Why Sending People to Your Website Might Be Costing You Sales
I see it every day with Brisbane business owners. You pay for a nice website, you pay for ads, and you post on your page. A customer sees something they like, clicks the link, waits for your site to load, tries to find the 'Add to Cart' button on their phone, and then... they get a text message, or their coffee arrives, and they disappear forever.
Every extra step you make a customer take is a chance for them to change their mind.
Facebook Shops (or 'Social Commerce') is about removing those steps. It’s about letting someone see a pair of boots or a new lawnmower in their feed and hitting 'Buy' right then and there. No waiting for pages to load. No filling out five forms. Just a sale.
In this guide, I’m going to break down how you can actually make money from this without getting bogged down in the technical rubbish. We’ve helped businesses from Chermside to Logan set this up, and when it’s done right, it’s like having a second storefront that never closes.
The Reality of Selling on Facebook in 2024
Most people think Facebook is just for posting photos of your lunch or complaining about the traffic on the M1. But for a small business, it’s a massive marketplace.
Here is the cold, hard truth: Google is getting more expensive. If you want to show up at the top of a search for 'best gift shops Brisbane,' you’re going to pay through the nose for every click. Social commerce is different because you aren't waiting for people to search for you—you’re putting your products in front of them while they’re already scrolling.
Is it worth your time?
If you sell physical products (clothes, tools, home decor, car parts), then yes. It is a no-brainer. If you are a plumber or a lawyer, you won't 'sell' a service through a checkout button, but you can still use these tools to get more enquiries.I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses double their weekend sales just by tagging products in their posts. It works because it's convenient. And in business, convenience usually wins.
Setting Up Your Shop Without the Headache
You don't need a degree in IT to do this. Facebook has made it relatively simple, but most people mess it up by overcomplicating the inventory.
1. The 'Catalog' is Your Digital Shelf
Think of your Facebook Catalog as your stockroom. You need to tell Facebook what you have, what it costs, and what it looks like. If you already use a system like Shopify or WooCommerce, you can usually link them so your stock levels update automatically. If you don't, you can put them in manually.Tip from the field: Don't upload your entire warehouse. Start with your top 10 best-sellers. Get those right first.
2. High-Quality Photos are Non-Negotiable
People buy with their eyes. If your photo looks like it was taken in a dark basement in Ipswich, nobody is clicking. You don't need a pro photographer, but you do need natural light and a clean background.3. The Checkout Choice
You have two options here. You can let people checkout on Facebook (they stay on the app) or send them to your website.On Facebook: Higher sales because it's faster. Facebook takes a small cut, but you usually make more money overall because fewer people drop off. On Your Website: You keep all the money, but you lose people if your site is slow on mobile phones.
Advanced Tactics: Making the Register Ring
Once the shop is up, you can't just sit back and wait. You have to be proactive. This is where most local businesses fail—they 'set and forget.'
Product Tagging
Every time you post a photo of your work or a new arrival, 'tag' the product. It puts a little shopping bag icon on the photo. When a customer taps it, the price pops up. It’s the digital version of a price tag in a shop window.Using Video to Sell
Static photos are okay, but short videos are gold. A 15-second clip showing how a product works or how it looks in person is worth a thousand photos. We've seen that simple 15-second videos often outperform high-budget commercials because they feel real.Targeted Ads That Actually Work
Stop 'boosting' posts. It’s a waste of money. Instead, use the Shop data to show ads to people who actually looked at a product but didn't buy it. This is called 'retargeting.' It’s like following a customer out of your shop and saying, "Hey, I saw you looking at that drill, here’s a 10% discount if you want it."What Most Businesses Get Wrong
I’ll be blunt: most Facebook shops in Brisbane are rubbish. Here’s why:
1. Out of stock items: Nothing kills a customer's trust faster than buying something and getting an email saying it’s not actually in stock. 2. Slow replies: If someone asks a question on a product, you have about 30 minutes to answer before they move on to a competitor. 3. Boring descriptions: Don't just list the dimensions. Tell them why they need it. "Perfect for Brisbane summers" sells better than "100% Cotton."
If you want to move beyond just getting 'likes' and actually start getting real enquiries, you have to treat your Facebook page like a sales floor, not a scrapbook.
The Cost and the Timeline
How much does this cost? Setting up the shop itself is free. Facebook takes a small percentage of sales (usually around 5%) if you use their checkout.
Timeline: Week 1: Set up your catalog and link your accounts. Week 2: Start tagging products in every post.
- Month 1-3: You’ll start seeing the data on what people are clicking. This is when you double down on what’s working.
Should You Be Doing This?
If you’re a local shop owner and you aren't selling on social media, you’re leaving money on the table for the big chains to grab. They are already doing this. Your advantage is that you are local. People in Brisbane like supporting Brisbane businesses—you just have to make it easy for them to give you their money.
Don't get distracted by every new platform that comes out. I often get asked if businesses should be on Threads or other new apps. My answer is always: go where the customers are already spending money. Right now, for most local businesses, that is Facebook and Instagram.
Summary of Your Action Plan
1. Clean up your photos. Get 10 great shots of your best products. 2. Sync your shop. Link your website or manually upload your top sellers. 3. Tag everything. Make sure every post has a clear path to purchase. 4. Respond fast. Treat every comment like a customer standing at your counter.
If you’re too busy running your business to deal with catalogs, pixels, and product tags, that’s where we come in. We handle the technical side so you can focus on getting orders out the door.
Ready to turn your Facebook page into a sales machine? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s talk about how to get more customers through your digital doors.