There is so much free marketing opportunities available now that we haven’t had before – especially in Facebook groups where you can contribute to, access to a lot of people that are probably your target market, and unprecedented access to our particular target market that we would not have offline.
So today I wanted to talk about my take on Facebook etiquette and what it looks like to sell into Facebook groups.
We’ve all been in groups where it turns into a big sales fest. Or maybe you asked a simple question and somebody answers you with “here is my program!”
Imagine, especially, if you’re in a group you’re asking for health advice for you or your child, and instead of getting the top tips you get a big sales spiel.
Instead, I’ve got four things you should absolutely do to maximise your potential when it comes to selling in a group, plus four things you really shouldn’t do, at all, ever if you want to avoid being slimy and salesy.
Four Don’ts to Avoid Being Salesy in Facebook Groups
1. Don’t Post Sales Links with No Context
Don’t just stick a link to your new sales page without a helpful tip or some connection to the current conversation.
Make sure you give a little bit of a description and that you’ve put it into context. You need to provide a combination of context and content anytime you put up a link.
It’s really beneficial and helpful – and kind of just good manners – to be able to describe why that link is there. Don’t just throw up a link and then run away.
The idea of a Facebook group is to connect with like-minded people. I consider Facebook groups a lot like a lounge room or a barbecue where you’ve invited a whole bunch of mates over.
To respect that space, you cannot just slam up your stuff on all the walls.
2. Don’t Post Yes Chains
Don’t post “Please comment XX below if you would like to hear more about…. .“ That’s called a Yes Chain.
It’s essentially trying to set up an opt-in without going to the effort of setting up an opt-in. It’s just rude.
If you know a little bit about the Facebook algorithm, what happens is that every time somebody replies to that thread, everyone who’s part of that group is going to get a notification. That’s a clever – in a salesy, slimy kind of way – trick to get information, but it’s not very nice.
It’s a bit like being in that barbecue in the middle of a conversation and suddenly someone throws up their hand and yells, “yes!” and a few moments later, someone else throws up their hand and yells, “yes!”
Not a fun place to be.
3. Don’t Post “Admin Delete…” Posts
If you have to write, “Admin delete if not allowed” at the front of your post, it’s very likely that you already know it’s either on the borderline of, or you’re definitely going to get it deleted.
It takes just as long to find the Admin and send them a little note asking whether or not you can put it there. Otherwise, it appears a little bit slimy.
So don’t ever write “Admin delete if it’s not allowed.”
4. Don’t Join Facebook Groups You’re Not Actually Interested In
You know there are thousands of groups on Facebook. As you know, I run the Natupreneur Hub group on Facebook, plus some other groups specifically for my mastermind programs and the Club. When people apply to be in a group, the administrator gets to see all the groups that the applicant is a part of.
There are some people who are actually in thousands of groups – literally 1264 groups that they are a member of.
If you are in that many groups, the Admins can kind of tell that you’re group hopping just to throw your stuff in there. Instead, just join groups where you’re actually contributing to the conversation and you’re getting a lot out of it as well.
If you’re just in there to contribute when it’s sales time for you like, “Oh, my new course is out!” and then you stick your thing up, it’s really going to appear slimy.
I’m sure you’ve been on an email list and you never get regular newsletters or updates or nice little connections with them. The only time you hear from that person is when their new sales thing is out – their new program or when they’re selling a spot on a retreat. They’re not actually having a conversation with you.
I know I’ve been on a couple of lists like that and it doesn’t make me want to buy from them. If they only want to talk to me when they want to sell me something, when they want to get something from me, then they’re not providing the giving part of the rule of reciprocity.
Four Do’s to Maximise Your Potential in Facebook Groups
1. Be a Giver
If you are in, say, a thyroid group and you really love treating thyroid. You can go in there every week and help by answering three questions with a tip.
Some people get you themselves all confused and wonder how much to give or what is too much to give.
You know when you’re walking down the street or out somewhere having a cup of coffee and somebody comes over and says, “Oh you’re that naturopath or nutritionist! My friend came and saw you for this particular thyroid condition. Would you be able to just give me your top two tips about what I need to do when I go to the doctor?”
You know straight off the top of your head what you’re going to do and say. There is always one or two tips that you could give. It doesn’t have to be something that involved practitioner-only products. It could be a tip that they could Google anyway. But because it’s coming from you, it’s going to be really beneficial for them.
When you give that, they then want to give back. It’s the Rule of Reciprocity.
When you are in that mode of being able to give something, being able to give a small tip, then they’re going to keep searching and see what you are about. If they see that you’re consistently answering questions that they’re interested in, then they’re going to notice who you are and what you’re speaking about.
You can give a little tip.
The other thing is that on Facebook or Instagram, you only have a little bit of room. It’s not like you can tell your entire ebook-worth of content or your entire degree-worth of information that you have about thyroid conditions in one post.
What could you share in one post that would speak to that and help somebody?
That’s what we’re here for! We’re here to help and contribute.
You might be thinking, “But I’m giving everything away for free!” There is the sense of giving everything away for free because at the information is spread over multiple different posts with multiple different people that you’ve helped.
You think you’re giving it all away for free because you are the receptacle of all that information and it’s all coming out of you. The receivers of that information are only getting little chunks.
The cool thing is that when they actually dive in to come and see you and click on your Facebook profile and then click on your website, they’re going to then get into your world and see what else you have available.
So it might feel like you’re giving everything away for free but that’s not the case for the receivers of that information.
When I was first starting out, I would do three posts a week. I would answer questions in my three favourite groups each week. Then I started doing three a day and that just blew the lid off people knowing what I love to talk about and how I could help.
So find your three favourite groups where your particular target market is, where your peeps actually hang out and groups that you want to hang out at. As I said before, it’s a lot like being at a barbecue. If you want to be at the barbecue you need to be a nice contributor to the barbecue conversation.
Find a nice group, a group that you want to hang out with that you’re vibing with, where you’re able to give three times a day.
Brendon Burchard says “VVVO.” That means, “Value, value, value – offer.”
At the time, he was talking about autoresponder sequences for emails. But Facebook groups have replaced email lists for many people. You don’t have their emails but they’re going to be there interacting in a very similar way.
In an email sequence, you give somebody value, then more value in the next one, and then more value. And then you give them an offer. It’s the rule of three.
Back in the day when I was exploring the pagan world, the rule of three meant that what you put out in the world comes back to you threefold. If you’re going for value, value, value, offer then there is a balance to what’s going on and you are a giver as well as a getter.
So give value, then give value again, and then go and give value again. Then at some point, if the group allows it, you can offer something. Be a giver, do it threefold, and then offer something.
2. Respect the Space
Running a Facebook group is not like running an email list. An email list doesn’t talk back to you at 12 o’clock at night with some random things happening that you weren’t even aware of.
There are all sorts of things that happen in the background of Facebook groups that the members of the group may not be aware of.
Again, it is a lot like having a barbecue at your house. There is a very large space (the group) with lots and lots of people (the members) that you’ve invited in because they are like-minded. There is always something that holds you together whether it’s the subject you’re talking about or the values that you have, and you’re all hanging out in essentially a lounge room. With that comes house rules. There is going to be a set of values and a set of rules that are usually found in the description panel or in the header.
I’m not really a fan of rules. I think everyone can be a grown up and we can all sort it out. But when you are in a group that has rules or guidelines and you’re not respecting those guidelines, then we have to sit down and have a conversation one-on-one.
Remember – it’s their house. Respect their rules, respect and their space, respect what they have going on. It’s their house and there’s going to be different rules for different houses. When you’re in someone else’s Facebook group, take notice of the descriptions and the rules and then don’t throw a tantrum if you’ve accidentally gone over the rules.
If that happens, just have a conversation, clear it up and keep moving forward. Respect the space.
3. Respect the Host
I have actually done this the wrong way in the past. I was in another group where I was in direct competition with the group host. This was in my adrenal fatigue days as an adrenal fatigue naturopath for entrepreneurs.
So I was in somebody else’s group who was a nutritionist for entrepreneurs and she had just come out with a course. I didn’t pay any attention – all I was worried about was getting my eCourse out because it was failing. I’d spent all this money on it and I knew my target market was in that group so I went posted some random tip and I sneekily, slimily hid my link underneath it.
I don’t want you to have to go through that process. Oh my goodness, it felt so bad when I got the message back from this other person who was running the group. She specifically said, “Look, I appreciate what you do – it’s exactly what I do and it’s actually in direct competition. I hope you don’t mind I’ve deleted your post. Please don’t post again like that.” It was absolutely 100% in integrity.
I was coming from a completely different intentional space, not respecting the host, and just randomly ghost plastering stuff. It was really rude. I was so ashamed and embarrassed that I didn’t go in that group again.
So don’t do that.
Just go in and respect the host. And when in doubt, ask. it takes like six seconds to type a quick message double-checking if something is okay. Requesting first is much better than having that ickiness and then shame and blame.
4. Have Your Credentials On Display
I see a lot of other practitioners trying wondering why their social media doesn’t work.
What can you do on your Facebook profile that lets people know who you are and what you do, and how to continue to follow you (now that you’re being a giver, not silently posting your link, and you’re respecting the space)?
Have your credentials on display. Just like a sheriff wearing a star badge so everyone knows he’s the sheriff.
If you’ve been helpful and then you’re doing all of those things, when you do make an offer and someone clicks on your profile it’s hugely, hugely important that they can tell:
- that you are a practitioner and,
- that you’re in business and,
- where they can click to find your business
I have 550 people waiting to get into the Natupreneur Hub because when I click on them there is nothing there to tell me who they are. Nothing there to tell me their credentials. How do I know if they’re actually a practitioner?
4. Make Your Contact Info Easy To Find
Go to your Facebook profile right now. Click on your face and then underneath that, it says “About you.” Click on the About section and in that section, it will have a title.
Please don’t put some beautiful quote. That’s very nice but it tells me nothing. If you’re in business, put what you do there. If you’re a naturopath, do that. If you’re a mentor, put that. If you’re a naturopath specialising in pathology, do that.
Give somebody an idea about what you do. It’s really helpful. So that’s your About section.
Then, right underneath that is your Contact section. In the Contact section, put your website in there and make it public (just your website – keep all your personal information private).
Social media is a huge place for people to click and share and see whether or not you are for real. We’ve all been part of some of these scams over the past couple of years. But if you are a qualified naturopath and you have your website on there, and if you happen to have a new program or retreat that you want people to see, put that under the website and then people can just click on it and find you.
So you don’t have to put your links in a Facebook group because if they click on your face they just click one more time and they’re there.
Recap of Do’s
- Absolutely, positively be a giver
Give value, value, value without expecting anything in return and then share an offer. Go into the Facebook groups where your people are hanging out and answer three questions that are already there (use the search bar to search for a term related to your market). Answer three of them and then at some stage, if you’re being respectful to the group, the space, and the host, and if it’s within the guidelines of the group, share your offer. - Respect the Space
Be a contributing member, follow the rules and make real connections. - Respect the Host
Remember the group is someone else’s house – the Host of the group. Respect his or her business and what their group is about. Be upfront with them and only post an offer if it’s within the rules and not competing with the host. - Have your credentials on display
Absolutely, positively put your title and what you do on your Facebook personal profile in the About section. Make sure that you have your website available and people can check and know that that’s exactly what you do.
Recap of Don’ts
- Don’t just contribute when you’ve got something to sell
Don’t just put up your link and run. Be a real member of the group. - Don’t post Yes Chains
Don’t start a post with “please comment below XXX to learn more about…” That’s just a sneaky way to get an opt-in. - Don’t post “Admin delete if not allowed”
If it’s not allowed, it’s not the right thing to do. If you’re not sure – ask. - Don’t join groups just to sell
Join groups you are actually interested in, contribute to the conversation, that’s what groups are about.
Take Action
Hopefully, this information has been helpful to you! If you set up those four things, find those three Facebook groups that you want to contribute, where your people actually are, find three times either a day (or three times a week if you’re just starting out) to actually contribute. Definitely go and check your credentials and make them available just like a shiny star on your chest so people know what you do and they can click on your face and find out within one click.
If this has been beneficial to you or if you think it might be for somebody else, please don’t hesitate to share! It’s also available on YouTube and these free trainings happen every single Thursday in the Natupreneur Hub. If you have a topic you’d like to see covered, please feel free to send me a message.
Have a fantastic week of sharing your message without being slimy on social media!
Very well put, thanks Tammy