How To Use Facebook Groups To Find New Clients
When you’re running a business, you have to be intentional with your time and where you’re going to focus your efforts, especially when it comes to marketing and finding new clients. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and 168 hours in a week. Facebook groups are the way to network, but that’s not the way we typically try to get new clients.
One of the classic ways that new business owners and old alike, try to bring in new clients…
…friggen networking events.
You have been to a networking event before right? How much do those suck?!
A bunch of people, all coming for the free drinks or happy hour, standing around wanting to get more leads for their business. Everybody who goes wants more business but rarely do they give you any business. It’s awkward. You have to spark conversation with strangers.
If you go to the same event every time, then you’re seeing the same people every time, so now you’re not even exposing yourself to possible prospects. Or what’s worse is you attend a different networking event on a different night and see some of the same people at that event. Talk about awkward.
Then there’s always the same group of people at every event.
- Insurance
- Mortgages
- Bankers
- Web or graphic designers
- Real Estate Agents
- Personal Trainers
Right?
The Question
It’s very hard to stand out and you’re dishing out the exact same pitch to everybody. Nobody knows what to talk about so this is the infamous question at every event…
…can you guess what it is?
“So, what do you do?”
Shoot me now!
Seriously, how many times does that question get asked at a single networking event? Way too many damn times that’s how many.
Here’s the next mistake people make when they answer that question:
“Oh, I’m a real estate agent. Here’s my business card.”
Okay, great. Now you’ve automatically thrown yourself under the bus and have been lumped in with the other thousand real estate agents at that same event or any other event you’ve ever been to. You could be the best real estate agent ever and helped a bunch of people find the home of their dreams. But when you drop that line at a networking event, people have a predisposed idea of what a real estate agent is so they’re comparing you to every other agent they’ve ever met.
The Problem
You know you aren’t like everybody else out there. We know you aren’t like the rest of them either.
Let’s be honest, how many business cards do you really keep from people at the event? Not that many.
So you spend the time to drive to the event, let’s say it’s 30 minutes away, and then drive back. That’s an hour of your time. Then how long do you stay at the event? Two hours probably. Most events are 3 hours. Then how much $$ did you spend on food or drinks while you were there?
If time is money and you just dropped 3 hours to go to one event and talk to 20 people, I would say that’s not a very effective use of your time, especially if you’re a new business or you’re the business owner.
Now I’m not here to say that you should NEVER attend a networking event. There are some high-quality groups out there. I’m saying when you attend a free networking event, you get what you pay for.
The Solution
Two words:
Facebook Groups.
Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world. Over 2 BILLION people are on Facebook. How many people attend a networking event? It’s not even close.
It does not matter, I repeat, it does NOT matter what industry you’re in. Your clients are on Facebook.
Check out the video below for some tactical ways to find the right Facebook Groups to be in for your business and how you can find all the leads you want.
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This same process applies to LinkedIn Groups which is another powerful way to find your audience, especially if you’re in B2B.
Spend 1-2 hours everyday commenting, engaging, and posting valuable content in these groups. You’ll be able to reach thousands of people in a lot less time.
Wouldn’t it be great to have people name dropping you and your business without you having to ask?
Why Facebook Groups Work
That’s the great thing about this marketing strategy. You can’t be in the group all day every day just waiting for somebody to ask for the kind of service you provide. After you have provided value to people and been seen around the group as somebody who is helpful, that’s when people are going to be name dropping your business when they see somebody who is asking for a recommendation related to your industry.
You probably do this one all the time. You’re in a local group and you see somebody asking for a good place to go eat. How many comments does that post get of people naming their favorite restaurants in the area? A bunch.
The same thing can happen to your business if enough people know about you and have seen your good work.
Start taking networking in Facebook Groups today and watch the leads start to roll in.
This is one strategy we implement with all of our clients and has been highly successful. We also realize this can be very time consuming so if you want somebody else to handle this for you, let us do that.
Send us a message on Facebook.