If you are already on Facebook – congratulations! You have tapped into one of the best forums to communicate with your potential customers. But how are you using it?
While posting up on your business or personal page with information about who you are and what you offer can be a great place to start, it will not organically grow your following and improve your standing as a reputable business.
In fact, simply re-posting a sales pitch could actually lead people to ‘unfollow’ you to free up their already busy newsfeed.
The secret to growing your following and actively engaging with couples who are planning their wedding lies in Facebook groups.
What are Facebook Groups?
These are online communities that can be started up by anyone and focus on any interest or activity. If you can talk about it, there is a Facebook group for it, so it is no surprise that wedding planning groups are out there in abundance.
The trick with groups is that those with business profiles cannot join them, so you’ll need to either use your personal profile to join. If you don’t want potential clients to get glimpses of your personal life, you can also create a new personal profile that you only use for work purposes.
There are three classes of Facebook group – open, closed, or private. The former allows anyone to jump on board, while you need to request permission to join a closed group and this will be either approved or rejected by the group’s administrators.
Private groups can only be seen by members and you will need to be sent an invitation to join this type of group, therefore it is not the best forum for business growth.
How do I join?
Simply type some key words into the Facebook search engine and it will bring up suggestions for you. You may also look at who other people in your industry are connecting with by looking at their Pages or Groups tabs.
This can give you an idea of where to get started. Be mindful that groups often have rules surrounding promoting businesses, so make sure you read through them to know what you can and can’t do in order to avoid being booted out.
How do I best use groups?
Fight the urge to join as many groups as you can and keep it to a select few that you can actively monitor and manage. You will quickly be able to tell which groups will be best suited to you and we would suggest those that allow couples to ask open questions about their wedding planning are the best ways to insert yourself into a group conversation.
Take some time out each day to monitor your groups and see if there are any questions you can provide answers to. This will position you as an expert in your field and other group members will be able to note how often you post and how useful your information is.
This will build you an organic following and make you easily searchable when couples are looking for a professional in your field for their wedding. In short, the leads will come naturally!
Once again, avoid posting self-promoting posts and giving sales pitch-style advice, it will turn people off. Instead, think of creative ways to show off your products, like asking a group member if they prefer one product over another and including photos.
Instead, think of these groups as networking opportunities – a forum where you can get to know them and build your reputation. You will be amazed at what you will learn from potential clients.
