Many small businesses struggle to attract Facebook fans and likes.
Even if you’ve built up a loyal following on Facebook, users often miss your content. Recent studies show posts can be seen by as little as 2% of your fans.
There are, however, other ways to use Facebook to promote your business besides just buying ads or paying for traffic. In addition to posting great relevant content, here are seven ways to use Facebook Groups to help your business.
1.) Find groups attached to your target customer
Search Facebook for “Small Business Group in (YOUR CITY).” There’s a group in nearly every town. It’s a great place to network, share your expertise, and get leads.
2.) Find groups related to your customer and share your insight
A great way to do this is to take material you’ve already written on your blog or website and link to it. Not only does it demonstrate your skills, but it drives traffic to your site. Avoid cutting-and-pasting blogs or websites. Instead, share a link with a thoughtful comment. That way, when group members interact they’ll see your brand and your message.
3.) Comments on other people’s posts
Getting people to your Facebook page or website can be hard. However, it’s easy to get more people to see your posts by spreading them around. Every comment you make in someone’s post sends a notification out to everyone on the group thread, increasing the chance your message is seen. Plus, it’s a great way to interact with people you aren’t connected with already and expose them to your brand.
4.) Check Facebook’s Suggested and Local Groups
If you’re on Facebook on a desktop or laptop, there’s a “Groups” category under the Explore section. When you click it, the category will display a list of groups you belong to already. Clicking on “Discover” will open up a list of Recommended and Local Groups. It’s a great way to tap into the local community and find places to share your content.
5.) Sell your products
Facebook now allows you to sell products directly in their marketplace. Facebook’s Marketplace group will enable you to create your own listing similar to Craigslist.
6.) Create a VIP group for your customers
Another idea is to create a Facebook group page for your customers. You might want it to be a private group and answer questions for your customers. If your customer has a question about how to do something, it’s a great place to post a short video clip showing exactly how to do it. You might want it to be a public group, publishing articles and videos, which you can share elsewhere online and that others can share as well.
7.) Build your own networking group.
Find a commonly-searched term and attach yourself to it. Think of the keywords people use on Google to search for your business. If you were a plumber, for instance, you might want to start a group called “Plumbing Problems.”
This can position you as an expert. It’s an excellent place to put up videos or short articles about common problems your company encounters.
Here’s another tip: search for your industry in your area on Facebook. You know people using search engines, but you would be surprised how many people search Facebook for phrases like “Plumbing Services Near Me.” Does your business show up when you search? You need your business to show up, but you can also use your networking group as a lead generator.
Quality Content and Strong Promotions
Once you have found your target Groups, the content you post is what will set you apart. Make sure it’s quality work worth sharing or provides a solution for your customer. Then, use relevant Groups to promote that quality content.
One efficient way to do that is to use Holiday contests, like a Christmas or New Year Contest, or a Holiday Sweepstakes promotion. These are simple and easy to set up, and very inexpensive, using an online service like Woobox.
Another great way to attract leads is a photo contest that showcases problems. For example, having people submit the ugliest bathroom might be a great way for a home remodeler to find new customers. Photo and video contests, where people vote on the winner, help get that content shared organically. Consider polls, quizzes or games to also attract attention. All of these ideas are easy to do on Woobox.
Start small and don’t overdo it. It can be easy to get caught up in all of this. There are plenty of groups and places to post. Limit yourself to 3-4 groups and gauge the impact. If it isn’t working, move on and add another one instead. After all, you’ve got a business to run!