18 Ways How to Promote Your Shopify Store on Facebook

If you built a Shopify store, you want to take every advantage to promote it. When it comes to social media, all eyes seem to be on TikTok and Instagram. Good. That means you will have less competition to market on the largest social network of them all.

Facebook is a great place to advertise. And not everything you do there costs money. While you might spend money on ads, there are many other options that cost nearly nothing.

Although I’ll focus on a few Shopify Facebook options, the possibilities are (almost) endless. Here’s why.

The Synergy of Shopify and Facebook for E-Commerce Success

Social media is one of the most effective ways to market your business. Using a Facebook page in particular, you can introduce your brand to the right segments of your community. Perhaps your Shopify Facebook presence will encourage your community to buy local-inspired brands online. Or maybe you’ll target a particular niche with products they’ll love.

Arguably, the biggest benefit of using Facebook is the potential for your brand message to spread beyond its initial distribution. That’s why I love Facebook advertising! This principle holds regardless of how much you pay to boost posts, as all content can be interacted with.

Many businesses love the Shopify Facebook combination. That’s unsurprising when you consider that some 70% of businesses get the best marketing ROI from advertising on Meta platforms. In particular, 40% report getting the best results on Facebook, and another 30% on Instagram. These percentages are higher than for paid search and Google ads.

Ready to put Facebook to work? Let’s look at some options.

1. Create a Compelling Facebook Page

First things first: you need an awesome Facebook page. While many old-school businesses put up boring pages that give little more than contact information and a website link, this approach won’t work well for Shopify Facebook promotion. Instead, you’ll need something compelling.

First, draft an engaging and informative page description. This should talk about your store, what it has to offer, and why it’s special. You’ll also want to include your website and a way for people to contact you.

Similarly, you’ll want to leverage the power of visuals. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, take good ones that put your products in the best possible light. This should include both your profile information (such as the profile banner) and your content. A steady stream of quality content can include many different formats and keep people interested.

Finally, make sure that your page is suitable for all audiences. It may be tempting to focus on desktop users because the layout seems easier that way. However, these days people are just as likely to view your page with a smartphone. Therefore, it’s critical to optimize your page to look great on any device.

2. Run Targeted Facebook Ads

Especially if your Shopify Facebook campaigns are just starting (or your shop is new), it’s tempting to try and do everything for free. However, because Meta deprioritizes organic content from brands, you’ll want to buy ads at some point. Nonetheless, taking these steps will help maximize ROI for your money.

• Understanding the different types of Facebook ads available. For instance, boosted posts are different than display ads. Similarly, you’ll need to specify where to put each ad on the page.
• Identifying your target audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Knowing who you want to reach will help produce that result more efficiently.
• Setting clear goals for your ad campaigns, whether it’s increasing brand awareness or driving sales. Ultimately, the success of your ad campaigns (and any changes to new ones) will depend on those metrics.
• Utilizing Facebook’s advanced targeting options to reach the right audience at the right time. Base your targeting selections on your target audience, which will give you a better bang for your buck.
• Tracking and analyzing your ad performance to optimize your campaigns for better results. In other words, double down on what works well while eliminating ineffective techniques. This will give you better results over time.

While posting on your company’s social media profile is a great way to do Shopify Facebook marketing, it’s only one option. After all posting exclusively on one page limits your options for content to spread and people to learn about your shop. Instead, use the power of Facebook groups to augment your other efforts.

Identifying relevant Facebook groups related to your industry or products helps find high-quality sales leads. For instance, if your Shopify store is dedicated to Japanese cultural items, then the local Japanese community group or manga geek hangouts might be good options.

Participating actively in group discussions, providing valuable insights and engaging with potential customers helps demonstrate that you’re a subject matter expert. This helps build trust with your audience so they’re more likely to buy from you than the competition. Plus, you’ll avoid looking like all you talk about is sales.

Creating your own Facebook group to foster a community around your brand is another great way to grow sales. After all, in this kind of community, people will try your products and compare notes. Then, other group members will be inspired to try things. Bonus: if something on your site doesn’t measure up, they’ll tell you. This information provides opportunities for growth.

Utilizing group features like polls, Q&A sessions, and live videos to enhance engagement helps spread your content. As people engage, their audience will also be exposed to your brand.

Further Reading: How to Create a Group on Facebook That Builds Community

4. Collaborate with Influencers to Reach a Wider Audience

I’ve talked a lot about the importance of influencer marketing. Even in the early days, engaging with influencers proved itself to be incredibly effective, with very high ROI. Something about using people’s peers to be heard above the noise of your competition is very powerful.

Identifying influencers in your niche with a strong following and engagement rates is an important first step. Numerous influencer discovery tools, marketplaces, and other resources will help you along the way. And don’t forget the ones already following your pages!

Once you’ve found the right people, reach out and devise a collaboration. Options include sponsored content, product reviews, and giveaways. Choose something that suits both your brand’s values and the influencer’s taste. This way, you’ll end up with dynamic content that everyone loves and can get behind.

After each collaboration, be sure to track its impact. You can do this with influencer marketing tools and analytics. Over time, you’ll learn what works well for your brand and what leaves something to be desired. Then, double down on the best-performing influencers, content, and techniques.

5. Utilize Facebook Live for Real-Time Engagement

Who said that YouTube and Instagram were the only destinations for video? You can leverage livestreams for Shopify Facebook marketing, too. These events let customers meet you, the shop owner. They’ll also get to see your products in more detail than pictures allow.

Here are some ways to use live streams:

• Hosting live video streams to showcase your products, demonstrate product usage, or conduct interviews with experts. Consider inviting an influencer or other industry voice. People often buy when they see the possibilities.
• Engaging with viewers in real-time by responding to comments and answering questions. You’ll seem approachable and also get valuable information through engagement.
• Promoting your Facebook Live sessions in advance to attract a larger audience. For example, post about the upcoming event. Or leverage paid ads to bring in viewers.
• Repurposing Facebook Live videos into short-form content for other social media platforms is also a great way to benefit from streaming. Here, you can multiply your efforts with minimal extra work. Plus, people might want to view the longer replay.

6. Optimize Your Shopify Store for Facebook Integration

Who says that everyone should always go to your site for purchases? Or that Shopify Facebook efforts shouldn’t interface with your site? Integrating those platforms so they’ll work together is easy.

• Install the Facebook Pixel to track website traffic and measure the effectiveness of your Facebook marketing efforts. Not only can you see how people land on your website, but you can use the information to plan content and ad campaigns. This will increase your overall effectiveness.
• Enable Facebook Instant Checkout to allow customers to purchase products directly from your Shopify store without leaving Facebook. It’s a convenience that people will love, and your sales should benefit.
• Create Facebook product catalogs to showcase your products and make them easily discoverable on the platform. Not only can people purchase from those catalogs, but casual visitors can see what your shop has to offer without leaving the site.
• Utilize Facebook’s Dynamic Ads Manager to create personalized ads based on your product catalogs automatically. You’ll get a higher ROI from your ad spend because people who see the ads will be more likely to buy from the start.

Further Reading: Shopify Apps: The Definitive 25 You Need to Know

7. Run Facebook Messenger Chatbots for Customer Support

Who likes to spend time on the phone waiting for customer service? For most of us, this is a major annoyance. Sometimes, long hold times will annoy people even more than before, which can be a disaster for your bottom line. Unfortunately, customer service can be expensive for a Shopify store.

Fortunately, Facebook Messenger offers a solution through chatbots. These automated tools provide prompt, personalized customer support by answering FAQs, resolving the most common problems, and even assisting people with making a purchase. When you consider that these items are some of the most common customer service contacts, your need for human help will fall dramatically.

Chatbots can also help after the purchase. For instance, you can have them collect customer feedback. Add some chat flows for this, then have the comments sent to a common box you’ll read and act on.

Finally, integrate your chatbots with the Shopify store. This will streamline customer support and make buying from your shop easier than ever.

8. Cross-promote your Facebook Page on Other Social Media Platforms

One of the great things about Shopify Facebook marketing is that Facebook lets you create long-form content. For instance, text-based posts have almost unlimited length, long videos are welcome, and photos are easy to post by the dozen. A great way to promote your Facebook page is by posting shorter content on other platforms.

Sharing links to your Facebook page on your other social media profiles, such as Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Potential customers can see your short content and follow those links to Facebook. Hopefully, they’ll follow multiple channels and enjoy all the content. In fact, you should actively encourage this.

Cross-platform promotions and contests also help grow all your channels. These are a bit more complex to set up, but it’s worthwhile. For example, you can announce a prize on Instagram for engaging with Facebook content.

If this sounds like a lot of work, there’s help. Social media scheduling tools can streamline this process. They’re easy to use, so you can schedule weeks’ worth of content in a couple of hours. Best of all, many schedulers are inexpensive and easy to use.

Further Reading: 19 Best Ways How to Promote Your Shopify Store on Instagram

9. Use Facebook Insights to Analyze Your Performance

Did you know that Facebook has a native analytics tool called Insights? If you didn’t, you’re missing out on free marketing help. You should be regularly reviewing your Facebook Insights data to track page engagement, audience demographics, and ad performance to ensure your efforts are successful. Note that this used to be a standalone tool but is now part of the Meta Business Suite.

Identifying trends and patterns in your data to understand what resonates with your audience and what needs improvement lets you design better campaigns and more dynamic content. In other words, you should be using insights to refine your content strategy, ad targeting, and overall marketing approach. These effects can go far beyond Facebook and Instagram, especially since your content can be discovered through search engines and posts on other platforms.

Best of all, it’ll be much easier to make data-driven decisions that optimize your Facebook marketing efforts for better results. You’ll avoid spending money trying to reach people who wouldn’t be interested in your products, and your audience should expand as people discover your content.

10. Encourage Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Actively requesting customer reviews on your Facebook page and Shopify store is a great way to get feedback. While many customers will never think to leave a review on their own, some encouragement goes a long way.

Featuring positive reviews and testimonials in your marketing materials and social media posts is beneficial in several ways. For instance, I’ve often debated whether or not a product would be helpful in my travel-heavy lifestyle. Traveling with my family requires that I pack light but include everything necessary. Likewise, business travel often leaves little room for mistakes due to tight schedules. Customer reviews on a travel-specific Shopify storefront would be beneficial when I choose the next useful products.

Reviews demonstrate to potential customers the positive experiences of others who have purchased from your store. This can include the quality of your service, the useful features of your products, or overall customer satisfaction. And as you give information to site visitors, you’ll build trust and credibility through this genuine customer feedback.

11. Run Facebook Contests and Giveaways to Generate Excitement

Who doesn’t love free stuff? There’s a reason why tradeshows, retail stores, and other outlets often host giveaways. You can even leverage this tool as part of your Shopify Facebook efforts, and it’s highly effective. Hosting engaging contests and giveaways is a great way to attract new customers and generate excitement around your brand.

Offering desirable prizes that are relevant to your products or target audience encourages people to attend your event. Before the event, promote it through all your social media channels, your email list, and your website. Not only will people have fun, but there’s a high chance that the winners will talk about the product they received.

Does having a contest sound overwhelming? It shouldn’t. Utilizing Facebook’s contest tools to streamline the process of creating, managing, and selecting winners makes the event almost as fun for you as it is for your attendees. Plus, you have many built-in legal compliance features.

Finally, track the results of your contests and giveaways to evaluate their effectiveness and refine your approach. You may discover that fans prefer one large prize or several smaller ones, for instance. Or, your contest might’ve failed to attract the number of participants you wanted. Analytics information can help you identify these trends and learn how to do a better job next time.

Further Reading: 15 Facebook Contest Ideas That Still Work in 2024

Creating content and working with influencers to increase site traffic isn’t the only option for Shopify Facebook marketing. You can also boost sales by Setting up a Facebook Shop to showcase your products, provide product details, and enable direct purchases. This option is very convenient for customers and encourages impulse buys.

Besides sales, this approach is beneficial to your overall business. Integrating your Shopify store with your Facebook Shop to synchronize product catalogs and inventory lets you and your staff work smarter, not harder. Not only will you not need to post items manually, but integrated inventory helps reduce backorders and administrative costs.

Offering multiple payment options to cater to different customer preferences is another important step. Ideally, you’ll want to offer the same payment options through Facebook as you do directly through Shopify. In addition, consider offering Facebook Pay so that users of this tool don’t have to hunt for their credit cards.

Finally, remember to track sales data from your Facebook Shop to assess its performance and identify areas for improvement. For instance, you might find that your Facebook sales channels make up a significant percentage of purchases – or that something about them is falling flat. Then, look at other indicators to find out why.

Creating Facebook events to announce new product launches, exclusive deals, or special promotions is a very effective way to market your products. Not only will your followers see those notices in their Feed, but you can also turn them into paid advertising that targets your ideal buyers.

Providing detailed event descriptions, including product information, dates, and times, allows your audience to mark their calendars and boosts participation. Plus, if you use Facebook’s event promotion tools, you can reach an ever-wider audience with your brand message.

Of course, you should always track the metrics for each event to ensure that you’re getting the best possible results.

14. Encourage User-Generated Content to Build Brand Advocacy

Encouraging customers to share photos, videos, and reviews of your products on Facebook is a great way to increase your brand visibility. Not only will your user’s followers see the post, but you can get permission to repost the content on your page or site.

Increasing user-generated content takes some effort, but it’s worth it. Building a brand community, for instance, lets people share their experiences with your products. Facebook groups and significant engagement with the content on your page are great places to do this.

In return for these efforts, you’ll get one of the most valued features of social media marketing: authenticity and social proof. Unlike influencers, everyday end users demonstrate the value of your products for free, even if someone gets a prize. And because these aren’t paid promotions, people take them more seriously than just about anything else. Over time, your users will become brand advocates that boost sales and cultivate repeat customers.

Partnering with complementary businesses to cross-promote products or services to each other’s audiences is a great way to do Shopify Facebook marketing. Collaborations can be simple: even posting content on each other’s pages exposes brands to wider audiences. However, you can also do more extensive collaborations, such as joint Facebook events, contests, and giveaways.

Collaborating with other businesses is similar to influencer marketing because of the cross-exposure between audiences and the sharing of expertise. You also get the chance to network within your industry. Finally, as each website gets exposure from the other one, both customer bases should expand.

Win-win, right?

16. Stay Consistent with Your Branding and Messaging

As with most things in marketing, it’s critical to differentiate yourself. Maintaining a consistent brand voice and visual identity across all your Facebook marketing efforts is one of the best ways to ensure that what you post is immediately recognizable to brand advocates and newbies alike.

Naturally, part of this consistent branding should be quality content. Make sure that the images and videos are of high quality, instead of looking unprofessional. Similarly, ensure that your messaging resonates with your target audience so that it’s memorable. Ultimately, it’s critical that your Facebook efforts are consistent with your overall brand strategy so that customers get the same experience everywhere.

Further Reading: How to Ace Shopify Marketing in 2024: 5 Best Strategies to Try

If you do Shopify Facebook marketing right, you’ll soon get engagement with your posts and messages. Actively monitoring your Facebook page for comments, messages, and customer inquiries is critical to your success because people want good customer service. Responding to customers in a timely manner demonstrates your commitment to them, whether the feedback is positive or negative.

Think about it: As customers, we often get irritated at brands that ignore us, especially if we have a problem.

Don’t be the unresponsive brand. Not only will people go elsewhere for their products, but potential customers who view your brand page will be less likely to engage. Plus, customer feedback is invaluable for strengthening your shop and its brand.

Further Reading: The 13 Facebook Messenger Management Tools You Should Know

18. Track Your Progress and Analyze Your Results

Regularly reviewing your Facebook marketing analytics to track key metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions is critical if you want to build a successful brand page. Even though Shopify Facebook marketing overall is cost-effective, you can still miss out on profit and ROI if you consistently waste money on underperforming strategies.

Fortunately, analysis of the data will help you identify trends and patterns that demonstrate what works best for your business. Then, you can double down on those strategies while eliminating things that don’t work. And while the Facebook-based numbers measure specifically that site, you may find that what you learn there is transferrable to other platforms or your website.

In marketing, like so many other aspects of business (including retail), data is king. It’s always advantageous to leverage this to the maximum extent.

Conclusion

It’s often tempting to think of Facebook as a platform that’s lost its luster. Certainly, there are many more networks now, and those others have a significant “cool” factor. However, Facebook remains one of the largest and most powerful social media networks. When you also consider that Facebook is more familiar to an audience that’s established in their career, it’s easy to see why Shopify Facebook marketing has plenty of potential to drive sales.

These reasons and more are why I believe that Facebook is an important source of marketing value for e-commerce and other commercial websites. By trying a few of the strategies in this article, you can reap the rewards for your business.

Hero Photo by hookle.app on Unsplash