Should you have a Facebook Group for your Business?

In my work as a Certified Business Coach, a question I often hear is whether or not a business should have a Facebook Group. Facebook Groups are a great way to engage with your audience and build relationships, which is key to the next step, which is to get them to buy from you. But Facebook Groups are not for every one or for every business.

Before you start a Facebook Group there are a few things you need to consider:

1)   Is your audience on Facebook?

Not every business’ audience is spending a lot of time on Facebook. You need to research and find out if your audience is on Facebook. You also need to be clear on who your ideal audience is – once you know this, you will have the information you need to tell whether or not they spend time on Facebook.

2)   Do you like Facebook?

If you don’t like Facebook, chances are you are not going to like running a Facebook Group for your business. I am not going to lie, having a Facebook Group can be a lot of work and requires a lot of time on Facebook. That being said, I love Facebook so I am enjoying myself while I engage with people in my Facebook Group. But if you do not like Facebook – you won’t like running a Facebook Group.

If your audience is on Facebook and you love being there too then go ahead and start a Group, and once you start a Group, focus on what you need to do to make your Group work for you.

1)   You need to know what your audience wants

What is it your audience values? What is it they are looking for? What do they need? You need to be clear on what you want them to know and what they want to know – it’s not always the same thing.

2)   Simple is better

Smaller amounts of content are better. This is why GIF posts are so popular. They’re easy, they are fun and it makes commenting and engaging simple. People don’t like to take risks and look dumb - especially online. So, ask simple questions, such as: Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Simple questions get your engagement up and get people talking. And the more people talk, the more they will see what you post next.

3)   Post regularly

There are always people online who watch and don’t post or engage so you need to post at least daily, if not more. Give your audience value and keep it simple… bite-sized pieces of information.

What is it you like most about Facebook Groups? Are Facebook Groups right for your business? Leave a comment and let me know.

Resources & Links

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Why Business Owners Should Be Using Facebook Live

#3 Why Business Owners Should Be Using Facebook Live

Are you a small business owner looking to build your audience and increase your know, like and trust factor with potential clients? Live video is the latest marketing technique used to educate audiences on what it is you have to offer, and social channels, such as Facebook are rewarding those who have ventured in to live video.

Allison Hardy is a Business Strategist for mompreneurs who focuses on the importance of Facebook Live. I first saw Allison in a Facebook Live in a popular group I'm a member of and knew I needed to talk to her—so she is joining me on the podcast today.

Allison uses Facebook Live because she believes live video builds your know, like and trust factor. When we buy something, it is because we have developed a relationship of knowing and trust with a business or person.

Why choose Facebook Live?

Facebook Live is real time– you cannot hide or edit. Viewers can ask questions live and you can answer in real-time creating a genuine connection.

Periscope started the live video trend in 2015 and business owners were quick to start building big empires by connecting with people via live video. Because of this Facebook created Facebook Live and reward those who use it.

How does Facebook favour Facebook Live?

Facebook Live videos will show up in newsfeeds more than other text-based posts. They want people watching Facebook live videos so when people do them they show up in newsfeeds more. A lot of pages and groups also will send you a notification when someone you know is on live, which means even more viewers. Facebook Live will get you in front of your people more often.

In addition to favouring people using it, Facebook also favours engagement. If you are offering really valuable comment, people are going to share, react and give you comments. The more people engage with your Facebook Live, the more it will continue to be seen long after the live is over.

Another thing to note is that Facebook likes it when people stay on Facebook. Creating native content (uploading a video directly to Facebook or a Facebook Live) is a way to keep people where Facebook wants them and can get you better reach than when you direct them to another website.

One way to get more bang from your live is to broadcast your Facebook Live video from your Business Page and then share it into other groups. This helps more people see it and shares are popular with the algorithm.

The value to broadcasting Facebook Lives directly within a group is that you are providing added value for being a member of that group. 

What if I make a mistake?

People make mistakes and that’s okay! The more you do Facebook Live the more confident you will be. Find a safe place and just do it. More often than not people are supportive when mistakes happen. You just have to muster up the guts and confidence to do it. People realize you are putting yourself out there—not everyone does live video so it is something that people will tune into and want to watch. They want to learn from you. They want to see how you relate and what you have to offer.

What should I talk about?

What are you working on right now? What mistakes have you made and how are you going to fix them? Talk about the things you are working on in your business or a mistake that you made or how you are setting yourself up for success. People want to hear about what you are working on, so talk about that. Even if you don’t find a certain topic interesting, someone else out there does. There is always someone out there looking to learn from you.

Final tip

When you are doing Facebook Live always ask for engagement. Invite followers to engage from the very beginning. Ask them to say “hello,” then, when you launch into your content, ask them pointed questions. Asking questions builds engagement and increases your know, like and trust factor and means more and more people will keep seeing the content you've taken the time to create.

Will you be using Facebook Live? Leave a comment with a link to one so we can come and check it out, or come on over to the Biz Studio Community and try Facebook Live out with us!

Resources & Links

Allison’s Ultimate Facebook Live Checklist

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Biz Studio Community

Podcast Contest

As this new podcast gets off the ground, I’d really love your help to make sure that it gets in front of the right people. The first weeks of a podcast’s life are the most important in terms of the opportunities for iTunes to showcase you to other listeners. Because of that, I’m starting out this new podcast with a bang. There are 3 episodes available for you right now, and there will be at least two more episodes every week for the remainder of the eight weeks.

I thought I’d find some extra ways to thank you for all the sharing and supporting you do of the new podcast so every week until July 15th I’m going to be giving away one of my favourite business books to one person who either:

• subscribe to the podcast or leave a review on iTunes; or
   
• share the podcast on social media; or
   
• come in to the Biz Studio and post your favourite tip from a specific episode (along with a link to that episode)

In all cases, you need to make sure that I either know who you are (email me a screen capture of the review or showing you are subscribed) or that the posts on social media are public and tag me (@larawellman) or the Biz Studio (on Facebook you can tag my page).

Each week I’ll be announcing the book winner on Wednesdays on my Facebook page

Some of the books I’ll be giving away are (I’ll be adding more titles soon):

• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• It Starts with Why by Simon Synek
• How to Live a Good Life by Jonathan Fields
• E-myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

So get out there and start sharing your reviews and sharing the podcast and good luck. AND THANK YOU!