In this blog series, I am going to show you, not only how I make money on Facebook, but how YOU can as well!
Why I Am Writing This Series About How to Make Money On Facebook
I decided to write this blog series for several reasons. First, there are a lot of “experts” who constantly give advice on how to sell on Facebook when in reality, they aren't selling on Facebook. Personally, I want to learn from those doing the work, don't you?
Second, over the past couple of years Facebook has systematically reduced their organic reach levels (the amount of traffic that Facebook shows to your Fans for free) from 16% to very low single digits (reportedly as low as 1% now). My organic reach levels have never been higher and I want to share with you how I do it.
My DAILY Organic (a.k.a. – Free!) Facebook Post Reach
February 14 – May 10, 2015
Finally, over 2 MILLION people now use Facebook advertising, most of them very poorly, wasting billions of dollars in the process and not selling very much in the process. I do Facebook advertising very well and I know I can help you save money and get better results all at the same time.
I Sold $64,287 on a Facebook Ad Spend of $3,971!
A couple of notes of caution before we begin. This blog series is NOT for those looking to set-up a Facebook Store. There are hundreds of blog posts, reviews and tutorials out there and some darn good Facebook e-commerce apps such as Shopify, Ecwid, and BigCommerce.
Who Should NOT Read This Blog Series
This series is also NOT for those looking to make a “quick hit” and move on. I see it all of the time. These are marketers who throw up a lousy Facebook Fan Page, make no effort to build an audience or engage with their fans (if they even bother taking the time to get any Fans), build an ad to push a product, throw a bunch of money at it, fail and conclude that you cannot sell on Facebook.
For the rest of you…let’s do this!
Here is how I sell on Facebook…
Selling on Facebook: People Buy from People they Know, Like and Trust.
I have a value-based relationship with 143,782 people on Facebook. That is the number of Facebook Fans I have that “Like” my Facebook Fan Page.
I Get 10,000 New Facebook Fans for FREE Every Month!
I am also courting 17,056,041 new future customers at the same time! That is the number of people who saw a post I wrote on Facebook last week.
A whopping 2,069 said “Very cool! We should get to know each other a little!”
That is the number of people who “Liked” my page after seeing a post of mine they enjoyed.
THESE are my future customers!
You see, I realize that before anybody is going to buy something from me, they have to know, like and trust me! That is not any “genius-level” revelation. That is Sales and Marketing 101. It applies in the social world just as it does in the real world.
Think about the stuff you buy and why you buy it. Want to take the family to dinner? Where you go is not a random decision. It is based on the impressions placed in your mind created by the ads you have seen for the restaurant combined with reviews you may have read online, reinforced by word of mouth from your friends and people whose opinion you trust and perhaps several other factors.
The goal of my Facebook Fan Page is to provide a safe place where people can get to know me a little. Hopefully, after knowing me a little they will like me (and not just the Facebook kinda’ like). Sure, occasionally I am going to sell them something, but only after they trust that I am only going to sell them high-quality products that they need and want.
So do you see how it all fits together? I use my Facebook Fan Page as a place where people can get to know, like and trust me so I can sell them products that actually want and need.
The power of Facebook, and social media in general, is that I can prospect to MILLIONS of people at one time.
Facebook Selling Epiphany #1:
To sell on Facebook you need to stop treating fans like a commodity and start treating them like your friends.
My Facebook Community-Building Process
If you look at my Fan Page you are much more likely to see a motivational quote or a business tip than a post trying to sell you something.
Why is that?
Because people do not want to be beaten over the head with non-stop sales pitches. Again, let us use a real-life example. Let’s say you met a new friend who invited you to lunch. At that lunch date, she talked about what a fabulous business (multi-level marketing…think Amway) opportunity she found and that you should join too. You go on a second lunch date, the same thing. A third, same thing! Now, don't get me wrong, I am not against network marketing but the scenario is what I want you to picture.
How long do you think you guys will stay friends if you simply aren't interested in constantly being sold?
What if instead you got together for lunch and talked about things that interested both of you? Maybe you both have children, or love dogs, or are fitness fanatics. Or best yet, you love to shop and you talk about all your latest shopping “finds”! Would you not enjoy your lunch dates more and be more likely to go on another?
After a few of these dates maybe you mention to your friend that you would really like to find a way to make a little additional cash from home with flexible hours. NOW she tells you about her business. Are you now not MUCH more likely to be receptive to taking a peek at her business opportunity?
How This All Fits Together and The Three Social Media Books You MUST Read
My friend Gary Vaynerchuk wrote a fabulous, #1 best-selling book on the above relationship-building strategy called Jab Jab Jab Right Hook. If you are only going to buy and read 3 social media books ever, this should be one of them.
The second book you should also read is called YOUtility: Why Smart Marketing is About help Not Hype. It is by my good friend Jay Baer. Jay’s premise and he is totally right, is that before people will buy from you, you must first be useful to them. Please do not miss the main point here. Most of the time they will determine if you can be useful PRIOR to spend any money with you. In short, be consistently useful for free and they may actually buy your products if they think that product will be especially useful.
Finally, you might want to read my book Will the Real You Please Stand up: Show up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media. In my book, I share how to consistently be yourself on social media and you will grow a huge targeted community that you can sell your products and services to.
So how does it all fit together?
I believe (and the results have proven this out) that I have developed a formula for selling on Facebook that is a combination of all three philosophies.
Kim Garst’s Make Money on Facebook Selling Formula:
Be Useful + Be Authentic + Sell Occasionally = Big Facebook Sales
My Facebook Posting Strategy Appears to Be Perfectly Random
….but it is NOT! In fact, it is the farthest thing from random you can get. I have defined, developed, tested and re-defined it dozens of times over years of trial and error (lots of errors!) and it flat out works!
Want to know what it is?
Then you will want to read Part 2 in my “How YOU Make Money on Facebook” series which you can see by clicking here or if you would like all 3 articles in this series in PDF format, click below!
I would also love your thoughts on my Facebook Selling Formula and your favorite social media books in the comments section below.
About Author
Kim Garst
Kim Garst is a renowned marketing strategist and speaker who is trailblazing the use of artificial intelligence in digital marketing. With over 30 years of experience as an online entrepreneur, Kim helps entrepreneurs grow their business and authority online by using AI technology. She is leading the way with proven AI frameworks that help entrepreneurs build authority in their space.
She is keynote speaker and an international best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up, Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media.
Named by Forbes as a Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer, Kim is well-known for her skill to simplify complex technology and make the use of AI understandable for business growth. Her relatable, actionable advice helps guide new entrepreneurs to harness the power of AI to succeed in digital marketing. Kim is leading the way in combining human and technological skills to create a new model for AI-powered marketing.
Very nice Kim. Can’t wait to read more!!!
As usual you always share such great information! Looking forward to the rest of the series. Thanks for sharing what you know Kim.
I’m looking forward to the next installments Kim. I’m in the midst of creating a new marketing strategy for my husband’s mortgage company so it will be interesting to see what we can implement.
I always look forward to your articles Kim. They are delivered with a casual voice from a friend that just makes learning so much easier!
That’s the best compliment ever! Thank you!
Very excited for this series! I have struggling with Facebook lately and would love to start seeing some results. Kim Garst must have the winning formula!
Hope it was really helpful to you, Steph!
Once again Kim you take the time to share your knowledge and never disappoint! Thank you! Looking forward to the rest of the series!
Thank you for sharing this article! Just what I needed.
Really a useful Article series. All the methods you specified here is just amazing and useful. Gonna try and will let you know. Thanks 🙂
so inspiring thank you for the spark you created in me I will like to know more and enroll thanks
Thank you, Muhammad!
Thanks, Paula!
That’s perfect!
I have a policy…if I can make $1.10 for every $1 I spend, it’s worth it 🙂
Thanks for dropping in, Chris!
Did you get all three parts, Cararta?
Exactly! So sad when this happens and I am sorry it happened to you!
Thanks for sharing such an incredible insights with us Kim.
Thank you for dropping in!!
Appreciate it, Frankie!
Thanks, Kim, for your helpful article sharing with us. I hope this article helps me to grow my facebook business. Everybody knows about how to make money from facebook easily. Thanks, Kim.
Thank you for the info it really helped
Really nice and interesting post. I was looking for this kind of information and enjoyed reading this one. Keep posting. Thanks for sharing.
Great article. The ‘know, like and trust’ in any marketing is so important. Thanks for sharing.