You’ve heard all about how social commerce is the next big thing to help retailers market to new customers, build customer relationships, and generate more revenue. Is there a way to make it work for wholesale? Selling to the masses is one thing, but selling to a target market of retailers is another.
Facebook groups are the perfect environment to tap into this powerful way of selling while keeping these considerations in mind. Discover how groups can provide an effective, engaging, and straightforward way to grow your wholesale business’s sales without baring it all to the public.
Stay Relevant & Connect with Customers
Retailers are busy individuals with a lot on their plate. With that in mind, wholesale vendors need to stay on their radar. Facebook groups have some distinct advantages to help your business stay relevant and connected.
Community
Facebook groups give brands a dedicated channel to grow a community with their customer base. Here, members have a forum to voice their thoughts and opinions, and questions that are relevant to your brand or industry.
Buyers can start a dialogue with you, your staff, or other customers about your products, packs, customer service, and brand mission.
The conversational atmosphere makes it simple to nurture relationships with your most engaged buyers and provide social proof to build trust and drive sales.
Facebook Live
It’s not just retailers that are benefiting from Facebook Live sales. Wholesale suppliers have seen tremendous success using Facebook Live to demo products, answer questions, and generate sales as well.
With live video, you can grab some face time with your customer base no matter where they’re at. Facebook Live allows for a real-time, two way dialogue similar to the interactions you’d have in person.
These interactions are invaluable, as they provide a personal touch and easy way to sell without requiring a physical presence at wholesale markets and trade shows.
With Facebook Live, you can sell from anywhere, put a face to your brand for new clients, and strengthen your relationship with current customers.
Group Notifications
All group members will receive notifications for “highlights” from your group by default. These are posts that their friends have interacted with or that Facebook deems relevant or interesting.
Still, you can get more interaction by encouraging members to enable all group notifications. Convince them to turn these on and they will never miss a beat with your brand!
Messenger Bots & Auto-replies
Use Messenger bots and automated messaging software to assist with marketing, transactions, and a smoother shopping experience in your group.
Auto-replies are especially helpful as a customer service tool. They act as a virtual assistant to guide purchases made through shoppable posts. Once an order is created, they will also provide buyers quick access to their auto-generated invoices.
How to Keep Things Exclusive with Group Privacy Settings
You’re probably wondering how to take advantage of all that groups have to offer without disclosing your wholesale prices and exclusive designs to the general public.
It’s simple! All you have to do is create a private Facebook group.
Private groups work best for wholesalers because they gatekeep the community and content within. However, interested prospects are still able to find them, read what they’re all about, and request membership for full access.
Here’s what a private group looks like to the general public.
The “About This Group” section provides a space to write a compelling public description. This is where you can provide essential details about your business, requirements for joining, and highlight the value of your group.
Set Membership Requirements for Wholesale Approval
As a wholesaler, it’s necessary to be discerning about who can shop with you. Fortunately, group settings to make it easier to determine if pending members are a legitimate business.
Group admins can require people who request to join or are invited to your group to answer up to 3 questions. Once answers are submitted, they go to a queue where admins can approve or decline requests.
Adding member questions cuts down on the legwork and resources involved in screening potential members and ensures that you’re getting quality leads.
This section gives you a quick way to grab the essentials, such as business name, location, and their tax ID number.
If you’d like more details from them, you can always use this section to direct them to a more in-depth wholesale application on your website. It’s up to you!
The Takeaway
Social commerce can benefit B2B businesses in a big way. You just have to know how to make use of it while protecting your wholesale brand.
Facebook groups will help your market your business on the largest social networking site without disclosing confidential information or giving buying access to low-quality leads.
With the right strategy, content, and consistency, you can master social commerce for your wholesale business.
Ready to start today? Start building your social presence today with our guide to creating Facebook groups for business!
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