Do you remember when you discovered Facebook Groups for Entrepreneurs?
I remember it well… Groups chock-full of female coaches, course creators, VAs, service providers, consultants… all offering support and ideas about this crazy world of online entrepreneurship?
I was in heaven.
And I don’t think I left the house for a week.
Okay, that might be an exaggeration… but it’s not too far off. I was enamored by all the opportunities… to read, learn, be inspired, connect, collaborate – and even promote and get clients.
And, to this day I spend at least six hours per week (yes, I’ve timed it!) in Facebook groups. I enjoy answering questions, reading about others’ experiences… And I just love showing up and being visible to my peers and potential clients.
The work I do for others is all about helping visionary coaches and course creators achieve consistent visibility and fill their programs – with less hustle and more ease. And, when it comes to my own visibility, I am at ease in Facebook groups, so I like to devote time to them.
And this strategy has paid off for me. In my three (ish) years in business, I’ve:
- made some real connections and friendships, and started valuable collaborations
- become known as a go-to expert for content systems and for Pinterest
- tripled the prices of my VIP done-for-you services
- consistently booked said services out one to two months in advance
- grown my email list
- created passive income products
- create workflows for visibility systems to sell in the workflow shop…
I don’t mean to brag. But, I have no problem celebrating my wins, as you can see! (And I hope you inventory yours regularly, too!)
I’m sharing my accomplishments just to lead up to this:
SO MUCH (possibly all!) of my success has been because of
relationships I’ve built in Facebook groups.
So, in this post, I’m going to outline 10 tips for Facebook group networking. These are the things I do to be successful and intentional about the time I spend engaging and posting in groups. If you’re a group-junkie like me, 🤣 I hope you’ll incorporate a few of these habits!
( Pssssst…. If you want to learn my *exact system* for banking my Facebook Group posts and keeping track of what I’ve posted where… you can >>> click here <<< to access a video training on it! )
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1. Contribute more than you promote.
I know… I know. This is a bit cliche. But, it’s the top request of almost every group owner for some very good reasons… but I’ll get to that below.
The truth is, it’s in the post-er’s best interest to offer more value and support than she pitches. It’s Attraction Marketing 101.
It’s critical to build relationships with people before you pitch. And, the best way I’ve found to do that in a scalable way is simply to stick to a ratio. For every one time I pitch (I define this as a sales post with a call to action to buy / join / click), I offer value, feedback, or support to others at least three times.
Here are some examples:
- Value can be posting tangible and helpful advice, steps, or info.
- Support can take the form of commenting on others’ posts to expand on their ideas or build conversation around their topic.
- Feedback can be commenting to answer a particular question being posed or offering your reactions when requested.
If one of your goals is to build real relationships with people (who may become friends, collaborators, clients), being real and helpful will go a long way.
2. Be intentional with your time and content.
While I do aim to be generous with my time and attention, that does not mean I’m not being intentional. On the contrary, I am extremely strategic about what I post – and to some degree what I comment on!
From time to time, I’ll post something that is just funny… or something random that only my online friends would understand… But the vast majority of my posts are written (either in advance or in the moment) with my goals in mind.
And, to be sure that I always have content to share that actually serves those goals, I have a Facebook group content bank that I maintain in Asana. (How’s that for intentional?) This bank is one element of my Asana project entitled “Facebook Group Engagement and Posting.”
In addition to serving as a repository for all my content (so I can re-purpose it), the project also:
- catalogs all the groups I wish to be active in
- keeps track of group rules, purpose, and culture
- provides a structure / a schedule so I don’t miss important days
- tracks what I’ve posted where
- documents my goals for posting and engaging (I review them weekly[ish] to stay focused!)
This Asana project basically allows me to be very intentional – without re-inventing the wheel each time I jump into my groups.
If this sounds like something you need, you can swipe the project and use it to organize your own Facebook group networking. I walk you through it, step-by-step, in this 60 minute video training.
3. Look to help, but offer it only if it’s being requested.
This is similar to #1, but it’s distinct in its own way, too. I am always on the lookout for people asking questions – or for feedback – around something that I have experience with. Answering or providing helpful info is a great way to showcase your knowledge.
It’s important to note, though, that you should ask yourself a question before offering a solution:
“Is this person asking for help / ideas / a solution?”
Occasionally I see people jumping in and sort of “hijacking” a thread by offering advice (or even a paid service / offer) when it was really not what the OP (original poster) was asking for. This is very subjective, and I want to be clear: I don’t see anything wrong with offering help or even your product / service/ freebie… but just check in on this first. Is this person asking for a solution? Or just looking for feedback and / or venting?
4. Search for words.
Related to number 3, this little hack has helped me a lot!
I have certain groups cataloged in my project just for word searches. (It’s usually those that are not very promo-friendly, for example groups that are “owned” by developers of software and systems like Teachable, Dubsado, ActiveCampaign, etc.)
I’ll jump into them a few times a week and search words that are related to things I help with – like “Pinterest,” “Welcome Sequences,” “Repurposing,” etc. I then sort the results by “most recent” and start reading – and adding answers and help as needed. This helps me be seen as a helpful expert. I’ve actually gotten work this way – without violating any group rules!
The Asana project I referenced in #2 above has a column to organize this work – both the groups and words I search.
5. Add photos of … You!
When I first got started in Facebook groups, I was hesitant to use images of me in my posts. I suppose it felt a bit overly “me-focused” 🙂 … And back then I didn’t have a good variety of personal brand shots that I was proud of, so that certainly played into it. So, I used a lot of stock photos, and they were fine.
But, I hear people all the time say that they get better engagement on posts that have photos of them – rather than stock images. And, if I think about how I respond to others’ posts, that makes sense. I know I gravitate much more to the ones that have personal brand photos. They just seem to grab my eye and feel more personal.
So, I got over my block. And I post photos of me all the time. 🙂 And, yes – I think those posts get the best engagement.
6. Leave groups if they aren’t a good fit.
At first, I had trouble with this. Chalk it up to FOMO (fear of missing out! 🤣).
Inevitably, though, you’ll be invited to join more groups – sometimes by people you connect with in groups! And, you will stumble upon others you want to request to join.
In my networking efforts, I don’t want to be spread too thinly. Too many groups means less time to make quality connections, less consistency, and a harder time becoming “known” for your particular zone of genius.
So, if a group is not a good fit or is not serving me, I do consider leaving it. Here are a few reasons I’ve left groups:
- The majority of the members are in geographic areas that are hard for me to collaborate with and / or serve.
- The group owner is not very present.
- When I post or comment, my contributions don’t seem to resonate or get much engagement.
- For whatever reason… I just don’t feel “high vibe” when I’m in there.
So, no hard feelings! We can’t be everywhere, so it’s best to spend time in the places that pay us the most dividends – in connection, learning, and bottom line growth.
7. Be aware and respectful of the group owner’s goals.
In the Asana project I mentioned in #2 above, each of my groups has a card where I record the name of the group owner, and what she does (how she makes money). I usually spend a little time observing her group’s culture and her calls to action, too – before I jump in and post or engage.
Group owners work hard to grow and maintain fun, helpful, active groups with great cultures. So, I always do my best to support that. Specifically, I suggest that you:
- Comment on her posts as much as possible – when you’re called to.
- Take opportunities to thank her for holding the space for engagement in the group.
- Consider her goals and her revenue sources before posting.
That last one is a bit vague so here’s an example:
One thing I help coaches and course creators with is Pinterest. Some of my value and promo posts point out that Pinterest can drive traffic to your funnel entry points, which can save you money (and worry) about the rising cost of Facebook ads. But, a few of the groups I’m in are owned by Facebook Ads Managers. In these groups, I wouldn’t lean too heavily into this messaging. Rather, I’d come at the issue from a different angle. Make sense?
Of course, by simply adding value and content, and being there in integrity, you are supporting her community, too! So, all the other tips in this post will help you be a good citizen of your groups – and keep you in the favor of the owners, too.
8. Bank your content, and don’t be afraid to post the same thing more than once.
This is a big one! There is no way I could be as present, helpful, or successful in groups without repurposing my posts.
Re-using your content is not inauthentic. It’s actually the very best way to become known for your thing. I promise you, the majority of people who see something you post have not seen it before. This is because (among other reasons):
- We are only served a small percentage of what is posted – even by our closest Facebook friends and group-mates.
- New people are constantly joining groups – especially the best and most active ones.
- People take breaks from social media. Even I (the 👸🏻 of Facebook groups) sometimes go a week or more without visiting my fave groups.
- People just aren’t paying as close attention as we might think they are (or wish they were! 😉 Everyone’s busy, and everyone is focused on their own goals. They are not counting how many times you posted that “Top 10 Strategies for XYZ” post.
Frankly, repurposing also allows groups to be a sustainable strategy. If you never re-used your best content, you wouldn’t get the benefits I’ve described above, and you wouldn’t be able to “afford” to spend time in these communities. We need you here! It’s okay to repurpose.
(BTW, I generally post the same piece of value or promo content once per group, once every few months… if you’re looking for a benchmark. Get more details on how I keep track of this in my training here.)
9. Don’t forget to promote when appropriate!
This is so important: Don’t be afraid to promote!
As mentioned above, it’s okay to be seeking opportunities to pitch your freebies and paid services. This is 100 percent one of the reasons we hang out in groups. (Unless the group is not promo-friendly… check the group rules!)
Remember in number 1 above… I said I stick to a 3 to 1 ratio? (Add value three times for every one pitch?) Well, even though I intend to pitch (when group rules allow) – and I even have my Asana project to keep me on track – I still find myself forgetting to drop my promos sometimes. And, it’s okay to forget sometimes… but be sure you aren’t holding back too much. If the group rules allow pitching, then do it!
And, rest assured that – because you are a constructive member of the community – your promos posts will be welcome and well-received. Because you’ve built relationships.
10. Have a system for your posting and engaging.
The system that I have referenced in a few places here? Total life-saver!
It keeps me on target with the time I budget weekly for groups, organizes all my posts / content, and basically allows me to be efficient… so I spend less time hunting around for “that thing I posted last week in that other group…” and I have more time to offer value and build those meaningful relationships.
You can swipe my exact system for doing this – by accessing this $57.00 training. I hope it gives you the structure and motivation you need to be a superstar networker in Facebook groups!
Learn my Facebook Group
Posting & Engagement Workflow!
