How to start using Facebook groups for business

What is a Facebook Group?  How will it help my business?

ouou may not have heard of them before, but Facebook groups are mighty powerful for businesses.  This is an introduction to using groups to grow your business.  It’s not about how to have a group – that’s a different story altogether.  This is about playing in someone else’s sandbox.

 

There’s a Facebook Group for almost everything.  Entrepreneurs.  Lego lovers.  Pin collectors.  Exercise fanatics.  You name it, there’s probably a Group for it.

 

What makes a Group different from a Page or Profile?  Well, it’s a bit more private.  Only the members of the group can see the posts you make there.  It’s easier to build connections and form relationships because it’s not out there in the wild of Facebook for everyone else to see.  And that, my friends, is the beginning of our strategy.

 

There are open, closed, and private Groups.  Anyone can join an open Group.  You can request to join a closed Group but you have to be accepted by the group first.  A private group can’t be searched for – perfect for planning surprise parties, may I add?  (You know I love those!)

 

You can only participate in a Group as your personal Profile.  You can’t use your business Page in a Group.  (Clear as mud?  This is one of the reasons why you need to do this yourself – you can’t really hire this out.  Plus, people need to know you and all that you do!)

How do I find a Facebook Group?

Good question.  OK, go to Facebook.  See that blue search bar along the top?  Type in the topic you’re looking for and hit enter.  

Now instead of scrolling down the search results, look just underneath the search bar.  Find the heading which says ‘Groups’ and click it.  Ta-da!  You’ll have a list of groups to look through.  Find a couple that fit your niche and request to join!

Alright.  You’re in.  Now what?

Here are the best practices for getting started in Facebook Groups.   

 

Know the rules
Always read them.  Each group is different and you’ll want to know how to play in each one so you don’t get kicked out (or annoy the shiitake out of the moderator).  
 
Most groups won’t let you start a post with an outbound link or be promotional.  Some groups will let you answer a question with a link, and that’s always handy – especially if you have a blog post which perfectly answers someone’s question!
 
 
 
Be fabulously helpful
I love how content marketer extraordinaire Jay Baer puts it – “The difference between helping and selling is just two letters.”
 
If you show up consistently in a group, provide value, and answer people’s questions – you’ll be memorable.  People will come to see you as a resource and come seek you out in whatever domain your expertise is.  
 
Even when you can’t leave outbound links, it’s easy to build connections.  People can click through to your profile to find out more about you, visit your website, check out your services… you see where this is going, right?  Exactly.  
 
 
 
You don’t have to wait around all day, either
Don’t worry, I’m not telling you to sit in front of your computer waiting for questions to roll in.
 
Groups have a search bar in the upper right hand corner. When you’re ready, you can type in a few keywords related to your topic to find the recent threads where you can throw in your two cents.
 

Now go ahead and introduce yourself!

You wouldn’t show up to a party and just start jabbering away without introducing yourself, would you?  Exactly.

Give people a little introduction to your awesome self – and see if you can get some participation as well by playing a game!  (Trust me, this little technique goes a long way to getting known in a group.)

 

Introduction…

Hi, I’m Name, I help people ABC through XYZ.  (Any other tidbits you feel like adding, mix it in – where you live, what you like to do in your spare time, etc!)
 
 
Here’s 2 games which get people talking!
The ice cream game – “My favorite ice cream flavour is chocolate.  What’s yours?”
 
2 truths and a lie – Pretty much what it sounds like.  Make 3 statements and people have to guess what’s the fake one.
 
 
(Does this sound crazy?  Maybe a little.  But it usually works like a charm, so don’t know it ’till you’ve tried it!)
 
 

 

You are officially certified to go be a groupie!  Err… I mean… you know.  Not THAT kind of groupie.  Network away, my friend!

To having a good time (and building good connections) in groups,

If you have a business, come on in to my cozy Facebook group!  We love chatting about biz-centric stuff.  See ya there!

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Katie Momo

Expert sales strategist, copywriter, and host of the Smash Hit Sales show

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