building your brand on facebook by joining FACEBOOK GROUPS

We all know the importance of joining Facebook groups and there are so many that you can join but don't join if you are not going to participate in the discussions in the group!

Below are my 6 top tips to ensure that you make the most of the groups you are in.

1. FOLLOW THE RULES OF EACH GROUP!
Each Facebook group has its own set of rules and it’s very important that you follow the rules. Some are standard, like “no self-promotions.” Others are more complex and often forgettable, like “no links allowed in comment replies.” They all usually have different types of content threads scheduled for different days of the week. Follow the rules of the group and this should stop you from being removed from the group for disregarding the rules! If you don’t have a great memory make notes of the key points of the rules of each group as a reminder.

2. INTRODUCE YOURSELF BUT REMEMBER IT’S YOUR BUSINESS YOU WANT PEOPLE TO SEE
When you first get added to a group you are offered a ‘free introductory post’ and this is a huge opportunity which you must make the most of. It can often be the only time you get to promote yourself because promotions are often against the rules of the group but check the rules!

3. BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT IN EACH GROUP
This is key. The more you post in a Facebook group, the more memorable you will be to other members, and the more chance you will have to get referrals from other people / potential clients. This does not mean that you should spam! A few comments in each group per day is enough. Don’t comment on every post – you will just annoy people. Add something only if you have something useful to say.

If you are really trying to use Facebook strategically, then you need to spend an hour or so a day in Facebook groups. If you cannot dedicate that much time to Facebook, consider reducing the number of groups you belong to until a shorter amount of time becomes enough to be active in each group.

Part of being active is keeping track of which group has which theme on which day.
 
4. SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND OFFER YOUR EXPERTISE
One of the best ways to promote yourself on Facebook is by sharing knowledge. If someone asks a question about a subject relevant to your business, always try to help them if you can! Answering people’s questions shows that you are an expert in your field. Perhaps you know another business that can help – then suggest they get in touch with them. However you respond, it is promoting your brand because if others hover over your name it will show them a link preview to your Facebook business page. It also shows you to be a very helpful person and a nice person!
 
Adding to this, if you are answering a question about a topic in your field of experience, add a sentence at the end saying if they need help…. then get in touch (thereby promoting your services).
 
Even if they are not interested, people tend to come back with a “thanks” or thumbs up but people very rarely respond in a negative way. By offering help or advice and then adding a “soft sell” you are promoting your business but in a pleasant and not pushy way.

5. BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
You will probably have noticed that often you come across a post whereby someone is looking for recommendations. From my point of view, they may be looking for help with their social media, or they may be looking for someone to build a simple website - and already they have had lots of responses.

These posts are very popular and often there are already 20+ comments from people offering their services before you have even seen the post. You would probably choose not to respond – but it may be that they are looking for you – so add your name and a link to your website on that list. Don’t miss the opportunity to promote your business!
 
6. FINALLY, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE
If you’re going to be using Facebook for your blog/business, you need to have a business Facebook page. That is really important because, (as mentioned earlier) if somebody is interested in another group member, they can hover over that person’s name to get a preview of their business page. 
 
It’s also crucial that you continue to make sure that your Facebook page is properly updated! Go through your Facebook page at least once every few months and update any old or missing information. Change your pinned post, update your header image, give your business’ description a refresh. If someone clicks over to your page, you want them to see relevant information and you want them to see that you have a fairly active page.
 
Happy posting – and good luck with your business marketing through Facebook Groups.