Don’t Sell Anything on Facebook

(Nick's Note: After experimenting with selling on Facebook, I couldn't agree more. Folks just tune you out when you're selling. Engaging them is far more effective.)

By Dave Kerpen

I was thinking of titling this post, “5 Better Ways to Engage on Facebook” because that’s the content I plan on delivering to you. But the truth is, I wanted to get your attention.

If you’re a reader of this blog, you’re likely involved in the direct sales industry. And there are 450 million+ people on Facebook, including you and just about everyone you know (My 90 year old grandma joined this week.) The average Facebook user has 130 friends, and many of you have way more friends (or “people who like you”, if you have a Fan Page). So the temptation to sell to all of these people is powerful.

The problem, of course, if that this does not work. The moment someone tries to sell to me on Facebook, for instance, unless I’ve really grown over time to know, like, and trust that person, I’ll immediately de-friend. Do YOU like to be sold to, or engaged?

Too many direct sellers and direct selling companies are making their updates all about them and their products. If you want to win on Facebook, it’s more about creating “likeable content.” The content shouldn’t be arbitrary, of course. It should be relevant to your category or target audience. For example, if you’re selling:

* Cooking products, think recipes
* Health & beauty products, think celebrity beauty tips
* Gardening items, link to articles about gardening

You may consider content about entrepreneurs and business success too.

Over the course of time, likeable, engaging content will build trust with your audience, and they will become excited buyers who come to you, instead of you trying (and failing) to sell to them on Facebook. Here are my 5 most engaging types of updates:

1. Post photos. A picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of using words, post pictures. By posting interesting pictures, you will get people talking.
2. Post videos. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand pictures. Create a short form content video between 30 seconds and two minutes and share it with your friend or fans. A great feature about posting a video on Facebook is if someone is watching the video, they can click on the top left of the video to “like” the page if they haven’t already!
3. Share links to interesting articles and resources with your friends or fans. Links are a great way to bring relevant content to your page that may not be your own.
4. Ask questions. If people are not commenting on your updates, it is often because you are not asking them to. If you ask people what they think of something or what they are doing, they will answer these questions on your page.
5. For the more advanced users, utilize interactive apps including polls, quizzes, and virtual gifts. These are some ways to engage your friends and fans on a more advanced level.

What other ways do you engage with your friends and fans? Share by commenting here!