Last Updated on March 3, 2024
Facebook is the perfect marketing channel for retail and ecommerce stores who are looking to generate new leads. According to research from HubSpot, 77% of B2C companies have acquired customers from Facebook:
And retailers are the top performing industry when it comes to driving revenue from the giant social network:
The best part of all of this? Facebook is also the perfect channel for converting customers into repeat customers!
When someone Likes your Facebook page they expect you to engage them on a daily basis which means you can share information, promotions and fun tips with them frequently without coming off as spammy or just plain annoying IF you approach the process correctly.
Here’s a handy three step guide for generating leads and turning them into customers and then repeat customers!
Step 1: A/B Test Your Facebook Ads
One of the fastest ways to begin generating leads from Facebook is to start running a Facebook ad campaign.
There are two main types of Facebook ad campaigns:
-
Ones that point people to your Facebook Page
-
Ones that point people to your website
The ones that point people to your Facebook Page are usually used to increase brand awareness with your target audience and to help you grow the size of your Facebook community by increasing your Like count. Each new Like can count as a new lead.
You could also use Facebook ads to drive traffic to a specific app/tab on your Facebook Page that includes an offer or promo code to drive sales on your website. However, I personally think Facebook ad dollars that are used to drive traffic to a Facebook Page should be focused on increasing your Likes.
When someone Likes your page he or she is expressing direct interest in what you have to offer. You can use free Facebook posts to point them to your promo code or special offer app/tab after he or she Likes your page.
Facebook ads that are used to point people to a specific landing page on your website should be treated like any other pay-per-click ad. The copy should be conversion-focused and the landing page should be optimized.
One way to get the most out of your Facebook Ad spend (no matter which type of campaign you are running) is by a/b testing your Facbeook ads. Facebook makes this really easy to do. All you have to do is add two or more ads to the same Campaign and they will automatically be tested against each other.
Example of two Facebook ads being a/b tested against each other.
You can test things like: image, call-to-action, headline and body copy of the ad.
By a/b testing your Facebook ad features you increase the number of people who click your ads which in turn increases the number of people who see your landing page.
In addition to your Facebook ads, you should also a/b test features of your landing page to increase the number of people who convert on it. More clicks on your ads should equal more conversions if your page is tested and optimized.
Step 2: Nurture Customers After the Sale
Once your Facebook ads and landing pages are live and you start generating sales, it’s important to present a seamless experience from checkout to delivery. Whether you are shipping a product or delivering it digitally, the experience should be flawless for the customer.
Part of that flawless experience should be nurturing the customer after the sale. This means following up after the product has been delivered and ensuring the customer is happy.
You don’t need to personally send an email to each and every customer. You can simply set up an email autoresponder campaign that sends each customer an email a few days after the product is received. This email can simply provide helpful tips for using the product or it could include a thank you note with a promo code that can be used for the next order.
To increase a sense of urgency for a second order you could put a time limit on the promo code (e.g. must be used within 48 hours).
This initial follow up email shouldn’t be your only point of contact after the sale. Hopefully you are encouraging customers to connect with you on your Facebook Page (you know they are Facebook users since they came in through a Facebook ad) where you are updating daily.
Step 3: Reward Loyal Customers with Special Promotions
One important key to turning a customer into a repeat customer is to reward him or her with special promotions. Whether you have this built into your ecosystem like Birchbox where product reviews earn you points that can be redeemed for free products or you “randomly” send out a promo code, you’ll be helping yourself earn repeat sales.
I put the word randomly in quotes above because you really shouldn’t (only) run promotions randomly.
For example, every Friday Rent the Runway rewards it’s Facebook customers with a promo code for a certain type of rental.
You could do that or you could run promotions around holidays, special events or to turn a perfectly normal day into an extraordinary one.
It’s great to reward your customers that came to you through Facebook by providing them with Facebook only promotions. However, you could also send out an email to previous purchasers offering them an exclusive deal for staying loyal to you.
The most important thing you should take away from step 3 is that you should stay in contact with your customers and encourage them to buy again. Don’t expect customers to just automatically repeat purchase because your product is just so darn good (although darn good products often do get repeat purchases), provide little incentives to increase brand loyalty.
Take care of your Facebook customers and they’ll spread the word for you and come back for more.
Do you have any questions? If so, please leave a comment below!