How to Strategically use Facebook’s Features to maximize your results on Social Media

A lot of people ask me the difference between building their business through their personal Facebook profile, a fan page, and through facebook groups, so I wanted to break it down for you and share the best way to integrate the 3 features of this platform to maximize your time on social media.

Let’s get started!

So first things first... Social Media is a place to connect, build relationships, build trust and share a message. It’s important to remember that Facebook and other platforms are not a place for selling, but attracting new clients to you by giving them value. Yes, you can announce that you have a sale, but the selling doesn’t take place here.

Facebook Timeline

Facebook doesn’t like it when you sell and promote your business on your timeline, which is why it’s created the fan page for that purpose. Yes, a lot of people are doing it, but if they get reported, or the algorithms catch on, Facebook could shut down your account or it will not reward you with the reach you think you’re getting. In fact, even too much posting, or scrolling and liking other posts too quickly can limit your reach. Facebook wants us to be social and engage, and it’s to our benefit that they sent up these limitations. Business would work better for everyone if they followed the etiquette guidelines of this incredible platform.

So should you build your business on your timeline? No, I don’t recommend it..but that doesn’t mean you can’t set up your bio in a way that will benefit your business, and that you can’t occasionally share a story about what you do or put an invite out to your friends list to learn more about your business. But you should not ‘force’ your friends to be constantly bombarded by your business and sales posts. It builds up resistance and they are then more likely to form their own opinion of what you do before you ever have a chance to properly share your product or service with them.

Facebook Groups

However, inviting them to join your inner circle within a Facebook group to learn more..now that is magic! Still, in your group, you need to be providing value, but once someone says Yes to your group invite, you can freely and openly share your business with an audience who has asked to learn more. Because they are choosing to be there, you will have more engagement from your guests, and they are likely to invite their own friends and colleagues to join in, which makes referrals a much easier process for both you and your guests. Here you can share tutorials and tips, blog posts and videos, run contests and incentives to grow the group, and you can also share when you have a sale or promotion. People like sales and promotions to stuff they want and see the value in, but they need to be part of your community and learn about what you do before they can make a decision to buy. The average person needs exposure to your product or service a minimum of 7 times before they decide to purchase or not, some need more...so what better way to create exposure than through Facebook groups.

So then, if you are building an audience through groups, why do you need a Facebook Fan page? And is a fan page even effective? Well let me ask you this...how do you expect to grow your audience? To grow an audience, you need to be getting your name in front of NEW people consistently, and you need to think, for every new paying client, you may need to be in front of at least 10 people, so think about how many clients you want to be serving each week, and how many people you need to reach. Business is Math (and I always wondered in school how the math would come in handy, now I know!) so work the numbers and make a plan for how you’re going to get in front of those people.

Facebook Fanpages

And that is the number 1 reason you want to have a fan page, ads! When you post to your timeline, only your friends see your stuff. When you post in groups, only the people you invite and the referrals you get will see your stuff. With a fan page everyone can see your stuff, and if you are consistently running ads, posting valuable content 1-2 times daily, and doing at least 1 facebook live each week, you’re going to have great reach and your audience will grow. From there you are then able to drive traffic to your website, your group, and your offers, and you can build your email list with people who want to buy from you.

One thing I often see home business owners doing is linking their fan page from one social media platform to another. Since social media is for expanding your reach and building trust and brand awareness, there isn’t any reason to send your fans from one social platform to another, because that isn’t moving them forward in the relationship process. Instead, you want to focus on creating value and building your audience on social media, and then leading them away from social media to your website or blog and then onto your email list, where you can strengthen the relationship and here is where the selling takes place!!

Most people aren't able to implement this strategy without learning some skill sets first. I use a really easy to follow formula called attraction marketing, which helps me stand apart from my competition, but also position myself as an expert and share my knowledge and expertise with the people who are looking for what I offer. You can learn more by clicking the button below>>