If you’ve been following along with me, you might already be able to guess what my favorite “F” word is. Facebook. Every time you press that little blue F, you are entering into a networking event. You literally have potential to connect with clients every single minute of the day. Facebook is an incredibly powerful tool.
Many of you have heard tips and advice for using Facebook groups to network with potential clients. The basic idea is: someone asks a question, and you offer a helpful answer. But where does it go from there? How can you reconnect with that person without being creepy or spammy?
Here are my top 3 tips for using Facebook groups to find clients in a non-spammy way:
- It all starts with your intention.
Have you ever asked a question in a Facebook group and had someone give you a partial answer with an invitation to join their group or sign up for their list or PM them for more details? It never feels good when that happens, and I don’t encourage anyone to approach networking in Facebook groups in that way.
When you go into a Facebook group and look for questions that you could answer, your intention shouldn’t be, “Oh, I’m going to go in there and sell them some stuff.” Nobody likes that person.
Your number one intention always needs to be to serve, support, and help. This doesn’t mean you can’t share a free resource you have available (if it’s allowed in the group rules), but it does mean that you should answer their question in the most helpful and thorough way possible. Then if you have free resources, you might say, “If you’d like some free resources, I’d be happy to share some.” Don’t dangle a carrot and only offer the full answer if they sign up for your list. Finding clients in Facebook groups without being spammy is all about being genuinely helpful. - Make notes so that you can reconnect.
Just as if you were at a live networking event, you want to find a way to reconnect with the person you helped. As they say, “The fortune is in the follow up.”
While you’re answering your question, make a note of the date, group, and the name of the person. Make a few notes about that person, such as how you might be able to connect with them, what you have in common, and what question you answered.
A few days later, follow up in one of two ways:
–Find the original thread and comment again. Be genuine and ask, “How did the advice work out? Did those tips help you? How’d it go?” You could also reference something personal that you talked about when you initially connected. Find something in common in addition to the actual question that you’re answering.
–Send them a private message. I like private messages because it’s more like tapping someone on the shoulder for a conversation rather than yelling it from the mountaintop. My first PM is always very short. Here’s an example: “Hey, _____. I love that question that you asked the other day in _____ about _______. How’s it going? Did you get to use the advice yet? I just wanted to follow up with you and see if I was helpful.” Ask one simple question that they can answer easily. If they reply with more questions and you have free resources, you could say, “Your question was exactly what I just did a freebie on. Here’s the link if you’re interested.” Or “I have a livestream every Wednesday. If you’re interested, I’m going to talk about that topic this week.” Remember that it’s not about pushing things–only talk about your other resources if it comes up naturally. If it doesn’t, then don’t. You’re going to see them around again, and they will remember you if you were incredibly helpful.
Again with the following up step, the intention always has to be to serve. We don’t buy from people we don’t like. We don’t buy from people we don’t trust. They need to feel like you have their best intentions in mind.
You’re not pushing anything. You’re simply looking for ways to be of service, making notes so you can follow up, and reconnecting without being creepy or spammy. - Lastly, love them up.
Whether they respond to your follow up or not, look them up and find their business to give them some love. Read their latest blog post, comment on their social media, and maybe even subscribe to their email list.
When you’re trying to use Facebook groups to find clients, it all starts with the intention to serve. Offering help genuinely, showing up consistently, and following up are the ways you can do this without coming across as spammy.
