Facebook Groups | 5 Things To Learn from Other Facebook Groups

One of the greatest things about Facebook groups is their ability to bring like-minded people together, creating community, inspiration, and collaboration. In the female entrepreneur space, there are several that can help you elevate your business and give you strategies to succeed. However, being a part of a Facebook group can also help you learn how to create your own successful Facebook group for your ideal clients even if they aren’t geared toward “entrepreneurship,” per se.  

Here are 5 things to study from the Facebook groups you enjoy the most.

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Who is their audience?

This is the first thing you need to think about, as it will affect the other four aspects that you will study in the group. Of course, if you are in the group, YOU are their audience. Is your customer also like you, or do you reach someone else? This is important because what may attract you and keep you engaged in your favorite groups may not be the same for your ideal client. But, for the sake of this article, let’s assume that your ideal client is similar to you.

What is their posting schedule?

When thinking about the groups you enjoy the most, pay attention to how often they post. Scroll through a month’s worth of posts, focusing on content from the brand or group manager. This will reveal whether or not they have a consistent schedule or seem to post on a whim. There is nothing wrong with either technique, depending on the audience and time you have to manage, but just jot down what you see and we’ll dive deeper in the next two sections.

What are the types of posts?

After you’ve taken a look at when they post, pay attention to what they post. Are there weekly live videos? Q&A posts? Perhaps there are blog posts or questions from the host of the group asking for feedback on new products or services? Make a list of the various post types and then you’re ready for the next step.

What posts get the most engagement?

Of the various post types and times, which posts are getting the most engagement? Chances are that they are the ones that are specifically asking for engagement, but get specific. Do group members like polls or live Q&As? What about posts from other group members? How do they rank with engagement?

How is the group manager and/or team connecting with the group members?

This is the number one factor in creating a successful Facebook group; engaging with the group members consistently and genuinely. How do the groups you are in make you feel? Do you feel like you have a voice? That you can ask questions? Share feedback? How is that communicated to you? 

There is so much to learn, even from things that we do every single day. Next time you are scrolling on Facebook or checking out the notifications from your Facebook groups, take the opportunity to use this list 5 things to learn from other Facebook groups and pay attention to what is drawing and keeping your attention! If you decide that a Facebook group is something you want to try to connect with your customers, then do more of those things!

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How to Create an Engaged Facebook Group

Having a Facebook group for your business is a great way to do A LOT of things! It can create awareness for your brand, move your ideal customer along in their buyer’s journey, and generate more leads. It can also help you learn more about what your customers want from you and to create a community among your fans, followers, and clients. BUT, having a Facebook group alone won’t do this for you. In order for your group to produce the results you want, you need to create opportunities for engagement within the group. 

Here are the top 5 ways to engage your Facebook group members. 

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A Few Things First

Facebook groups are very popular and have only increased in popularity in 2020, as people sought ways to stay connected even when they couldn’t gather in person.  Facebook continues to make it easier for people to find and participate in groups with changes in its user interface and notifications center.

Why? Because Facebook’s goal is to keep people on their platform as long as possible. When people gather in groups instead of just scrolling through their feeds, they tend to stay longer and be more active on the platform.

Why is this important to you? Because knowing that Facebook prioritizes content that keeps people on the platform, and especially groups that keep people on the platform, can help your strategy. You know that Facebook will, most likely, continue to prioritize groups that have more engagement. So, with that said, let’s talk about how you can engage your Facebook group to provide value for your members and increase your reach.

Another thing to note here is that there are multiple types of engagement on Facebook. Take likes, comments, and replies, for example. However, not all types of engagement are created equally. Likes are the most basic form of engagement. To have a truly engaged Facebook group, you need to create content that not only inspires your members to comment, but also encourages conversation among members in your group.

So, for the purposes of this article, we will be discussing how to create comments and conversation!

The 5 Ways To Engage Your Group:

Conversation Starters

Think about why your group members joined your group. You want to post consistent content that starts conversations relating to WHY they are there! You can do this by posting questions and creating polls, for example. Facebook has also added new features to help you foster more engagement with your posts. The “Host a Q&A Session” feature is a way to allow your members to ask you questions about a particular topic. You can do this by posting text or with a Live Q&A session where members submit and vote on questions for you to answer. For more about this, see this post. Another feature you’ll want to try out is “Write A Prompt.” Facebook even gives you ideas about what to “prompt” your members could do, like, “post a photo of…” or “let me see your favorite…,” for example.

Go Live

One of the best ways to drive engagement in your group is to GO LIVE! Listen, your members joined your group to get more access to you, to learn more from you, and to be encouraged by you. Going live in the group is an effective and efficient way to connect with your members, share more about who you are and how you can help them, and to answer their burning questions. Don’t be nervous. Or, be nervous, but do it anyway! Once you’ve done your first Live you will know that it is more fun than it is scary. You got this!

Chat it Up in Rooms

You may have seen this feature and ignored it. I know I did at first! Facebook “Rooms” allow you to go live and invite certain people into the room. So it’s like a small group video chat (similar to Zoom.) Unlike a Facebook Live which is focused on you presenting, a Facebook Room provides a group experience for collaboration and conversation. If you want to brainstorm with your group, this is a great option.

Share Member Content

When you initially start your group, you’ll need to be the main conversation starter and generator of content. After all, everyone is just getting to know each other. (Pro tip: People LOVE to talk about themselves, so asking questions that prompt them to do this is the fastest way to get the comments going!)

Once your group members begin to feel more comfortable, encourage them to pose their own questions or add posts to the group. Make sure you have guidelines for appropriate posts in place and, if needed, have moderation settings to allow you to approve posts before they go to the group. Having posts coming from people besides you will make the group feel more active and, in turn, prompt more opportunity for engagement.

Engage Back

This is the last, but the most important thing you can do to create an engaged Facebook group. When group members engage with you, engage back. 

You’ve asked your members to comment, to share about themselves, and to connect with others in your group. Be sure you thank them by replying to them and letting them know you see and hear them. After all, this is what people are looking for in any group – connection. When they see you are actually listening, they will keep talking. The more they talk, the more you learn about your customer and how you can serve them with your product or service.

Remember, whatever type of group you have: Brand awareness, Customer Service, Challenge Group, Lead Magnet, etc, the ultimate goal is to meet your customer. You want to learn more about them, teach them about you and your product, or turn your followers into fans. You can’t accomplish any of those things without creating a Facebook group that is active and engaged. Use these 5 strategies to get the conversation started!

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Facebook Groups: How to make sales from your small Facebook Group

Even if your Facebook group is small, you can still use it to guide your participants along in their buyer’s journey, build trust with your audience, and position yourself as an expert that can help solve their pain point. Here are 5 tips to move your group members from interested to invested and make sales from your small Facebook group!

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Have a clear group purpose

• For your Facebook group to be profitable, you will need to make sure you have a clear purpose in mind before creating and promoting it. Ask yourself, “Why would someone want to join this group?” Will you be sharing tips and ideas that you don’t share on other platforms? Are you hosting the group for participants of a challenge you’re offering as a lead magnet? 
• Whether you decide to create a group solely for community building or to do a short-term challenge or webinar series, having a clear idea of what you plan to offer your group members is key.

Deliver relevant content consistently 

• Once you’ve decided what type of group you are hosting, determine the types of content you need to create or repurpose for the group. Be sure to vary your content format: video, posts, gifs, polls, etc.
• Next, create a content schedule.  You will need to have a consistent posting plan in order to keep the group active. Groups are different from pages in that your members will be notified of activity in the group, so the more activity, the more time group members are encouraged to hop into the group to participate!
• If you can, create and schedule as much content ahead of time as you can.  Use a scheduling tool to help you stay consistent.
• Keep in mind, however, that one of the benefits of a Facebook group is that you will get new ideas from group members about what content they want from you. Be prepared to respond with new content when you feel it’s needed.

Drive Engagement

• Your content should be a combination of sharing information about your brand and gathering information about your group members.  Be sure to include posts that encourage discussion among your group members or ask them to contribute in some way. This will not only give you a better understanding of how to serve your audience, but also generate more activity, which the Facebook algorithm loves!
• Pro Tip: if you have a group of ‘raving fans’ that follow you on other platforms, ask them to help you generate conversation by commenting and engaging with others in the group! 

Share stories and case studies

• One of the biggest benefits of a Facebook group is the conversations that happen within it. As you learn more about your group members, how they are interacting with your content, and how they are benefiting from your expertise, you will be able to share their stories in different ways in the group.
• If someone has a breakthrough or big win because of a strategy or idea you’ve given, ask them if they are willing to go live in the group and share more about their experience. 
• You can also invite a member that is dealing with a pain point that your product or service solves and do a live coaching call in the group.

Give, Give, Give, Sell 

• I know we are talking about sales here, but don’t be afraid to give away a lot of your content! As Gary Vaynerchuk says, “jab, jab, jab, right hook.” In other words, give, give, give, sell. So far, the tips have been all about giving value to your Facebook group. This can come in the form of exclusive access to you, sneak peeks at new products or services, pdfs, short challenges, webinar access, and more.  The more you give away, the more trust you are building with your audience.  Remember, the buyer’s journey is long. Your free content can be anything that moves them from awareness to consideration. Then, when they are ready to make a decision, when they understand how you can help them solve their pain point, now it’s time to sell.  The value you’ve given them in the group should make the value of your service or product easy to accept and, therefore, “buy-in.”
• Pro tip: We’ve mentioned this before in other blog posts, but one thing to keep in mind when adding people to this group, make sure to gather their email addresses as part of the “join the group” process. Ultimately, your email list is the most important thing you can do for your business.  If you choose not to gather email addresses as part of members joining, you can still gather emails by sharing freebies that require an opt-in.  

Remember, Facebook groups are community builders, conversation starters, and an opportunity for you to get to know your ideal clients, generate more content and product ideas, test out potential products, create more awareness about you and your brand, and turn your warm leads into enthusiastic clients!

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5 Features of Facebook Groups You Aren’t Using

Facebook groups are easy to set up, but just hitting “publish” won’t get you the results you want. To do that, you’ll need to level up your game by using these 5 features of Facebook Groups.

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Create Clear Guidelines

Setting clear expectations for what your members should expect from you AND what they should offer in return is crucial for creating an engaging community. These expectations will help your group have effective communication skills. When your group members know how they can best participate and access your insight and knowledge, it will free them up to post, comment, and interact with other members and with you.

Teach about your products or service with Learning Units

If you created your Facebook Group to help members learn more about your area of expertise and the services you offer, Learning Units are a great option! You’ll encourage both engagement in the group and potentially generate sales.

Create units that:
1) Introduce a lead magnet
2) Walk them through a short challenge
3) Teach a mini-course to help your ideal customer
The possibilities are endless here, so get creative!

Allow your members to support and encourage each other with Mentorship

In your Facebook Group settings, you can activate the Mentorship Feature. The Mentorship Feature allows group members to share their knowledge and expertise in the group. Once you invite group members to become mentors, other members can select a group mentor. You could select certain people to offer mentorship related to the skills you are trying to teach your members, or allow it to be more community-based. Learn more about the Facebook Group Mentorship Feature here.

Use Rooms for quick meet-up experiences

This feature is relatively new, and it’s a quick way to huddle up with people, see their faces, and engage in conversations. Think Zoom or Google Meet. You can schedule a Room for Q&A time, for example, or just hop in from time to time and chat with whoever jumps on with you. Feel free to experiment with different ways to use this feature to support and connect with your audience and potential clients.

Train and utilize moderators

Ok, so this isn’t a “feature” per se, but you will definitely want to add at least one other moderator, especially as your Facebook group grows. Moderating comments, approving members, and handling the occasional negative post or comment can become overwhelming if you’re doing it alone. It’s important to set up moderators before you think you need them so that you can log off when necessary and so you’ll be prepared for the unexpected thing that pops up. And let’s face it, it’s always popping up!

So what are you waiting for? Go start a Facebook group and get connected with your current and future clients! Just be sure to utilize these 5 features to create a positive and purposeful experience that will showcase your areas of expertise, build your brand, and create a group that can’t wait for you to share your next offer.

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How to Use Facebook Groups to Find Clients

You have the perfect product or service but there’s just one thing missing – clients. Using Facebook groups to find and learn about your clients is an effective strategy. Not only will you meet and create relationships with your ideal clients, you’ll also be able to develop new products or service offers based on what you learn from them about their needs. Here are 5 steps to finding clients using Facebook groups.

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5 Steps to finding clients with Facebook groups

Step 1: Search and Research

There are over 10 million Facebook groups as of Fall 2020 due, in part, to the increased focus Facebook has put on conversations among users. Businesses, brands, and hobby enthusiasts have created virtual hangout areas on the platform. It seems that everyone has a place to gather with like-minded colleagues and friends!

While this can be overwhelming to think about, it is also great news for you as an entrepreneur. You should search for Facebook groups that answer the question, “Where would my ideal client want to hang out?” Make a list!

Once you’ve made a good list, you’ll want to check some information before joining all of these groups.

First, how many people are in the group? You’ll want it big enough to give you an adequate client sample, but not so big that your comments get swallowed in the abyss.

Second, you should look at who’s running the group and how they’re running it. What are their guidelines? Did the owner of the group create it for a clear purpose? Is it someone who is offering a very similar product or service as the one you are offering?

Answering these questions will help you choose which groups to invest in.

Step 2: Join relevant groups

Now that you have your list, choose a few groups to join that will allow you to offer the most value to its members.  Remember, ultimately, this is about introducing yourself to potential clients and building trust by sharing your knowledge with them. Zero in on groups that let you do exactly that!

Step 3: Add value

I know it will be tempting to hop right into a group and start blowing up the comments. While you do want to start engaging with group members in the comments, you want to give off the “we’re in this together” vibe and not the “used car salesman” vibe.

I know you genuinely care about people – that’s why you started your business in the first place! Just let that shine through in your interactions and you’ll do great. Share your wisdom to help others learn, grow, and benefit from your expertise.

Step 4: Create content

This step is very similar to the last one but goes one step further. Once you’ve gotten to know these potential clients and you’re sure they are great candidates for your product or service, how do you get them to become clients? You’ll need to create content specifically for them! Write blog posts, film YouTube videos, and record podcasts that speak directly to their needs. This is your opportunity to generate leads, gather email addresses, and reach them with more of your excellent content! People will already trust you from your past interactions and they’ll enjoy what you create!

Step 5: Start a group? 

This step is optional. You do not need to create a Facebook group unless you know it’s the right thing to do. To figure that out, you should read this blog post: Should I Have a Facebook Group?

That said, Facebook groups can be a great way to build your client base, regardless of where someone is on the buyer’s journey. You can create a short-term group for a mini-course or challenge-based lead magnet. To serve your existing clients and build your tribe, you could create a membership-based Facebook group. The possibilities are endless, and so are the opportunities!

Remember, you got into your business to make a difference in the lives of others. To do that, you’ve got to create trust and build relationships with those you are trying to reach. With 2.6 billion active monthly users, Facebook is a great place to start. Have an experimental mindset about this process, use it to learn more about your potential clients, and evaluate how it impacts your business before deciding if this strategy works for you.

Want to learn more from Jeanette? Check out her website for all things self-care, wellness, and more!

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Should I Have a Facebook Group?

Facebook groups can be a powerful way to create awareness about your business or product, move potential customers from consideration to decision in their buyer’s journey by providing education and value, and continue to support your customers once they are part of your tribe. However, before creating a Facebook group for your business, here are 5 questions to consider.

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5 Questions to answer before you start a Facebook Group

Question 1: What is the purpose of your group? 

Decide your purpose for the group BEFORE creating it. Your group can be a short-term group where you host a challenge or a permanent group that serves to provide on-going value or support to your community. Content and time commitment will be dependent on what your purpose is, so it is important to know this first.

Question 2: How will it serve your audience?

Now that you have your purpose, you need to make sure that your group will provide a specific value for your audience. Short-term groups that are offering a challenge, course, or window of access, have a clear value. With long-term groups, however, you want to have a strategic plan for adding value to your group members on a consistent basis.

Question 3: Do you have a content plan?

Your group content needs to be focused on creating a conversation with and among your group members. Live Q&A sessions and posts that ask for responses are great ways to get people commenting. You can even use your posts to find out more about your customers which can guide your future content creation.

Question 4: Will this group help you make money?

Regardless of your purpose for the group, the ultimate endgame is generating revenue. Time is money and if you are going to invest your time in making a successful group, it needs to give you a return on your investment. Think about what product or service you can share with this group. Make sure you have a plan to capture their email address if you haven’t already so that you can continue to nurture them.

Now, to be clear, sometimes your time investment in your customer isn’t about selling them a new product, it’s about delighting them, creating your tribe, and building a group of raving fans that can turn into ambassadors for your brand. Just make sure you decide from the outset about your group’s purpose.

Question 5: Do you have time for this group?

This may be the most important thing to consider before starting your group. As a busy woman trying to start and grow your business, you already have a lot on your plate. Do you have room for something else? Facebook groups can be a very powerful tool to grow your business, build your email list, and provide value to your audience, but only if you have time to commit to being involved (or have a team that can help you with engagement and moderation). Starting a Facebook group and then not being able to keep it active will be counterproductive and burn you out! Focus on what you do have time for and that will provide you with the most opportunity to grow your business.  Don’t just create a Facebook group because everyone else is doing it!

Still unsure about starting a Facebook group?

That is a lot to consider, I know. So I have a suggestion for you: start a short-term group as part of a lead magnet. Create a challenge around your product or service and use the Facebook group as a space for people to share their daily challenges, wins, and encourage each other. If you find that it is helpful for you and your audience, you can turn that group into a long-term Facebook group. It’s ok to experiment and then use what you learn to make future decisions about your business. Remember, you are in charge!

Want to learn more from Jeanette? Check out her 5 Minute Self-Care Guide for easy ways you can take care of yourself and your business.

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