5 - 2019 - ExpertHelp Blog

Buy, Sell, and Trade Locally: How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

If you have heard that Facebook’s popularity is weaning, you may be questioning the value of the platform. Don’t believe the rumors, because Facebook hit 2.27 billion monthly users at the end of 2018. The platform still offers incredible value for users, including the Facebook Marketplace feature.

Facebook Marketplace launched in 2016 to make it easier for users to engage in peer-to-peer shopping. The tool is simple to use, but it can be tricky to figure out the best methods for selling. Read on for some valuable information and tips on how to sell on Facebook Marketplace.

Familiarize Yourself with the Marketplace Rules and Standards

Like eBay, Etsy, and other sites, Facebook Marketplace has its own set of rules that users must follow. First, there’s a list of prohibited items. Users cannot sell alcohol, drugs, animals, event tickets, gift cards, tobacco, or healthcare items on the marketplace.

Facebook Marketplace is only for the sale of physical products. You cannot post “in search of” or “lost and found” type posts. All listings must include at least one photo of the item.

Knowing What to Sell Is Key to Knowing How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

Before you start shilling homemade jams or your antique china, you’ll want to do some research. You should try to get a feel for what other people are selling on Facebook, and how successful (or unsuccessful) they’ve been with certain items. Look for what others are selling in your area, their asking prices, and the responses they’re getting.

There are several categories of items for sale on Facebook Marketplace. These include clothing and accessories, electronics, vehicles, and home and garden. Furniture, home goods, and children’s items tend to be especially popular items.

Be Ready to Communicate with Prospective Buyers

Brick and mortar stores allow shoppers to touch and test products. Amazon and other online retailers have customer reviews. Facebook Marketplace has Facebook Messenger and Facebook comments.

Prospective buyers will likely contact you with questions about your item or requests for more photos. When you have items listed for sale, be sure to check your Facebook account for messages and for comments on your listings. Respond to inquiries as soon as you can so you can work toward a quick sale.

Provide Clear, Important Information in Your Item Listings

You can reduce the number of questions shoppers ask you by providing as much information as possible up front. Take a look at some of the listings for similar items and take note of the included details. Also, notice the types of questions that people are asking in the comments.

Use this information to build your own item listing. Use clear, descriptive words for your items and include any details that may be important, like dimensions for furniture. Make sure the main product description is clear and strong, so people are more likely to click and learn more.

Take and Post Quality Photos of Your Item

No matter how detailed your item description is, providing a photo or several photos is always a good idea. Plus, many people often scroll through item listings and are more inclined to stop and look at a post if the photo catches their attention. You want your photos to make a strong impression.

First, be sure your photo is well lit, so the color, shape, and details of your item are easy to see. Also try to photograph the item on its own, as you don’t want other items or people in the picture taking the focus from what you’re trying to sell. It can be helpful to take a few different photos of your item, such as from various angles that can help people get an accurate idea of the shape and size.

Price Your Items Fairly, But Be Open to Negotiating

We noted earlier that when you are in the research stage, you should look at how others are pricing similar items. You should also check comments on these listings to see how people are reacting those prices. Are they showing interest in an immediate purchase or are they trying to get the price down?

Use the information you gather from other listings to decide how to list your own items. Be rational, and realize that most people are coming to Facebook Marketplace because they are looking for a good deal. Even if you feel you’ve priced your item fairly, you may need to keep an open mind and engage in requested negotiations.

Share Your Listings to Reach a Wider Audience

Facebook Marketplace has more than 800 million users across 70 countries. Your listings will have a sizable audience, but you can share your listings in other ways, too. You’ll find a “share” button on your post that lets you share on your own timeline, on a friend’s timeline, in a group, on an event page, or in a private message.

These methods can help your listing get more attention than it would among the countless other listings on Marketplace. And, once those other people see your listing, they may share it as well. Someone you know may even know someone else who is looking for the exact item you’re selling.

Know When to Seek More Advice

Selling items on any online platform can be confusing or overwhelming for anyone, and even more so for first-timers. The Facebook platform itself can be difficult to navigate, especially if you don’t use it often. If you don’t feel confident in how to sell on Facebook Marketplace, take your time learning more about how to use the tool.

We hope our tips have been helpful, but understand that you may need more information. If you have more questions, you can ask a Facebook expert by visiting our Facebook help page. You can submit a question and will receive a reliable answer from one of our experts.

Unsubscribe From Facebook: A Step by Step Guide to Permanently Deleting Your Facebook Account

Did you know more people continue to unsubscribe from Facebook?

In a survey back in 2018, there were about 36.38 million users that deleted their Facebook phone app. 19.26 million users went one step further and deleted their accounts.

One major factor behind this was the massive security flaw Facebook disclosed about on September 28, 2018. The affected users amounted to about 50 million people.

You might consider the idea of deleting your Facebook account too, either due to security or personal reasons. For more questions regarding Facebook, feel free to ask a question and we are ready to answer.

Now let’s dive into the steps to deactivate or delete your Facebook:

1. Deleting vs Deactivating: What’s the Difference?

Did you know you can unsubscribe from Facebook without permanently deleting your account? This is possible by merely deactivating your Facebook account. How is this different from deleting your Facebook?

Let us first look at the differences between the two.

Deactivating Your Account

While they look the same, deactivating your account is different from deleting it. When you deactivate your account, it’s still present as you can still log in. In fact, you’re the only one who can see your information.

It gives the impression of your account disappearing. Other users trying to view your profile won’t see it at all. Despite this, certain bits of information are still visible, such as sent messages.

Yes, this means you can still use Messenger in this setup. Your name still appears in groups and in friend lists belonging to your friends. You can be in this state for as long as you wish, giving you the option to reactivate when the time comes.

Deactivating your account is a good option if you plan to cool off for a bit. You still have a chance to come back when you are ready to use your Facebook account again.

Deleting Your Account

Compared to deactivating it, deleting your Facebook account eliminated everything. This option does not allow you to reactivate your account, nor be able to use Messenger. It also ensures you’re no longer susceptible to future security breaches.

This entails a full-on erasure of your account and the information related to it. This includes pictures, posts, and messages. If you used your Facebook account to log in to your apps, you lose access to them now that the linked account is gone.

When you take this decision, Facebook gives you a 30 day grace period. During this time, you still have the option to change your mind about it and cancel the deletion. Once that time is over, everything vanishes.

This is more of a decisive action and a permanent solution that once you take it, there’s no going back.

2. Steps to Take Before Deleting

Before you take on the decision of deleting your Facebook account, check it first. Are there photos or other bits of information that are still on Facebook that you wish to retrieve? Now would be a good time to backup your information.

You can do this by clicking on the drop-down menu. You can find at the top right corner of any Facebook page in your web browser. From there, click on Settings and it should take you to the Account Settings page.

Once you are there, click on Your Facebook Information. Among the options you can choose is Download Your Information.

Click on that and it should show you which bits of information you can download and keep. It also lists the dates of the information needed and the format.

3. How to Deactivate and Unsubscribe from Facebook

In the Facebook Information section, you’ll also see the last option that says Delete Your Account and Information. Upon clicking it, you’ll see a page with two more options. The first one is for deactivating your account while the other is where you can download your information.

Upon clicking on Deactivate Account, you will see a form where you would state your reasons behind leaving. Along with that are checkboxes that will allow you to keep using Messenger and opt out of Facebook emails. This lets you unsubscribe from Facebook in that respect.

Once you have set those up, click on Deactivate. With this option, you can still come back.

4. How to Delete Your Account

Are you set on deleting your Facebook account and plan to unsubscribe from Facebook for good? If the answer is yes, this is where you proceed.

If you have not downloaded your information yet, do that first before proceeding.

When you are ready, look at the bottom right. You should see the Delete Account button. Once you click that, you will see a prompt that will ask for your Facebook password to confirm.

Once you have done that, you have 30 days to be able to click on Cancel Deletion. Otherwise, if you wait for the 30 days to pass, your Facebook account is gone permanently.

Back then, this was a tedious process, where accidental logins can cancel the process. Facebook now utilizes multi-step login procedures for people recovering their account.

Learn More About Facebook Today!

Learning how to unsubscribe from Facebook or delete your account is a decision isn’t as complex as before. With the current improvements on Facebook’s tools, this process is now simpler and easier to undertake.

Did you find this useful? Looking for more useful Facebook tips?

We have the means to help you with any situation you have in mind when it comes to online services and technology. If you have other inquiries and concerns that can help us improve, feel free to contact us.

How to Open a Facebook Account for Your Business

Do you want to give your business more brand awareness? Social media is a great way to help with that. What better platform to use than Facebook, the biggest social network on the internet?

In 2015, over 50 million businesses began to use Facebook Pages and the number continues to climb. This is an understandable turn of events since more than 2.32 billion active users are on it.

If you want to give your business an edge in brand awareness, we’ll show you how to open a Facebook account below.

1. Why Open a Business Profile on Facebook?

As stated above, Facebook is one of the biggest social networks. Giving your business some form of presence here is a great way to boost awareness and sales. Other than increased exposure, Facebook also allows you to interact with customers.

Social media marketing allows you to connect with consumers on a deeper level. This stems from the ability of users to add comments, recommendations, and ratings. In turn, you can reply to any questions through the Messenger feature or on the comments.

2. How to Open a Facebook Account for Your Business: Sign Up

To create a Facebook Account, you need a Facebook profile. You could use your own account to create a Facebook Page for your business. Or, you can also create a new Facebook account for the business.

Go to the site “facebook.com/business”. On the upper-right corner, you will see a Create Page button. Click on it and it will lead you to a page for creating a Facebook page.

A grid of different business types will come up and you must choose one that suits your business. If it is under more than one, choose one that your customers will think of more when they think about it. For example, a Facebook public figure page is best suited for major influencers.

Click on your choice to open up a box that will ask for more details. Fill in these details, including the category. When you start typing, a list will come up and so choose from one of the Facebook business categories options.

Make sure the details you input like the business name is correct. This information will be what comes up when someone does a Facebook search of businesses. When you’re ready, you need to click Get Started to move onto the next step.

3. Get Started by Adding Photos

The next step is to choose a profile image for your Facebook business page. The best one to use for this is your business logo. Local store owners can also take a well-shot photo of their storefronts or signature products.

The next thing you need is to upload a cover photo. Facebook will display this most prominent image at the top of your business’ Facebook page. Thus, this photo needs to capture the essence of your brand as well as its personality.

4. Add a Short Description About Your Business

The next step will allow you to put up information about your business. To do this, click on the text saying Add a Short Description. In the box that pops up, type in a concise but clear message your customers need to know about your business.

Take note that you only have 155 characters to work with. At most, you can squeeze in a couple of sentences. If you want to elaborate further, you can add a longer description later on.

5. Fill in the About Section

Before you start creating your first post, you need to prepare your page for visitors. This includes accomplishing the About section on your business’s Facebook page. Put in specific details here as you would on your calling card or brochure.

To start, look at the menu on the left-hand side of the Facebook Page and click About. Edit business details like your contact information, business hours, and more. Depending on what kind of business you run, you can also add the menu, price ranges, or location details.

You can go further by adding a longer description of your business. Click on Edit Story and type in the history of the business. You can also add a full description of it and why customers should choose your business.

6. Improve Your Business Account

Create a custom URL so people can better remember your business on Facebook. This can happen after you accumulate 25 fans. The URL will make your Facebook business page rank in search engine searches results.

Note that you can only change this URL once so be smart about what you change it to. Make it easy to type and easy to remember with your business name within it. To set up a new URL, click on Create a Username for Your Page.

You can also begin advertising your business on Facebook. The Facebook Business Manager tool will be helpful in this venture. It manages not only your Facebook Pages and ad accounts, but it also works with agencies.

Go to Business Manager and click on Ad Accounts under Accounts. Fill in the information about your company and then enter your billing details. The next step is to set up a payment method for the running of ads.

Go to Payments settings and insert the details of your billing and payment methods. As a tip, set up a spending limit and more than one payment option. Expect the bill for your ads on Facebook at the end of the month or when you reach the billing threshold.

In 2016, over 3 million businesses advertised on Facebook. They used the Your Business Story tool on Facebook. It allowed them to create a video that not only advertised but also enlightened viewers of their businesses.

7. Other Concerns

To close a Facebook business page, click on Settings at the top of the page. Under General, the last option is Remove Page. Click Edit and follow the link to delete your page.

A popup window will open that will need your confirmation. Click on Delete Page and a confirmation that your page is on deletion mode will pop up. Note that you have 14 days to cancel the deletion process, should your mind change.

If you want to know how to change a business name on Facebook, it’s easy. Go to About on the left side of the page. Click on Edit next to the page name and enter a new name in.

Review your request to change the page name. When you’re sure, click on Request Change and wait for the reply.

Still feeling a bit lost? Don’t hesitate to let our Facebook support team help you out.

Start Engaging with Customers on Facebook

That’s it for our step-by-step guide on how to open a Facebook account.

Remember to explore the Facebook page for your business and become familiar with it. This will allow for easier operation and navigation later. Click through the prompts that will point out where everything is.

If this guide was helpful and informative, let us know. If you have other questions on how to operate around Facebook or on anything else, ask away. Come and ask for a Facebook expert for any inquiries.

Hacked?! Here’s How to Recover a Hacked Facebook Account

Was your Facebook account hacked recently? Do you want to know how to retrieve a Facebook account? Well, you came to the right place.

It’s no surprise that Facebook will become a target of many hackers and cyber terrorists. It’s the largest social network on the internet after all. Did you know that Facebook reached 1.49 billion daily active users in September 2018?

Below, we’ll list down how to recover a hacked Facebook account. There are quite a few methods, most of which are quick and easy to do. We also added ways that will let you know if your account got hacked and how you can prevent it.

1. How to Know Your Facebook Account Got Hacked

In 2018, Facebook got hacked and more than 50 million accounts got compromised. The problem got fixed in time but that doesn’t mean Facebook is invincible. Your account can get hacked faster as the whole site was.

Still, how do you know if your Facebook account is not only your own anymore? One of the signs includes getting an email in the past day or so. The content of the email will instruct you on how to reset your Facebook password even when you didn’t try to reset it.

You could also receive a different email that says someone logged into your account when you haven’t. If you clicked on a URL on any of these emails, chances are you got redirected to an unsecured site.

An obvious sign your account got hacked are the posts, profile changes, and/or messages that you didn’t send.

2. How to Recover a Hacked Facebook Account

The Facebook recovery process will only take a few moments. All you need to do is go to Facebook and click on the Forgot Password text. This will lead you to a password recovery page where you can enter your email, username, or mobile number.

From here, there are two ways to go about recovering your account.

Recovery Method Using Associated Email

When you enter the associated email, it will lead you to a page that states they sent a Facebook account recovery code to that address. Log into your email and check your latest mail from Facebook. Open it to find the recovery code.

Enter the code into the box provided for it. Click to continue and proceed to open your Facebook account.

This is the most common method of Facebook account recovery.

Recover with the Email Change Notification

Another way is to access the email account that you used as the primary recovery email for Facebook. Look for an email about a recent change of email address. Often, the title will be something like “Facebook primary email changed to…”.

Open the email and look for the text “If you didn’t do this, please secure your account.” This is a safe hyperlink that will lead you back to Facebook. It will prompt you to secure your account.

Depending on your account and security, Facebook may ask you to verify your date of birth. You could also be asked to upload a government ID. A Facebook help representative will confirm and activate your account.

A third option is to guess your friends using their photos. Facebook will provide photos for Facebook friends you must name out. Out of 7, you must name out at least 5 of them.

3. Alternative Recovery Methods

There will be times when the password changed and you don’t have immediate access to your email. It could be that you forgot or lost the password to your email. Good thing Facebook has other ways to let you get your account back.

Trusted Contacts Recovery Method

One such means is the Trusted Contacts. Before this, you should have a friend or two listed in your Trusted Contacts list. This will need cooperation from that person.

Go to Facebook and then click on the Forgot Account option on the login page. Find your account on the search bar by entering your email, phone, or username. You can also use your full name on the search bar given that you typed it into your account details.

A list of email addresses will show up. Check if you have access to any of those addresses. If not, click on the text “No longer have access to these?”

Facebook will prompt you to enter a new email or phone so enter one you have access to. Click Continue and then click Reveal My Trusted Contacts. Next, type in the full name of a trusted contact.

A set of instructions will come up including a special link. The link has a recovery code that only a trusted contact can access. Now, send the link to your friend and ask them to open it.

The link you send them will give them a login code. Ask them to give you the login code. Now, use this code to access your account.

Using the Recovery Mobile Number

Let’s say your Facebook account got hacked and the password got changed. There is yet another way to restore your Facebook account. This one will use your recovery mobile number.

Much like the email recovery method, you must click on the Forgot Password option. Next, type in your mobile number in the text box and then click search. If you have immediate access to a recovery mobile number in the options, select it.

Now, Facebook will send your mobile a recovery code. When the message arrives, enter it into the text box given for it. Next, set a new password for your Facebook account.

4. Damage Control and Immediate Response

When you log back into Facebook, you need to detect any other hacking activity first. Go to Home > Account Settings > Security > Active Sessions and click edit. It will lead you to a page with a list of all recent Facebook activity.

Click on End All Activity so all the places where your Facebook account is active will stop. Remember that this will also log you out of your current session. So, before you do this, make sure that you reset your password.

Next, report that your account got compromised. Another action you should take is to remove suspicious links in the Apps list. Go to Home > Account Settings> Apps and start removing applications that you suspect are harmful.

For more information on better Facebook security, reach out to our Facebook support team.

Enjoy a More Secure, Recovered Facebook Account

Don’t fret if you got hacked. Now you know how to recover a hacked Facebook account and secure your personal data

If you have any other questions on Facebook Support and other similar subjects, feel free to get in touch with us today.