🚨 In july, 2018 Facebook dismantled this service 🤷♀️
UPDATE: In late July 2018 Facebook confirmed that this fledgling service has been dismantled. Should companies wish to list their services in Facebook, they may, but in the same way, they have been—by adding a “services” tab to their business page.
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Facebook has officially joined Google and Amazon in the race for the home services market. Last week Facebook announced the rollout of its new program aimed at connecting Facebook users directly with home services professionals from the Marketplace and Messenger platforms. That means that homeowners will be able to browse through contractors, contact them, and schedule an appointment without ever leaving Facebook.
“More people ask for recommendations related to home services on Facebook in the US than any other topic. Since the beginning of the year, millions of people have asked their friends for suggestions related to home services, such as house cleaners, plumbers and contractors.
By working with industry leaders, Handy, HomeAdvisor and Porch, Marketplace will:
- Provide an all-in-one place to complete your next home project — from proposal to completion
- Offer hundreds of thousands of top-rated professionals across the US
- Simplify your decision by showing you professionals’ ratings, reviews, credentials and location
- Make it easy to get a quote: simply describe the project you need help with and send your request to multiple professionals at once
- Easily communicate in real-time with your service professional via Messenger”
How Facebook Marketplace Home Services Work
Facebook marketplace was dismantled in July, 2018 and no longer exists
Facebook now allows verified HomeAdvisor, Porch, and Handy contractors to list their services on Facebook’s Marketplace platform.
Think of it like syncing your HomeAdvisor account with Facebook, so now customers can find you in two locations instead of one with just a single listing. While listing your services on Marketplace is free, you’ll still pay per lead (or job, depending on which of those three you’re a member of) according to the platform’s fee stipulations.
That means if you’re a member of Handy, the customer will still pay Handy, and Handy will pay you, just like normal. If you’re a member of HomeAdvisor, you will still pay the same fee per lead from Marketplace as you do when someone finds you on HomeAdvisor, just like normal. The only things that are different are where your services are listed and how consumers find and book you.
how it works on the consumer’s end:
- The main “Marketplace Services” page in the Facebook’s Marketplace platform will organize home service professionals into categories based on jobs and tasks, like “deep clean your home” or “get your backyard summer-ready” (TBD on what the home services categories will be).
- Consumers will click one of these categories, and then will be prompted to fill out a form with other relevant data like the home’s square feet, what time they want services, etc.
- Based on the customer’s information, Marketplace will spit out companies that best match the request.
- Consumers will browse through companies and services offered by contractors in the Marketplace platform.
- When they see a company whose services and profile match what they’re looking for, they can submit a request for a quote through Facebook’s Messenger app.
- They then can choose to hire their contractor based on those quotes, the contractor’s profile, and other factors.
how it works on the Contractor’s End:
- You HAVE to be signed up with either Porch, Handy, or HomeAdvisor. Listing your services on Facebook is free, but you have to have one of those memberships.
- Once you’re signed up with one of those three, you’ll sync your account with your Facebook business page (the details on this are still being ironed out, but you can see how to sync your accounts further below).
- Once they’re synced, Facebook will be able to pull aggregate reviews, ratings, credentials, and information that will then be incorporated into your listing.
- You sign up and then list your services on Marketplace (this is slowly being rolled out and is not available to all home service providers yet).
- When you post something to sell on Marketplace, people can use Facebook Messenger to ask you questions about the item.
- When someone clicks on your service offering, they contact you via Facebook Messenger. You can see all conversations with potential buyers from the Selling tab in Marketplace.
Something to remember is that the nuts and bolts of this are still being ironed out, so the process may change in the future.
Who Is Facebook Home Services Available To? 🚨 NOBODY AS OF JULY 2018 🚨
These are the services Marketplace is currently rolling out:
- Appliances
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Asphalt & Paving
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Awnings
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Brick & Stone
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Cabinets
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Carpentry & Metalwork
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Cleaning Services
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Concrete
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Countertops
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Damage Repair
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Design & Architecture
- Windows
- Walls & Ceiling
- Home Tech
- Doors
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Drywall & Plaster
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Electrical
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Fans
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Fences
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Fireplace & Wood Stoves
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Flooring
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Foundations
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Furniture
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Garage
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Glass & Mirrors
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Gutters
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Handyman Services
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Hazardous Materials
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Heating & Cooling
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Outdoor Structures
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Insulation
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Lawn & Garden
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Locks & Security
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Moving
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New Homes and Remodeling
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Other Home Professionals
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Painting
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Pest & Animal Control
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Plumbing
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Pools & Spas
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Roofing
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Siding
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Tile
What Should I Do Now?
UPDATE 8/2/18: If you have services, add them to your business page by adding a “services” tab in your page settings.
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You should do the same thing we’re doing: keep watching it. While this is certainly on our radar and something we will be testing, because it’s so new (it hasn’t even fully rolled out yet) there are no conclusions to draw.
If it goes the way Facebook is betting on—which is having users go to Marketplace Services to find professionals instead of asking Facebook friends for recommendations—this could be a game-changer for how homeowners find and book home services professionals. As of last year, Marketplace had been growing at a rate of 18 million new listings per month. Today, one out of three U.S. Facebook users use Marketplace each month to buy or sell across the 71 countries where it’s live.
If it goes the same way it did when Facebook launched a similar platform in 2015 (I bet you didn’t even know that other platform existed), this could be another epic flop. IT WAS. IT WAS AN EPIC FLOP.
Regardless, you should prepare in four main ways:
- Clean up your page and “about” section on your Facebook Business page. Make sure everything is filled out, it’s fully optimized, and all the right settings are enabled (reviews, filters, and restriction settings)
- Work on getting more reviews on both your partner platform and your Facebook page
- If you already have one, sync your HomeAdvisor, Porch, or Handy account with your Business Page. You can do this from your Business page under “Settings” > “Partner Apps and Services” > “Add Service”
- Check back here every few days to see if the service has opened to you yet.
Resources:
- Facebook Marketplace Partner Interest Form
- About Home Services in Facebook Marketplace
- About Selling on Marketplace
- Marketplace Home Page
Or, visit our Facebook category on our blog!
