How to Grow Your Business with Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are an amazing resource for any online business owner. They can be an avenue for support, problem-solving, collaboration, networking, and promoting your brand. Of course, no one likes the person who just spams the groups with advertisements about their business, but you don't need to be in sales pitch mode in order to benefit from engaging in Facebook groups!
Out of the over a dozen clients I've had since I launched my brand in 2019, I connected with 75% of them in Facebook Groups! Many of these I found because they posted in a group asking for help or looking to hire, but some even reached out to me purely because they had seen my comments within a group and liked what they saw.
If you want to form connections and find clients using Facebook, here's my non-salesy strategy for leveraging Facebook groups to grow my business.
Find the Right Groups
If you're not in the right groups, you won't get very far. As of 2019, Facebook said there were over 400 million people in meaningful Facebook groups. That's a huge opportunity to network if you can figure out which groups have your people!
Start by searching for industry keywords in the Groups area of Facebook. For example, if you're a Virtual Assistant, try searching for terms like "virtual assistant," "small business owner," or "entrepreneur." Take a look at the suggested groups, and expand to "See All" if you want to view more options in that niche.
What to Look For
I don't recommend joining public Facebook groups, because they won't be well moderated. Private groups - especially larger ones with 10,000 or more members - are more likely to have a team of admins and moderators making sure everyone is respecting each other, following the rules, and posting valuable content.
Don't just join all of the groups related to your search terms, either. You won't be able to keep up with engaging in that many groups, and they likely aren't all relevant to you anyway (i.e. if you're a long-time Virtual Assistant, don't join groups for newbies).
Where will your ideal clients or customers hang out? Join groups in those niches (so long as you're still relevant to the group as well). One of my favorite groups is the Rising Tide Society, which is predominantly photographers. If you love working with photographers, this is a great group to network in, and you don't need to be a photographer to join!
Follow the Rules
Most groups will have a set of rules that you need to follow in order to stay in the group, such as:
No harassment/bullying
No posting anything that isn't relevant to the group's theme
No DMing other members without an invitation (Proper direct messaging etiquette is a must, even if this isn’t a rule for the group!)
No self-promotion
No self-promotion is actually a rule I really like to see in the groups I join, because it means the group won't be bogged down with people posting to promote their services. Instead, you can demonstrate your expertise by commenting on relevant posts, which will organically encourage people to check out your work! A lot of users in entrepreneur groups will post to ask questions about social media, for instance, so if you're a social media manager you can offer free advice in response to these posts and invite them to message you if they have more questions. After that, you're in a one-on-one conversation where you can explain what you do and how you can help them, and you never once actually self-promoted in the group.
Engage Regularly
There won't always be actual "looking to hire" posts in your Facebook groups, and that's fine! You don't need those in order to get clients. What you need to do is show up consistently and stay engaged. This is your opportunity to create first impressions, so make sure you have a clear brand voice in all interactions!
Many of my inquiries from potential clients have started with them seeing my comments in a Facebook group and reaching out to ask about my services. I can't even always pinpoint what post they found me on because they'll check out my website and reach out to me via email. These are the best inquiries to get, because they're already interested in your offer before you've even shared it! You don't want to have to convince someone your services are worth your prices, so it's always better when you find someone who is already eager to work with you.
I keep a list of Facebook groups I engage with at least once a week on 2-3 relevant posts. If you're a social media manager, copywriter, or virtual assistant, here are the ones I personally love being a part of that you might enjoy as well:
Also, if you’re any kind of marketer or content creator and love a good laugh, join this group. Trust me, it’s the best!
Be Ready for Inquiries
Since you won't always get inquiries directly from the posts you comment on, you need to always be ready to receive them! Make sure you have your website all set up to receive them, and either join groups with your Facebook Page or have your website publicly linked in your personal profile's bio. Have any easy-to-find contact form on your website that connects directly to your email so you're alerted as soon as a new inquiry comes in!
Check your email and look in your DMs every single day. Don't forget that Facebook doesn't always show you DMs from people you aren't friends with, so you'll need to peek into your Message Requests often so you don't miss anything (usually people will ask if they can DM you first, so you'll know to expect it).
It may take time to build rapport in the group and find the right connections to really grow your business, but stick with it. Know your target market, know your offer, and know your worth. You'll have a booming biz in no time!
