Using a Facebook group to scale your online business
Truth: without an email list, you’re running a business that could literally be shut down at any minute.
If you’re building your business strictly on social media, you’re one algorithm change away from a non-existent business. Or what if your account gets hacked or Facebook puts you in Facebook jail? Putting all of your eggs in one basket, a FREE platform that you have no control over, is unrealistic and even irresponsible.
To take this one step farther, every single thing you do on social media should be to build your email list. You OWN your email list, you don’t own your Facebook/Instagram/SnapChat/YouTube account.
Facebook groups can be a great way to drive traffic off of Facebook and onto your email list, which is exactly what you want to do.
One of the common misconceptions with Facebook groups is that you need to have a big audience first, in order to grow a Facebook group successfully. This simply isn’t true! You can use your Facebook group to grow your email list and vice versa. There’s no reason why you can’t grow both simultaneously.
So let’s dive into your overall marketing plan for your business, where does your Facebook group fit into your business?
The function of your Facebook group is NOT to pitch your services. Unless it’s a part of a bigger marketing strategy, like a challenge or a launch, or something like that. But generally, your Facebook group DOES NOT function as a market place for your services.
And if you’re thinking that I’m wrong in this statement, be honest with yourself, do you get sales directly from your Facebook group? Odds are no. And again there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, people do not buy directly from Facebook groups anymore. This was the case in 2016, but now in 2019 Facebook group members are over it. They’ve been spammed with enough bad marketing in the online space that they now no longer buy from Facebook groups.
The secondary function of your Facebook group is to develop the know, like, and trust factor.
And now how does this play into your BIGGER marketing plan? People do not buy from you if they do not know, like, and trust from you.
Think of your Facebook group like a party and you are the host. It is your job to greet new members, to get to know them, to meet them where they are, and to support them in becoming comfortable in your group. Connect them to other group members, inspire them, and support them.
The unique thing about a Facebook group that is very different from email marketing is that you can interact in a more genuine and unprompted way in your Facebook group. You can offer support, inspire, coach, advise your group members without expecting anything in return and without them taking time out of their day to exert more effort to respond to your emails.
Now this will change as your group grows, but as much as you want to serve your group members, you have to keep your boundaries up. And believe me, this is way harder than it seems. But as the host of your group you can want to help everyone and to comment, engage, and support everything everyone posts. And that’s simply not sustainable. You need to limit your time, your expertise, and your resources when it comes to your FREE Facebook group. You cannot and should not be spending a ton of time in there, that does not serve you or your existing clients who are paying you their hard-earned money.
In my Facebook group I actually have a strict “no coaching” policy when it comes to how much free information I share. My clients are paying me for my coaching and by coaching someone else who is not paying me, that isn’t fair to them. Plus, by me coaching someone for free in my Facebook group I don’t really know where they are in their business, what their goals are, or what their struggles are. So by me swooping in and trying to coach them without knowing all of that information, I may be telling them strategies that will not work for them, because again, I don’t know them!
All of this to say, be careful with how much of your energy, expertise, and advice you pour into your free group. Make sure that it is serving you and your group members in the biggest, best way possible.
Just like all things in our businesses, our Facebook group is a tool to help us grow. I strongly believe that everyone is capable of having a successful Facebook group, it just need to be done with intention and strategy. Once you start to treat your Facebook group like a tool that contributes to a larger marketing plan, it will help you to achieve your very specific, inspiring, and measurable goals, that will help you to scale, and quick!
Two ways I can help you to scale your amazing online business:
There is tool, built within our Facebook groups, that can help you to grow your email list, every single day, on automate. It’s so easy, and so underutilized! You can access the short 3.5 minute training by clicking here.
I’m hosting a Masterclass called ‘4 Steps to a Highly Engaged (and Profitable) Facebook Group’ that will walk you through the four things every single successful Facebook group needs. To get registered click here.
If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to leave your biggest takeaway in the comments and/or share it to your audience!
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Email: allison@allisonhardy.com
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