Most of my clients come from my Facebook group (95% to be exact). That might surprise you, especially if you have a group but you’re not making money from it. Well strap yourself in, because in this post I’m going to break down all the ways you can grow your group (and start to make money from it!).
DISCLAIMER: please know there’s no ONE way to market. We are so lucky to have the ability to connect with our clients in so many different places. You don’t have to have a Facebook group to land clients…but if your audience is spending most of their time on Facebook, it’s a good thing for you to consider!
The key is having an audience where people can learn more about you. Having your own audience means not relying on referrals or other people to bring in business. That means you’re in complete control of when and how you bring in clients.
Case in point: I know I can promote anything I offer inside my group and people will purchase. That’s not bragging – it’s a fact. Imagine having that kind of confidence and freedom in knowing you can get clients anything you want. Having your own audience is the key to achieving that.
There are 8 specific steps I’ve taken to grow my Facebook group from 0 to 2,100. These are steps anyone can take – regardless of the size of your group:
1. Be intentional.
What’s your message? What do you want your audience to gain from you?
Be intentional with what content you’re putting out inside your group and the offers you’re promoting. Consistency is key here – choose 4-5 pillar topics you’ll talk about inside the group and focus only on those. Don’t jump around everywhere or you’ll confuse your audience.
2. Create a destination event.
People need a reason to join your Facebook group (and no, free doesn’t cut it). When I started my group, I created a free challenge about growing your target audience. In order to view the challenge, people had to join my Facebook group. 100 people joined the challenge and then I left the group open afterward and continued to grow it from there.
You have to give your audience a purpose for joining your group, but more importantly you need to share what’s inside your group and what they can gain from it. Don’t tell people you have a Facebook group and ask them to join…TELL them what they’ll gain from spending time in your group. If you have a specific training or resource inside your group, promote that vs. your group as a whole.
3. Promote your group everywhere.
My Facebook group is my hub. Meaning it’s the primary place I point people to so they can get to know me. I have links to my group everywhere I can – in my email signature, my email sequence for new list members, my Facebook profile, my Facebook page, my Instagram bio, my LinkedIn profile, on my website, etc. There is so much available “real estate” online – post a link to your group in as many places as possible so people can find you no matter what platform they’re on.
I also promoted my group in other Facebook groups. I know, I know…there are promo rules but guess what? Those primo rules mainly apply to people who are dropping links unsolicited in the group. What I do is search for posts using keywords that pertain to my area of expertise. When I find a post that is asking a question I can answer, I will respond. I always answer the question and provide value immediately. Then I say something like: “I have a resource inside my group that talks about this very topic. Would you like the link?” The person almost always says yes and because I asked permission first, I drop the link right there in the thread. The beauty is that the person who posted requests to join my group, as do 5-10 other people who were watching the post behind-the-scenes.
Some groups are stricter than others, so this strategy may not always work. The point is: be a real human, engage in conversation, offer value, and then ask them if they’d like your resource. They have free will to say no (but most won’t)!
4. Be consistent.
I show up consistently in my group. That means every day I’m in there delivering valuable content to my audience. I’m also consistent with sharing my entrepreneur journey and talking about what’s worked and what hasn’t.
Some of you might be shocked that I show up everyday. It might feel like a lot to you. But here’s the thing: if you want your people to show up everyday for you, you need to do the same for them. It doesn’t mean you have to be in your group 24/7. You can batch content ahead of time and schedule it. Remember – not everyone sees every single post in your group. You need to post way more often to get more eyeballs on your stuff. If that overwhelms you, start by posting once a day Monday-Friday and then add on from there.
Create a schedule for when you’re posting and what you’re posting. That way there’s no guessing involved.
5. Honesty.
Honesty and transparency is a huge factor in how I grew my Facebook group. I never sugar coat things. The way I see it, how am I supposed to gain trust if I’m not being honest with my audience?
If transparency isn’t your thing, that’s okay. You can still be transparent without sharing your entire life story. People are curious by nature and so they want to know what has worked for you and the obstacles you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are today. Talk about that stuff in your marketing. Show them why you do what you do. That will begin to position you as the expert, which builds trust and credibility (two essential ingredients to landing clients).
6. Take time to listen.
I listen to the members in my group. They might not know it, but I’m listening. I care about my audience’s challenges as I want to be able to serve them better. That’s why I like to ask questions about topics and polls as I want to gain insight and provide value solutions.
Make your group about the people in it – not about you. Connecting with your audience on a deeper level requires taking time to listen to their challenges, what they want most, their fears, etc. Not to mention it’s all stuff you can use in your own messaging. When you get a deeper understanding of what your audience is going through, your messages will resonate with them and they’ll want to work with you because they know you understand them.
7. Take care of your members.
I take care of the people in my group. I offer exclusive trainings, step-by-step content, giveaways, free coaching calls, etc. I check in with them regularly to see how they’re doing. I treat them like real humans…because they are!
Why do I give so much away? Because I want my group to be so valuable that people can land clients just from watching the free stuff. If they can get business from the free stuff, then they’ll start to wonder what’s possible if they invested in working with me.
Remember, your group members become your best ambassadors. They’re often the ones sharing your Facebook group with other people and tagging you in posts inside other groups. I once gained 100 new members in less than 24 hours because someone tagged my group inside another group. I didn’t have to do any marketing…my ambassadors did it for me. Talk about having an impact without having to do extra work!
8. Relax and have fun.
This probably sounds like a no-brainer right? But, we tend to forget this in the process of growing our group.
My Facebook group is fun for me and doesn’t feel like work. I love building relationships. I have to keep myself from spending all my time in my group. Frankly, I believe I land so many clients from my group because people pick up on my excitement. They see me having fun and they know I’m enjoying the process of growing my group. They gravitate toward my energy and that makes them want to work with me.
If you’re acting like your group is an obligation and you’re only showing up because you have to…then your audience is going to sense that and won’t stick around.
Ask yourself, how can you make your group unique and fun? Think of it as a giant house party and you’re the host. What would you want to do at the party? Experiment a little, try some new things and see where it goes. There truly is no right or wrong way to grow a group…as long as you’re showing up authentically.
Looking for more tips on growing a group that converts? Check out my Accelerate Your Audience webinar!
The webinar teaches my 5-step framework that will help you create your own audience of dream clients who are dying to work with you. That way, you can have the freedom of knowing that you can land clients anytime you want.
Happy growing!