to your website.

Create Quality, Shareable Content

In website marketing, nothing gets as classic as the saying, content is king. Because it is, and that’s why you have to fill your site with all kinds of high-quality, engaging, and relevant content. Regularly brainstorming ideas with your team helps to expand your content scope, which, in turn, keeps your audience interested. Also, make sure you post a good mix of content types like text, images, and videos, which are statistically proven to get the most exposure and engagement.

Once you have that killer content, it only comes down to sharing it. One way to do it is by posting your content directly on your Facebook page so your viewers and followers can click on it and end up on your website. The other is by asking your audience directly to share your site content on their Facebook page, where their viewers and followers can click the link leading to your site. In other words, don’t just make great content, but make it shareable too.

Note: Google rewards sites with constantly updated and shared worthwhile content. That means this technique won’t only be good for your social media presence but also your SEO.

Optimize Your Links

Adding links to your Facebook page is a given, but did you know that how you add those links can also make a difference in your consumers viewing ability and outcome? There are two options you have when adding your link to your Facebook content:

1. Cut and Paste Your Link

If you cut and paste your link into the post you are creating and let the system retrieve an image and metadata from your website, the picture will likely show up small or even cropped, making your post less attractive and engaging.

If you choose to do this option, once you cut and paste your link and Facebook has retrieved your website data, you can delete the link and write content to go along with your link.

2. Upload a Picture & Add Your Link in the Body of Your Post

If you post a picture directly onto your post and then add the link somewhere in your post body of text, the image will appear larger, and you receive more control over the impression you make with each post.

Unlike your ever-changing website, your post will remain unchanged unless you go in and alter the post itself. In the Cut and Paste option above, the attached link will continually change the picture and metadata as your website is updated, making for a cluttered and non-uniform appearance.

Distribute Your Website Link Wisely

Consumers don’t like to be sold to; they want to feel in control of their money and desire to make a purchase. However, your products or services need to be nearby and accessible for when consumers are ready to make a purchase. To remain visible to consumers, you need to make sure the link to your website is found all over your page. If consumers have to hunt for a link to your website, they are more likely to leave your page.

Ensure a link is in your pinned post (a post that is set to remain at the top of your Facebook page), the About page, and any Contact Us buttons or information sections. The Contact Us button would be considered a call to action. A call to action asks your viewer to do something with the information they have learned. You want them to contact you, watch a video, or read an article; it is an action that will hopefully bring them a step closer to your services or products.

Advertise, Boost, or Both?

We know that adding a link to your Facebook posts increases your reach by default. However, if you choose to advertise or boost your content with the paid feature of Facebook, this reach can go much, much farther than it ever can organically.

Advertise Your Business

Advertised content on Facebook provides you with more control over the placement of your posts. For a fee, you will be able to choose when your content is seen (stories, newsfeed, side ads). With Facebook’s Ads Manager, you can set parameters for your advertised content to truly target your ideal consumer. You can also choose the goal of your advertisements, such as more likes, shares, comments, website visits, etc.

If you want to do more than get your content out into the Facebook world, you will choose to advertise your content instead of boosting your content.

Boost Your Posts

To boost a post, you will first need to create a post for your Facebook page. Once your post is created and posted to your page, you can choose to boost the post. Facebook will make the post more dominant on your follower’s newsfeeds for a fee. When you boost a post, you do not have control of your post as you do when you advertise your content with the Ads Manager feature mentioned above.

If you are short on time and just want your content to be seen more often, a boost to your post is a better choice than an advertisement.

Advertise Your Business & Boost Your Posts

If you have the budget and the capacity, you will ideally combine the features and benefits of advertising and boosting your content on Facebook.

Be Consistent in Posting Content

There are many advantages to posting regularly on your Facebook page, including:

  • Increased brand awareness
  • Higher search engine ranking
  • Stronger brand loyalty
  • Improved knowledge of customer base
  • Improved customer satisfaction

When it comes to amping up your website’s exposure, there’s one particular advantage you’d like to zero in on, and that’s increased conversation rates. After all, it’s what all e-commerce websites are made for. The more you post content that links back to your website, the more exposure your website gets.

You can’t post a barrage of linked content for one straight week, disappear the next week, and resume. You have to post consistently for increased exposure. Regularity equals predictability as you can get a reasonably accurate assessment of your posts’ performances. With predictability comes control, which is what you want in marketing. When you can control your methods, you can control your results.

Regular Consumer Engagement

One of the best ways to drive traffic to your e-commerce website is by engaging with your Facebook audience. The more engaged they are, the more you can create a connection, and the more they might be inclined to visit your website.

For example, you can ask them intriguing questions, have them solve a quick puzzle, or maybe join a contest. Keep things light, positive, and most importantly, relatable. The objective is to get people to like and share your post, leave a comment, and click the link that leads them to your website.

With the aid of Facebook Stories, you can even choose to showcase your business’s daily ins and outs. Show the home office, the production process, or even team members. Showing that you are real people can make a difference when engaging with consumers.

Wrapping Up

No matter how many people end up on your website, it won’t count if there’s nothing there that pushes them through your sales funnel. Having a call to action is key! Those buttons or pop up windows do the important job of taking your potential customers through the succeeding steps that lead to their conversion. Whether you want them to subscribe to your newsletter, sign up for a freebie, join a contest, or make a purchase, make sure the right button is there where they can click it on their first website encounter.

Your Facebook page is one of your most important tools in bringing people to your e-commerce website. More importantly, it’s one of your most important assets to increase your sales and bottom line. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s just social media. It IS social media, and it IS the biggest driver of online sales in this generation of e-commerce. And, of course, it IS Facebook, where 66% of social media users worldwide log in to discover new products and services. It’s up to you to make the platform work to maximize your business gains.