You have heard that Facebook is not all about watching cat videos and stalking your exes. Word on the street points to it as the new frontier in growing business.You are eager to see how you could apply your favorite social media and Facebook groups for coaching business.
But you have no clue about how to get started! If the above scenario describes your present predicament then you are in luck.
Facebook business groups are all the rage nowadays. Businesses are using it to get new customers and position their work in the public eye. You too could be a part of this ingenious method of advertising just as long as you know what you are doing. And in this article we will discuss both how to use your own groups and how to get the most out of other people’s groups.
Why You Should Join Facebook Business Groups
I know you are just as eager as I am to jump into the main purpose of this article, but let’s get that niggling question out of your mind first. Why should I join Facebook business groups?
Imagine a scenario where all of your target customers are in one room. What will you do with such opportunity? I know you are a smart person. After all, you are reading my blog!
As a smart person, you would seize the situation to create awareness for your business. And how do you make the people in the room aware of what you offer? If the first answer that comes to your mind is sharing your business cards, I can only hope you do all you can to join the rest of civilization in this modern century.
No one, except your grandma, wants to hear whatever business or services you have to offer if it’s not going to help them. And it does not matter if your product is a unicorn that farts gold dust 7 times in a day. On another note, if you do have such a product, just leave your email in the comment section and I will contact you for uh research.
Help them, help you
In essence, the only way you can improve awareness of your business in a Facebook group is if you are helpful. Answer questions that you are knowledgeable about, share relevant blog posts to questions, direct enquirers to your products or services that could aid them resolve a challenge. In other words, a Facebook business group is not a place to play mute, leave that for times when your mother-in-law is visiting.
Won’t I come off as a know-it-all? I can almost hear you asking. Well honey, the rules of business are much different than those of your high school.
In business, it is better to come off as a know-it-all than a know-it-not. Regularly providing solutions to others puts you and your business at the forefront of other people minds. Why? Because it shows you as an authority who can be trusted to give reliable solutions.
How to Find Groups on Facebook
So let’s pretend you don’t know what Facebook groups are even though those 78, 245 cat pages you belong to say otherwise. Don’t worry I won’t let the cat out of the bag (pun intended). In essence, Facebook groups are small communities built on a central theme.
Due to the sheer number of Facebook users, running into billions, you can find a group for virtually anything you can think of. That reminds me, if anyone knows about any cats practicing knitting group, please post link in the comments and save a soul, thanks.
As I was saying, there are millions of groups on Facebook and you can join up to 6,000 of them at once. Yes I would know this because all of my waking hours are spent following my 5,968 cat groups; it is not an obsession I promise.
So to join a group, simply enter your Facebook account and click on Groups which is located in the Explore section of your Home page. From there, it will open the Discover Groups page where you can see various group suggestions by Facebook based on things you have liked or groups your friends belong to.
Moving on, don’t be in a hurry to join any group. Take your sweet time to browse and find the appropriate groups that includes people matching your target customers.
Pro Tip: To use your time wisely, be sure to join groups that attract your ideal audience. Otherwise, you’ll be spending time at the wrong party.
Usually, Facebook groups can either be closed or public groups. Public groups simply require you to click the like or join button while for closed groups, you may be asked to answer questions before joining.
A note of caution, do ensure you read the rules guiding the groups before you join or else you will be kicked out. I say this as a veteran who has been banned from one too many groups for fighting with people who refuse to buy the latest toy for their cats. Who cares if the cats won’t use it? I know I don’t!
When your request to join a group is successful, familiarize yourself with the modus-operandi of the group. Do the members communicate in text-speak, nerd-speak or a mixture of both? Do they type out a war cry or post pictures of themselves bathing in chicken's blood before asking questions?
It is only after you have understudied the group that you can successfully fit in with them.
Why You Should Create Your Own Facebook Group
Yes, it is fun and enriching participating in other groups but most times you have to play by certain rules which can be stifling for your coaching business. But when you have your own group, you get to lay the rules and control the entire experience. However it is not as easy as just opening a group.
Like any other business venture ask yourself why you need the group and what you intend to use the group for. Still have no clue?
I’ll help you with the most common ways business owners use Facebook groups for coaching business. Feel free to poach any of them.
Form a community catered to products
Create an aura of exclusivity for your clientele with this method. Create a group strictly for people who buy your products or services. In addition, you can also use the group as a platform to offer extra help and training to members.
Form a community focused on a topic
Instead of using your business name for a group, give it a name that reflects a specific topic you are an expert in. For instance, if I were to open a group, I will name it ‘How to Speak Cat.’ You can see that this is a subject I am well versed in. And I am pretty sure it will attract people who are also interested in speaking cat. Meow meow?
Establish authority
How about a group for your faithful email subscribers? Use that group as an avenue to establish yourself as an authority. Share useful tips, tutorials, articles that can educate and inspire your customers.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let’s walk through the process of building your Facebook business group.
Create a Business Group on Facebook
On the Group page we earlier accessed from your Facebook Home profile, tap on Create a Group. A dialog box will appear allowing you to fill in your preferred group name, set the privacy level of your group, and add people. No one likes being added to a group without their consent, so don’t take that douche bag route.
For now, you only need one person in the group. Just add someone who is aware of your group and can keep their big mouth shut about it until you are ready to tell everybody.
Okay, but what about the privacy level? How do you know which one is best for your group? I will describe them for you and allow you make your choice.
Closed Groups: It is open to everyone but the group administrator has to accept your requests before you join. People who are not members of the group cannot see any group posts. So you are free to share information with members without fear of everyone seeing it.
This group is extremely popular with businesses because of the layer of privacy it gives.
Public Groups: Everyone and their mama can join this group. In fact, they can see the posts even without joining. This type of group is famous for attracting spammers who come with their own contents and sometimes derail the group. A public group is ideal if you want to discuss a specific event or topic.
Secret Groups: Just like its name, it is open to only a select few and is built on a type of service you offer such as premium coaching. It cannot be found in the search engine and can only be accessed by invitation. If you choose, you can charge members of the group a monthly fee for the services you provide.
This type of group establishes your business as an authority.
When you have selected the privacy level that suits your coaching business, select Create and you’re done. Next stop is to set images, banners, logos, details etc.
Customize the group
Yeah yeah, that picture you took during your last vacation in Paris looks beautiful but let’s be serious here. Add a cover photo that fits with the theme of your group. Ideally, the dimensions should be 828 x 315 pixels. Once the image is properly uploaded, set the rules guiding the group and write down a thorough description of the group.
Done it? Now complete this section by clicking the ‘…’ button.
Choose the group type
How do you want Facebook to categorize your group in a search? Do you want your group to pop up when people are searching for ways to slay Voldermort? What is the purpose of your group?
Will your group offer customer service or educate people? Is it created around a business’s event? Asking yourself these questions will help you know the group type to choose.
When you have selected your group type, fill in the Web, Description, Locations, Email Address and Tags settings.
Once you’re done with that, add about two to four posts for new members to read. Do ensure that one of the posts is dedicated solely to the rules of the group. In addition, sticky that rules post to the top so that newer members can always refer to it.
Pro Tip: Sounds too overwhelming? Just hire Virtual A Team to handle this for you and focus on the fun parts of having a group.
Invite people to the group
You’re finally done drafting your group plans so who do you invite? I will advise that you keep sentiment out of this. Now is not the time to invite Aunt Linda who is famous for spamming her friends’ timeline with Junior’s latest potty progress.
Neither should you accept Chad who loves doing live videos naked when he's drunk. No matter how much you love them, leave your family and friends out of your business group.
Beam your searchlight on places where your target customers converge and invite them. There are also other methods to get people into your group, here are some of them:
- Share your group link on all of your favorite social media platforms.
- Send an email to customers on your mailing list telling them about the group. Don’t forget to include the link to your group in the email.
- Add a button on your website that immediately takes visitors to your group.
Manage and Organize Contents for Your Group
I believe this part is more important than even creating the group itself. You should identify a strategy for getting contents that will support the purpose of your group. For instance, is your group a place for people who are already customers?
Or will your group be a meeting point to sell your products and services to members? Also, what type of content will your group be known for? Will the content be educational, inspirational or entertaining?
Sit down and answer these questions before you open your group to the public. The success of your planning will determine if your group is the place to be or the place to leave. That rhymes huh?
How to Get Content for Your Group
I am going to let you into places where you can scope out interesting and engaging contents for your group. This article is already long enough so let’s just dive in.
Buzzsumo: This site gives you the trending topics on the internet. If that is too wide, you can go to its search box and type in keywords that are related to your group. Buzzsumo will immediately give you the most popular articles in your search category and the social media sites they are shared on.
Google News: This is the fastest way to get timely articles that can keep members of your group informed. Simply type your keyword into the Google search box, and click on News. This will filter the articles by most recent.
Industry awareness: You can also keep up to date with news in the coaching industry by listening to relevant podcasts and sharing it with group members.
Encourage Members Participation
There is nothing as worse as a dead group. Mere thinking about it gives me the creeps. The only way to avoid this is to encourage participation by your group members. If your brain clamps up at the thought of creating contents for your group, here are some ideas to help you on that journey:
Daily Theme Prompts:
Use daily prompts to encourage members to post about a specific topic daily. For instance, Mondays could be business days for members to share their latest products or services. Tuesdays could be story time days while Wednesdays can be catnip days. Hey, I love my cats okay. These daily prompts allow members to know more about each other.
Tutorials:
Create a habit of leaving weekly tutorial videos for members of your group. Apart from showing that you are willing to help your members, it also establishes your business as an authority in the coaching industry.
Quizzes:
Quizzes add to the fun interaction of a group. You can also use them to gather relevant data from your group members.
Challenges:
Everyone loves solving fun challenges especially when there is a prize attached to it. Take advantage of this fact by creating a challenge and inviting your members to join in.
Live Q&As:
This is an extremely popular activity in large Facebook business groups. Schedule a Q&A session once a week, if you can handle it, and answer questions or inquiries from your group members.
Polls:
Hit a creative slump and don’t know the next step to take? Let your group members do all the work. Create a poll for your next logo or blog post and invite members to vote on it.
Apart from giving you fresh ideas, it makes everyone feel as a part of the success of your group.
Hire a Group Manager
You should consider this option when your group continues to grow in leaps and bounds. This manager will help you focus on the group’s objectives while they keep an eye on the comments and posts. You don’t need to go outside your group to get competent managers. Just look for members that are active and always helpful.
In a Nutshell
We just looked at the different ways you can use Facebook groups for coaching business. Most of the things discussed in this article include reasons you should join a Facebook group, how you can find that perfect group, and of course, all you need to know about creating your own group.
Hopefully with the tips shared in this article, you too can use the reach and power of Facebook to attract potential clients, increase your following, and bring in the dough. Surely, that sounds like the American dream!
