HOW TO RESEARCH FACEBOOK GROUPS WHERE YOUR CLIENTS ARE

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If you’d like to connect to targeted groups of people, and be more visible on Facebook to network with your potential clients and customers, then you’ll love today’s episode… because today, we’re talking about how to find the right groups to join, guidelines to follow to join the RIGHT groups and how to keep your research organized to have an endless supply or resources where your clients are at.

There’s a strategy to searching for FB Groups that are relevant to your purpose, industry, focus and where your clients may be.

I’m going to walk you through HOW TO SEARCH FOR FB GROUPS WHERE YOUR IDEAL CLIENT are, how to Use the FB Search Bar, the importance of Keywords, the difference between public and closed groups as well as some guidelines the group must have for you to join and much more.

BUT BEFORE YOU START RESEARCHING WHICH GROUP TO JOIN

Let me share a few things with you, as of the recording of this podcast episode, FB allows each one of us to join up to 6,000 Facebook groups, but of course, that number is just too high. As we go through the steps of researching & organizing your research, I’ll give you some guidelines that will keep you sane, while also ensuring you have access to a long list of groups where your clients may be in.

Before you join a group, I’d like you to think about a few things to help you make sure the group or groups you join, are a good fit for you and for your business.
I’d like to recommend you come up with your criteria, that way, as you begin to research the groups, it’ll be a lot easier and faster for you to know which to join and ‘test out’.

Let’s start by coming up with some key criteria elements for you to follow:

LET’S START BY COMING UP WITH SOME KEY CRITERIA ELEMENTS TO FOLLOW:

• CLOSED VS PUBLIC GROUPS: there are actually two types of groups that will show up in your search to choose from: Public and Closed,
  Public groups are just what they sound like: public. Anyone can see the group’s name, location, member list, and posts, and the group can show up in anyone’s searches or News Feed. Anyone can add themselves as a member without any invite or approval.
  Closed groups are more confusing: A Closed group’s name, description, and member list are not at all “closed,” but are publicly visible when you’re doing your search.

  • Closed groups may even show up in a search publicly.

  • Overall, they are just as open as Public groups, except for three main differences:

    (1) new members must ask to join or be invited by a member, rather than just adding themselves;

    (2) only current members can see the content of group posts; and

    (3) only current members can see the group in their News Feed.

• Secret groups are the most private of the three types. No aspect of a Secret group is publicly visible, new members must be added or invited by current members to join, and only members can see the content of group posts. However, former members who have voluntarily left the group can still find the group in search and see its name, description, tags, and location.

• I recommend closed groups only

• Focus on Quality vs quantity

• Answer the questions the group host has put in place…use that as a filter for yourself, is this the right group for you?

• I’ll include a chart that shows a side by side comparison between each type of group [see below]

• SIZE OF GROUP: here’s where I’d say, size does matter and size isn’t everything…Don’t get sucked in by huge group numbers when you consider which ones you’ll join.

  • Here’s what I’ve experienced: Large groups are great for learning, but it can be quite difficult to get noticed and connect

  • Your posts will quickly get pushed down because of the group’s high volume of engaged activity

  • Instead, focus on groups between 1,000-3,500 members. I’ve had a lot of success in connecting, getting known, and finding more traffic and leads from groups under 3,500 for the simple reason that on average about 2% of the active members are active at any given time…therefore, the Group members are likely to see your content, your comments, and your promotions.

  • I’ve also found that you can build relationships more quickly in smaller groups. So, don’t think that the larger the group, the better the opportunity, that’s actually quite the opposite.

  • By the way, there’s also such a thing as too small an audience, but being a founding member of a small group and growing with it could be a fantastic opportunity for you if you’re an active member who gets to know new members as they join and grow the community.

• KEYWORDS/PHRASES: Make a List of Keywords based on industry, focus.

  • Before you search, make a list of keywords or key phrases that will apply to your ideal client or customer

  • Keep track of your keywords or phrases to call up the FB Groups you’ll want to look through

THE NEXT CRITERIA ELEMENTS I’D LIKE YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO ARE THE GROUP DESCRIPTIONS AND RULES

• GROUP DESCRIPTION: strong FB Group description
  You’re looking for FB Groups with a strong, clear description of the type of community you’d like to join

• GROUP RULES:
  Looking for strong rules (sign of a great community) Track if you can promote in the group Y/N?
  No spam allowed

• TRACK DON’T DECIDE:
  You’re in Research stage don’t select top 5 yet; just document

WHICH LEADS US TO ORGANIZE YOUR RESEARCH FOR TODAY AND THE FUTURE

Track your research data in a google spreadsheet (to prioritize), Fields your google spreadsheet should have:

• Number

• Name of FB Group

• URL of FB Group

• Copy & Paste Group Description

• Summarize group rules

• Promo allowed?

• Date requested to join

Keep in mind, Some criteria won’t be visible until you join the group. Have a guideline once you join so that you can determine if the group you just joined is a good fit or not..it’s perfectly ok to determine a group is not for you!

GUIDELINES ONCE YOU’VE JOINED THE GROUP

• Are members active

• Does the Group leader show up?

• How is the vibe of the group? Upbeat, helpful, inspiring, or whiny, negative, complaining?

• Can you review posts and comments and determine if you can 1) add value and 2) answer questions?

If you join and find the group isn’t for you, don’t feel bad if you leave right away.

Just go back to your spreadsheet; cross out the group you left and select another one to join…see how handy your research will come?

I’ve also got a great resource for you
CLICK HERE OR THE IMAGE FOR VIDEO
Watch The Short Video For A Step-by-Step How To Search For FB Groups

PRO TIPS:

Start off by joining 3 – 5 groups (from your research list). While you can join as many Facebook groups as you would like, it’s difficult to actively participate in too many. So start out small.

Keep track of your groups. At first, it was hard to keep track of the Promo Days because they’re all on different days of the week. So, this is another reason that I put together the comprehensive spreadsheet of the groups that I think are the most awesome for business owners and bloggers. I also include their size, hostname(s), focus area, URL, and Promo Days, and Social Share Days.

When you join a Facebook group, please be a good participant and contribute. You will get the best results by adding value to the community.

I’ll dedicate a future podcast episode on this topic alone.

Also,
When you follow these tips and participate in Facebook groups regularly, you’ll be amazed at how quickly things can happen in your business.
Not only will you get leads and clients, but – if you show up regularly – you’ll be asked to form strategic partnerships, get referrals, be invited to speak on podcasts and Facebook live interviews, and much more!

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I’ve also got a great resource for you
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
I’ve shared a 9-minute video with you, walking you through how to search for FB Groups.

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…

I’d love to hear from you. Let me know if you have any questions about searching for FB Groups you should join.

Wait, before you go, have you subscribed to my podcast yet? It takes less than a minute and future episodes will be automatically downloaded so you won’t miss any future episodes.

AND REMEMBER, imperfect action is always better than waiting until it’s perfect and never starting at all.

I thank you for showing up for me, for yourself, and for your business. Until next time, I’m Veronica, Bye for now

FOLLOW VERONICA HERE:

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