Everyone is telling you that you need to use Facebook Groups to grow your business, but no one is saying how or which groups to join.I am in about 10+ Facebook groups. Some are private, some are public and some are closed.I have paid to be a member of NONE of them.  You read that right.  I didn't pay a fee to be in their "VIP club".  I am not dissing VIP groups I just don't see the value in them for what I am trying to do.Today, I am going to share with you 3 ways that I was using my membership in these groups COMPLETELY WRONG.Disclaimer: Everyone's experience may vary.  I can only speak on my experience.

I was using groups as passive advertising.

People don't want to be sold to. I thought that by sharing my blog posts and product photos and mentioning on every 10th posts that I offer a service would be good enough.  That led to few and far between serious leads.At first it lead me to 3 big sales (1 cold and 2 referrals from that), but after that crickets.Just like with any other advertising people tune it out after a while. I wasn't getting as many inquiries about my services.  It also seemed like my posts weren't getting approved which brings me to the next point.

I wasn't paying attention to who the admins were.

A designer that is an admin of a Facebook group won't let another designer outshine them.  They would think they were losing business.  This is a point I totally ignored in the beginning.I thought with rose-colored glasses that "Everyone wants to see everyone win." Hell no! They don't want you to win.  Not even a little bit.  Before joining a group make sure you know who the admins of the group are.Especially if it is a private or closed group.  This is their bread and butter.  They would rather have a Facebook group and create a sense of "community" instead of putting in the legwork to have an email list.

I wasn't paying attention to group members' demographics.

Demographic information is vital to your customer profile.  It makes no sense to try to sell a product or service to someone that can't afford it.How do I know what they can afford?I don't know what they can afford, but I know that I can't post my $500 logo package next to a $20 logo package.  That is not a pond that I want to be in. That is a waste of my time.You want to get your product in front of people that can buy it.  So you have to figure out if anyone in the group is that person.

I couldn't tell the difference business and bullshit

One of the groups I am apart of has 112,000+ members.  I understand that this would be a lot for the admins to keep up with, but when 20 people a day ask the EXACT same question it makes me think that the group is bullshit.Other groups in their rules have in there policies that you have to look at previous questions and answers before posting the exact same questions.

I was trying to sell instead of listen.

One day I had the epiphany that my goal is to listen instead of sell.  I have to use my membership in these groups to gather market research.

• What pain points do potential leads have?

• How are they trying to fix them?

• What obstacles are they facing?

• How can I fix it?

I don't know what to sell them unless I know what they are really struggling with.

5 Things you should do to promote your business with Facebook Groups

• Let them know at appropriate times who you can help and what products you offer

• Research who the admins are first so that you are not in your competitor's group

• Look at the demographics of the group to figure out if they are in your target market

• After being in the group a few days figure out if they are really about business and decide how active you want to be

• Listen more than you sell. Connect with a few people and see what they are about. If they are a good fit it will happen. If not, that is okay too.

Your Turn: Are you an entrepreneur using Facebook Groups to grow your business?  If so, do you join public or private groups? Are you an admin?Thanks for stopping by!Best,Erica

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