Marketing Your Facebook Shop How to get the most out of F-Commerce 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          About Ondango Ondango is a beautifully designed shopping system that helps you sell your products on your Facebook page, by leveraging Facebook’s viral features. ü Sell your products directly on your Facebook page, complete the transaction within Facebook, take advantage of a Facebook-like user interface, no annoying app requests. ü Engage your Fans with Fan-only promotions, Daily Deals and Product discounts. ü Increase your reach on the world's biggest social network, use viral features to spread the word, have users share their purchases and leave ü Measurable results to your social media investment. Monetize your Facebook presence through this additional sales channel and turn your Fans into customers. About the Author Carolin Schlenther is a Social Scientist with Customer Service experience. She has a Masters in Social Research Methods from Queen’s University Belfast and is the Manager of Customer Experience at Ondango. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Cover picture ................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Images ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Video .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Product Descriptions ................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Daily Deals, Discounts .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Facebook Publisher and Highlight ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Fb „Pin to Top“ and „Highlight“ in Timeline ............................................................................................................... 16 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “In e-commerce, the only sense a buyer can use to make a purchase decision is her sight. Therefore, having a shop with a compelling design and beautiful images has a decisive impact on your success” José Matías del Pino, CEO of Ondango Introduction You have set up your shop and uploaded your products, but how do you get your Fans and their friends to notice them, or even buy something? Here, we have collected some very useful tips on how to make your products get all the attention. It requires some initiative, but the results will be very rewarding. Your products must grab the attention of your Page and Shop visitors. They do this first and foremost by being presented in a visually attractive way. As José Matías del Pino, CEO of Ondango, points out: “In e-commerce, the only sense a buyer can use to make a purchase decision is her sight. Therefore, having a shop with a compelling design and beautiful images has a decisive impact on your success.” There are different ways for you to accomplish this success for your Facebook Shop. So in this White Paper we will focus on the cover picture, the product images, the product video, descriptions and how to make products into Daily Deals, publish and highlight them from the backend, and use the new Facebook features “Pin to Top” and “Highlight”. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Cover picture Where to find the Cover Picture option: 1. Go to the Page Admin Panel > 2. “Add a cover” > 3. Choose or upload a picture Your Page cover picture is the first impression visitors get of your product when they land on your page. Anjali Merchant, Marketing Strategist at viget.com, summarizes it well: “It [the landing page] must instantly communicate purpose of page, grab attention, and encourage viewers to stay”. The cover picture is replacing the previous landing page, so choose it wisely. Let us start with some rules and technical data. According to Facebook, your cover picture cannot include: • Price or purchase info • Contact info • Any calls to action • Reference to Facebook features such as “Like” or “Share” • No arrows pointing It should have a size of 850 x 315 pixels in order to perfectly fit the space. The cover picture is replacing the previous landing page, so choose a high-impact image. It should have a size of 850 x 315 pixels in order to perfectly fit the space. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          So what sort of picture should you choose? The cover picture is separate from the profile picture. Both of them together can give an excellent impression of your brand or products. A merchant points out: “Use images that portray the biggest benefit your product or service offers and/or use images that relate specifically to what you offer” and stresses, that “it must instantly communicate purpose of page, grab attention, and encourage viewers to stay”. So, for example, the profile picture can be your brand logo, while the cover picture is a display of its essence, its best use or what it embodies. See these examples for good choices of cover pictures. Please note how all of them chose the profile picture to display their brand logo: Silbaerg uses a stunning image embodying the snowboarding lifestyle. It certainly wakes the wish to get out and onto the board! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “Simple, memorable, and powerful visuals are the key to establishing a lasting image in people's minds” Man Yan, professional writer co:caine chose a picture that sends a message and shows how to turn that message into practice with one of their many stylish products. Very appealing! allindesign.de uses a very tasteful looking display of how their products can turn a simple table into a treat for the eyes. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy a Sunday morning like this! Images Man Yan, professional writer and marketing blogger, brings it to the point: “Visuals are an important aspect of any marketing strategy [as] people are attracted more to images than to words. This is because we think with images and not with words”. Inevitably, the quality of your product images is of utmost importance. The images are what you advertise with. As Yan adds: “Simple, memorable, and powerful visuals are the key to establishing a lasting image in people's minds”. You may be wondering how this can be applied to your particular product, but these lessons can and must be applied, no matter what it is you are selling, because “[visual cues] promote brand awareness and help you establish an identity for your business, one that is different from that of your competitors” (Yan). Set yourself apart and make your products stick out by going that extra mile. It is definitely worth it. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          High quality images are important. Make sure that ü The image format is jpg, png or gif ü The images are smaller than 2 MB ü The images have a minimum width of 810 pixels So, when you upload your e-marketing proof pictures, make sure that: • You use one of the following formats: JPG, PNG or GIF, • The maximum size of the images is 2 MB, • Their minimum width is 810 pixels (height is proportional to width). Since you can upload up to 4 images per product, you can make sure your customers get a good visual, see close-ups, details and different perspectives, maybe even different utilizations. You can even use the 4 images to display variations of the products. It is a good way to combine with your Stocks & Variations information. See examples below for good visual product presentation: sonoro audio Deutschland uses sharp, high quality, close up images of their individual products. This makes for a very professional look! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Black Beauty Reitsportzentrum offers high quality pictures that give an immediate good impression of the product and tempt customers into having a closer look.   Broken cyber heart are displaying their products with the help of models leaving no doubt about the nature of the products. AKA AKA shows what a good T-Shirt display should look like. Their 3 pictures include a close-up of the print, the T-Shirt being worn and a graphic for handy size conversions. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Hot Aches Productions uses videos to show previews of the movies on offer. Exactly what any potential customer needs before purchasing a DVD or Download!   Video Offer your customers a complete visual by also including one video per product, because “adding a video or audio to your product description turns it up a notch when competing with other sites” (Melissa Gonzalez, Director of Search Engine Marketing at Optimum7). Watching online videos is one of the most common social media activities. Additionally, there is a big demand from users for a more social and interactive relationship with brands. Shop owners must therefore move beyond the simple product descriptions and find ways to tell their brand story with visuals. The video option can be applied to so many different products. It can be of a fashion show, a sales slideshow, a production process using time-lapse photography, a presentation of how to use best, a music video, etc. The possibilities are endless. All you need to do is to insert the embed code (i.e. YouTube or Vimeo) on the shop details in the backend of your shop. For YouTube, you can find the embed code underneath the video window via the “Share” button. For Vimeo videos, you can just click on the “Embed” button on the right-hand side inside the video window. It will appear when you hover over it. Upload a video and offer your customers a complete visual. It’s turning it up a notch when competing with other sites. Just add the proper embed code on the product details and you’re done. EgyTechDeals understands the importance of providing sufficient product information. Their images provide an excellent display of the camera and their video of a fashion shoot demonstrates the camera in professional action. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “Selling an item on the Internet means convincing the customer the product they are viewing is the right one” Melissa Gonzalez, Director of Search Engine Marketing (Optimum7) “Don’t just sell, educate: When you educate your customers about your products, they feel like you are providing additional value for the price they pay” Justin Palmer, Director of Marketing (sevenly.org) “Let your customers see, hear, taste, touch, and smell your products through descriptions that create powerful images in their mind” Justin Palmer, Director of Marketing (sevenly.org) Product Descriptions But how do you achieve that when all you have are visuals and descriptions? We have talked about the most important visuals, now let’s discuss the descriptions! • Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Imagine what is appealing to you when you shop online. Bulleted product descriptions are much easier to read and preferred by site visitors. If you do not want to use bullet points, separate each section of the product information with white space. That way, shoppers can find the information they need quickly. • Include complete product descriptions. Give information regarding fabric, print, stitching material, tracks, health warnings, etc. You should also include what the product is for, if it is not self-explanatory (and never assume it is!). As Justin Palmer, Director of Marketing at sevenly.org, points out: “Don’t just sell, educate: When you educate your customers about your products, they feel like you are providing additional value for the price they pay”. If Page visitors have to click around trying to find out what it actually is you are selling, they lose interest. Maybe you even have an interesting info that would help sell the product. • Use enticing, image oriented words. “Let your customers see, hear, taste, touch, and smell your products through descriptions that create powerful images in their mind” (Palmer). Vangie Beal, freelance technology and business writer, explains it like this: “Think of the product description as an appetizer: use it to give customers 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The product information you provide should be complete, but to the point. Make sure your customers get all the information they need. No one likes buying anything they’re not sure about. Use the images, video and descriptions to provide as much information as possible without overwhelming your page visitors. a tantalizing taste of your product with a creative description”. Remember, you have to replicate online what your customer would get by going to a brick-and-mortar-store. • Write original descriptions for your products. You want to give customers fresh content that many other small Web shops selling the same merchandise do not have. So set your shop apart with your visuals as well as your descriptions. • Always have your texts proofread. Proper grammar and well-written e-commerce content plays a big role in how customers perceive you. What could be more embarrassing than being told by customers that your product description contains errors or typos? • Add variation information. In the backend you can set up 1 variation with many values. For example, the variation “colour” and the values “red”, “green”, “blue” and “yellow”. If you want to offer more than 1 variation, you can combine them. Of course, variation combinations depend on the product you are selling, but with a bit of imagination you can find quite a few: colour/size, author/book title, scent/quantity, date/treatment, etc. If possible, combine this with the 4 pictures, as mentioned above. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Daily Deals, Discounts Good images are fundamentally important for your Shop’s success. Daily Deals are a way to make Discounts visually more attractive and properly draw attention to your best offers! You can set up as many Discounts as you like, but the amount you can turn into Daily Deals depends on the plan you are using: • Basic plan: 1/month, • Plus plan: 2/month per shop, • Premium plan: unlimited amount. Discounted products will display the percentage deducted and the actual new and old price. If the product is highlighted the product image will fashion a banner advertising the Discount. So what is the advantage of turning Discounts into Daily Deals? Using this feature allows you to pre-set a date and time for the Discount’s start as well as its end, and the amount of purchases that can be made per buy. The product image will also display the percentage deducted and, additionally, a countdown banner ticking towards the end of the deal. This countdown is also shown if the product is selected or set up as a highlighted product. The countdown is a handy feature as it can tempt potential buyers into making a purchase sooner rather than later. This is how your discount will be displayed (test shop example). This is an example of a Daily Deal. It also displays the clock ticking towards the end of the deal (test shop example). 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The selected Daily Deal product will be displayed like this (test shop example).       An example of Jan & Jo Leather Bags offering Daily Deals. Highlighting Daily Deals helps potential customers finding them quicker.   Turn your products into Daily Deals, make them visually more attractive and properly draw attention to your best offers. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ondango Facebook Highlight Highlight products that you have also set up as Discounts and Daily Deals to really have them grab your Shop visitors' attention. Above we have already seen what that looks like in the live shop. You can highlight products from within the backend of your account under Products. Once you have highlighted a product it will appear at the very top of your Facebook Shop as a bigger post. If you highlight several products, they will be arranged in a sideways scroll. They will scroll automatically, so Shop visitors will get to see them all automatically, or they can be moved manually using arrows pointing to the right and left. Under “Products” you will also find the Facebook publisher, with which you can create easy and fast product advertisement in your Timeline. Just click on the Facebook icon next to the product you would like to promote, add a catchy text and post it. Use the Facebook Publisher and Highlight functions from your backend in order to post product advertisements in your fans’ newsfeeds quickly. Find the Facebook Highlight feature under Products in your shop backend. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Facebook „Pin to Top“ and „Highlight“ in Timeline Use the Facebook features "Pin to Top" and "Highlight" in order to keep your most important announcements, like product advertisement, visible for as long as possible. Remember, humans are visual beings and providing constant visual reminders for your products is important! The “Pin to Top” feature will keep the pinned post at the top of your Facebook Page for up to 7 days. This way you ensure that many of your Page visitors will see it without having to re-post it every day. The “Highlight” feature will stretch out your post and cover the entire width of your Page. This will make it more visible and indicate that something important has been posted. Unlike the pinned post, the highlighted post will moved down your Timeline immediately as new posts appear at the top. Find the Facebook "Pin to Top" and "Highlight" features in your posts. 1. Choose the appropriate post from your Timeline > 2. When you hover over it, a small star and a pen will appear on the top right-hand side of the post > 3. Select the star to highlight and the pen to pin your post to the top. The small pin indicates a pinned post. It will remain at the top of your Page for 7 days. Highlighting the post in Facebook will stretch it out across the entire width of your Page. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Conclusion 1. Images are fundamentally important for your marketing and inevitably your Shop’s success. 2. Use images that are high quality, relate to your product, educate your customers. 3. Choose your Cover picture wisely. It has to relate to your products and grab attention! 4. Add videos to your products and offer a full visual. 5. Educate your customers with well thought out product descriptions, that leave the readers well informed, satisfied and wanting to purchase. 6. Post advertisement with high quality images regularly. Use the Facebook publisher from within the backend for quick and tidy postings. 7. Offer discounted and Daily Deal products. Highlight them from within your user account to make them catch your shop visitors’ attention. 8. Use the Facebook “Highlight” and “Pin to Top” features to make your product advertisement stick out on your Facebook Page. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Bibliography Beal, V. (24. February 2010). E-Commerce Content: Writing Product Descriptions. Abgerufen am 14. March 2012 von E-Commerce Guide: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/article.php/3866991/E- commerce-Content-Writing-Product-Descriptions.htm Gonzalez, M. (4. January 2010). Great Product Description Tips. Abgerufen am 16. March 2012 von Optimum 7: http://blog.optimum7.com/melissa/ecommerce/great-product-description-tips.html Merchant, A. (26. January 2009). Intro and Landing Page Best Practices. Abgerufen am 14. March 2012 von viget - advance: http://viget.com/advance/intro-and-landing-pages-best-practices Palmer, J. (17. October 2007). 6 Tips for Improving Your Product Descriptions. Abgerufen am 12. March 2012 von Palmer Web Marketing: http://www.palmerwebmarketing.com/blog/6-tips-for-improving-your- product-descriptions/ Yan, M. (12. June 2011). Importance of Visuals in Marketing. Abgerufen am 14. March 2012 von eHow money: http://www.ehow.com/info_8582617_importance-visuals-marketing.html