Lulu Direct: Social Selling On Shopify
“How can I make more money from my book(s)?”
If we had a nickel for every time we heard this question over the last 19 years, we’d be relaxing on a private island with Richard Branson. The answer is simple, and it’s always the same—stop sending your readers to retail sites to purchase your content.
As a creator (author, educator, entrepreneur, etc…) you’ve got content to share and you’ve done some heavy lifting to build an audience. You have tons of followers on social media, an email list worthy of bragging about, and a beautiful author website…so why is it so hard to sell your book?
If you’re actively sending people somewhere else to buy your book, you’re (at best) cutting your profits. And you risk that potential reader buying something else. Seriously. When I’m browsing Amazon, I do a LOT of comparison shopping. And when it’s books, I’ll buy at least three more than intended.
Which would you prefer:
- Your newest reader receives just your book, in its own box, with a receipt that features your author branding.
Or
- Your newest reader receives an Amazon box with your book, three other books, a new Playstation controller, and a case of Dunkaroos.
The second option is great if that reader just happened across your book. But option one is sooo much better if that reader found your website through your marketing efforts. Not only will you earn more revenue, but you’ll also build a deeper connection with that reader (which helps ensure they’ll buy your next book).
Using Lulu Direct for Ecommerce
How do you achieve that first option? With an ecommerce platform and print-on-demand books. Our Lulu Direct integration allows you to sell your books using our print-on-demand network through a Shopify ecommerce site.
With this app installed in your Shopify store, you can take full control of your content by selling your books directly to readers, across a multitude of channels and you get to keep 100% of the profits. No more royalty splits, trips to the post office, or storage fees!
If you don’t have a Lulu account or a Shopify store, see the ‘What You’ll Need to Get Started’ section below.
Now that you’ve streamlined your book printing and selling with Lulu Direct and Shopify, let’s grow your online sales!
Sell Your Book, Your Way
Sell books on your Wix, Shopify, or WooCommerce website with Lulu Direct.
Or use our Order Import tool for your next book launch.
Selling Your Books on Social Media Using Lulu Direct and Shopify
Connecting your Shopify store with your social media channels, such as Facebook or Pinterest, allows you to easily promote and sell your books on multiple channels.
Shopify has a Sales Channel app for each social media channel. Start by installing the app for the platform where your audience is the most engaged. Customers can then purchase your books from your Shopify store directly and securely through their preferred social media platform without ever having to leave the app.
You can manage everything from products and inventory to customers and orders for all social media channels within Shopify, making it easy to measure and track engagement for each channel all in one place.
Why You Should Care
3 benefits to connecting your Shopify store with your social media channels:
Streamline Your Bookstore
Shopify® allows you to control all of your Sales Channels in one place. Plus, it simplifies the shopping experience for your readers. They can shop directly in-app without being redirected to another page. This is vital for customers who shop on mobile.
Enhance Brand Loyalty
Connect with your readers on their preferred platform. Additionally, create more opportunities to engage your super fans and sell to them on your highest-converting channel.
Increase Revenue Streams
Add product visibility by selling on multiple channels. Sell directly to your readers and keep 100% of the profits.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
- A Lulu Direct account (Create an account)
- A Shopify account. (Create an account)
- If you plan to only connect to Facebook, you can use the Shopify® Lite plan.
- If you plan to connect to Pinterest, you’ll need the Shopify® Basic plan or higher.
- The Lulu Direct App installed in Shopify (Install the app)
- A business social media account for Facebook and/or Pinterest:
- If you want to connect to Facebook, a Facebook Business Page with the Shopping template is applied.
- If you want to connect to Pinterest, a Pinterest Business account.
- The Facebook and/or Pinterest Shopify Sales Channel app installed in Shopify (Install a Sales Channel)
How Does It Work?
Keep reading for an overview of how to connect your Shopify store to Facebook & Pinterest.
Start by connecting your Facebook Business Page to Shopify. Connecting your Facebook to your Shopify store with the Facebook Sales Channel allows your readers to browse your books in the Shop section of your Facebook page. With Shopify connected, you’ll have access to more features, giving you more control over your Facebook store, such as how it looks and how readers can access your page. For example, you can add a Liking Gate, requiring visitors to Like your page before they can buy your books.
For those of you running Facebook Ads, Shopify also has apps that can connect with your Facebook Pixel to help you easily run Facebook Ads for your Shopify products.
In addition, you can connect with Facebook Messenger to provide chat support to personalize the shopping experience. Readers can buy your books directly in Facebook Messenger chat, plus receive real-time support and order updates. For this, you need to have the Messenger Sales Channel installed in Shopify.
Selling Requirements:
- Shopify Lite plan or higher
- Shopify live store (not password protected)
- Published Facebook Business Page
- Products must follow Facebook’s commerce policies and Community Standards
- Merchants must adhere to Facebook’s commerce merchant agreement and Sales Policy
- Facebook checkout requires you to meet the Facebook checkout eligibility requirements
- Facebook will review your shop once the Facebook Sales Channel is installed to ensure you meet their guidelines
An important thing to note is that if you already have a Shop section set up on your Facebook Business Page, installing the Facebook Sales Channel in Shopify will remove all your products in your existing Facebook store and replace them with your Shopify products.
If you want to expand your reach even further, you can also connect your Pinterest Business account to Shopify. Once the Pinterest Sales Channel is installed in your Shopify store, all products pinned from your store will become Buyable Pins, which helps users discover new products and allows them to shop directly on Pinterest.
Selling Requirements:
- Shopify live store (not password protected)
- Shopify store needs to meet Pinterest’s eligibility requirement
- Products must meet Pinterest’s product requirements before they can be used in Buyable Pins
- Buyable Pins must adhere to Pinterest’s commerce policies
- Pinterest will review your shop once the Pinterest Sales Channel is installed to ensure you meet their guidelines
Empowered Authors and Empowered Stores
Lastly, don’t forget to go back to the basics and add your social media buttons to your Shopify store! Some Shopify templates come with the social media button feature enabled, otherwise, you can download an app or code it yourself. Remember, you want to make it easy for your readers to connect with you and share your content.
You should be able to sell and distribute your content in the way that works best for you and your readers and we are committed to providing the opportunities to make this possible.
With the Lulu Direct app for Shopify and your social media channels, you not only can establish more visibility for your books, but it benefits your readers as well. Providing a simple and enjoyable shopping experience will improve brand loyalty, engage more super fans, and ultimately result in higher sales.
