Proven Instagram and Facebook Tips Told by Small Business Owners

8 min read

Are you ready to put your social media selling strategy into action, and looking for some stories to inspire you as you take the next step? Or, maybe you’ve just started selling online and are looking for ideas on how other merchants have harnessed the power of social media to take their ecommerce game up a level.

If you’re searching for information on how successful selling is done through social media, look no further than two of the most popular platforms online today: Facebook and Instagram. With features like Facebook ads, and Facebook and Instagram Shoppable posts, it’s really no wonder that these two platforms are some of the most popular for Ecwid merchants looking to expand their ecommerce empire.

To help spark your curiosity and creativity, we’ve compiled some stories, tips, and ideas on using Facebook and Instagram from around the Ecwid community. Find out what’s been working for them, and let their successes help inspire your own.

First up, Facebook

Here’s what some merchants have to say about ecommerce with the help of the world’s most popular social media platform.

Laraine Craig of girl’s clothing brand A Little Lacy on using Facebook ads:

“Facebook Ads has been one of the main drivers of growth for our business over the last 12 months with increased traffic and sales through ad campaigns. Even with the iOS changes Facebook is still a great selling tool.

I have also found using reviews in ads to be extremely effective. Everybody loves to hear from other customers” experiences and see the product on everyday people.”

Mark of sportswear brand Justsaiyin Gear on driving engagement with content:

“Once you understand the Facebook system and what and how it delivers your creatives, it can be very powerful. We have seen Cost Per Website Purchase as low as $1.26 NZD.”

We’ve also explored portrait “unprofessional” video campaigns. Where video is shot as a teen would shoot it and upload to FB/IG stories. This enables the ads to not be seen as an ad but something entertaining to watch.”

Rachel Moreschi, Marketing Director of the revolutionary cake storage product CakeSafe on the importance of ad targeting:

“A strategy that I’ve found helpful is to create a Facebook Ad targeted toward past customers first. Our customers love us. When they see an ad, they will most likely engage with it by liking it and commenting with positive reviews about products they’ve purchased from us.

Once the ad has many comments on it, I change the audience to target bakers who are not yet our customers. They are more likely to purchase because they see positive comments from real people on the ad.”

Alex Schupp, who works with sports apparel store Sports Obsession, on using ads effectively:

“We used Facebook and Instagram to grow awareness about our store and product offerings. In addition, we ran ads targeted at specific sports teams” fans, to promote specific products to them. Sports Obsession’s online marketing leveraged monthly and seasonal sales with accompanied discount coupons to track efficacy and drive sales.”

Finding Success with Instagram

Though Facebook is the most well-known social media platform in the world, it’s not the only social channel that is useful for driving traffic, engagement, and sales.

In the past few years, Instagram has distinguished itself from the pack as a hugely powerful tool for small business owners and independent merchants getting the word out about their awesome products. Did you know that 72% of users have bought a product they saw on Instagram? There’s a reason for that!

Here’s what our merchants are saying about Instagram as a selling tool:

“Instagram is a great tool to add to the mix as we can engage with our customers on a personal level every day and this in turn gets us more likes and shares on our posts.” — Laraine Craig of A Little Lacy.

“Our customers are our friends, and I think that really comes through on our Instagram. We are so grateful for our customers, and want to help them as much as we can. It’s a true mutualistic relationship.” — Rachel Moreschi of CakeSafe.

“Don’t give up and keep adding content to your Instagram account, using the correct hashtags in order to increase exposure and awareness. With time, followers start to appear.” — Carlos Carvalho of Borealis Watch Company.

“The Ecwid integration with Instagram and Facebook makes advertising my products easy. I also put the Facebook pixel in for analytics.” — Akilah Nisa of Kissed by a Bee.

One particularly effective tool has been Instagram Shoppable posts, which allow followers to make purchases right within the Instagram app. Here’s how CakeSafe made it work for them:

“If somebody is scrolling through their Instagram feed and they see something wow-worthy, they’ll see that little shoppable icon on the post and be able to tap it. And then, if they decide to click over, they just tap the post, and it brings you right to the product that you’re selling. And they just check out right there. So it’s been really wonderful, that feature.

A tip that I have for that is you don’t want to make every post shoppable. It just makes it look a little too pushy and too salesy.”

Have fellow sellers inspired you to leverage the power of Facebook and Instagram selling and advertising? You’re just one click away from adding it to your shop!

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Please note that on April 27, 2023, Meta announced changes to Facebook and Instagram Shops across different regions. See how your Shops on Facebook and Instagram experience may be affected in the Meta Business Help Center.

In Conclusion

So there you have it, straight from Ecwid merchants all across the globe. Facebook and Instagram are effective tools for growing your small business and a great addition to an overall marketing or even selling strategy.

Now over to you. Have you tried selling on Facebook and Instagram? Did you find it effective?

Maybe you still have questions about these platforms and how they can work for you? If so, head over to the Help Center for assistance, or feel free to drop us a line or a comment below.

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Sep 30, 2021

About the author

Nicole is a writer and Content Marketing Manager at Ecwid. As newcomer to e-commerce, it’s her goal to provide informative and user friendly articles that are accessible to all stripes of sellers. She is based in Southern California, the perfect place to chase the sun and watch old movies.