The Power Of Facebook Groups & How To Use Them To Find New Customers!

Facebook groups can be such a powerful tool for us as small business owners! Are you a member of any and are you actively using them? If not it’s definitely something you should be looking to do as they’re such a great way to grow your business! There are now over 700 million people are using Facebook groups every month – so it’s highly likely that your ideal customers are spending their time in these groups and this is why you need to be there too! There are groups on just about every topic you can think of, so you just need to spend the time to look for the ones where your ideal customers will be.

Still wondering why you need to get involved with Facebook groups? Here’s why they can be so powerful and why you need to be using them…

They are a great place to connect with your ideal customers:

Joining and being active in Facebook groups is such a great way to connect and build relationships with your ideal customers. They’re just like showing up in person to a networking event – so they’re a place to make new connections, raise your profile and build relationships with people which may turn into customers down the line. There are millions of active groups on Facebook, so the way to use these groups effectively is to find the ones where your ideal customers will be. So for me I join groups where I know that female business owners will be spending their time – and to get even more specific, I try and find groups where the focus is to help each other to grow our businesses, as I know that these people may need my help in the future. To find relevant groups just use Facebook’s search bar and then click on the groups tab at the top. So if you were a personal trainer you may type in ‘health and fitness’ and then maybe the location you are in, then just hit the groups tab and this will show all the relevant groups that matches this criteria.

You can use them to position yourself as an expert:

Once you join a group you need to make it your mission to help other members as much as you can. This is amazing for building your profile, building relationships and positioning yourself as the expert in your field. So your aim should definitely not be to sell or promote, but to be helpful, connect with other members and build relationships. Doing this will really help to build the know, like and trust factor which will result in real connections with members that have the potential to turn into customers further down the line.

They will help to grow your page, your list and your sales:

Group members that you help are very likely to want to know more about you! To do this they may visit and like your Facebook page, and if they really like what you have to say they may sign up to your email list. Once you have them as a part of your community, you can then nurture and build that relationship until they are ready to buy from you. So, to give you an example – there’s a particular group where I’m very active in answering peoples questions (where I can) and I’ve really established myself as the expert in Facebook marketing – so when people have a question they will often tag me or even sometimes message me directly. In my answers I can often direct them to one of my freebies that will answer their question and so they will then be on my list and I can then build a relationship with them and sell to them through my email marketing. But often I also get people saying – I really need help with this area or how can I work with you, and I’ll then send them details of my online programme or how they can work with me on a 1-1 basis. So see how sales can organically happen as a result of using Facebook groups effectively – they honestly can be just so powerful!

Here are a few of my top tips for the best ways to use Facebook groups:

Don’t spread yourself too thinly: Although Facebook allows you to join 5000 groups, I would say start with 5-10, as you don’t want to spread yourself too thinly. If that’s too many for you, just focus on a few that will have the highest impact for you. You can then see what these groups are like, if they are active and if your ideal customers are in there. If the group is not right for you – don’t be afraid to leave and find another, which is a better fit.

Be consistent: Make sure you’re consistent in the groups that are the best ones for you. So I have 2-3 that I try and pop into daily and interact in some way. So even if its 15 minutes a day – pop some time aside to show up and interact and even better be of help to someone. This will keep your profile up and will help to keep you top of mind, so when a fellow member does have a need for what you do, they are likely to come to you first! So make real connections and show up consistently!

Use the search bar: A great tip is to search for your key topics in the search bar of the group to save hours scrolling through hundreds of posts. See what people are asking about and help as many of these members as you can. The search bar is also great for research and content ideas – so you can see what people are struggling with in your area and then create content to help them. By doing this you will become the go to expert in your area which is an amazing way to raise your profile and credibility.

Follow these tips, be consistent and it will result in relationships and connections that will turn into new customers for your business further down the line. So go and give Facebook groups a go and make sure you let me know how you get on! 🙂

Good luck! 🙂

Nicky xx

P.s. For more free Facebook marketing tips click here!

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