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If you’ve ever found yourself browsing Facebook groups and came across a group with a good number of members that would be your perfect ideal client, and you CLICK ‘join this group’, then this post is for you.

Keep in mind…

I have written this post with nothing but love 💗 and respect for your business. In fact, even though I am strict on my rules in my groups, I want nothing but massive success for those of you striking out on your own with a product or service you have created to bring to the world. The posture I am taking in this post is one of truth and one that can help your business grow one client at a time.

This is a very long post. You can scroll to the end if you’d like but perhaps reading the post in its entirety might be something to chew on for some time.

As a marketing consultant, niched down groups are the golden ticket to both marketing and sales. I have had endless in depth conversations with my clients about this. Whether they find their subsets via Facebook and Instagram ads, a publication or a group, finding clients that share the same interests and problems is key.

To further explore that concept –

When a business owner places an ad in the Dallas Morning News or in the Community Impact, maybe even a TV commercial, that business is essentially advertising to EVERYONE. Not necessarily someone who is primed to buy your product or service. The price, contract and work involved are reflected in the price. If you’ve ever looked into it, that price is a hefty one.

 

Facebook Groups

Running a Facebook Group Takes Time

I am so grateful this handful of women in the Dog Moms group  has continued to grow organically. In the beginning, I organized a number of events, even opening up my own home for Dog Mom’s Friendsgiving. Breaking bread is such a powerful thing. =) I’ve donated money to fundraisers, coordinated giveaways, given financial support to dogs in need and supported many businesses in the group. I receive GoFundMe’s and advertisements in my inbox weekly and sometimes daily.

Membership in this free facebook grows as I slowly admit one member into the group at a time.

In this process, each potential member must answer a couple of questions. They are simple questions that provide a screening to confirm the potential member is a dog owner and lives locally. The membership queue usually sits around 50 members at any given time that would like access to the Dog Moms group.

As I sift through these of requests that come in from all over the world (I only admit DFW area people), i discover requests from men around the world, people without dogs, pure randomness  and then finally women who have answered the questions. I then continue to screen each personal profile to make sure this is a real person, with a dog in DFW.

Although on the surface it seems quite easy, it does carve away a couple hours of my time each week.

When it comes to my business groups with paid clients and their involvement in my fb biz group, its a symbiotic relationship with a great deal of respect plus they pay me. And they send me fee products. Win-win!

For my free groups, it can be a little different on how I handle the reigns. And although I LOVE the groups I have created, sometimes navigating them is very tricky.

I think the tricky part comes from the number of demands and threats I receive (only happens in free groups). Interestingly enough, I manage a few groups for clients and this is because of the d3ath (yes, unalive) threats they receive. They quickly hand over the reigns to me because it takes away from their focus. Being threatened to be unalived does that sometimes.

Moderating a group

Although I do my best to screen each member, delete rehoming and spamming posts, I always miss a few. As the rules state, no rehoming posts, no tagging of your business and no spamming of your business.

Its a good practice of etiquette to be respectful of the group creator and group members.

Ask yourself:

• have you been kind to others in the group?
• have you added value to those asking questions?
• have you acted like a human that has a love for the same topic as the facebook group?
• have you interacted at all? or only interacted when you can mention your business name?

As mentioned previously, I have given away many products, gift cards, coupons, money, donations, freebies and provided business to group members; however I did not start this group as a non profit foundation.  In fact, in most of my business groups, the admin has built the group as a sales platform for their own products (this happens upon the admin providing a great deal of consistent value).

 

Keep reading . . .

 

Should your business advertise in the group?

As the admin of this group, I have noticed an increase in the number of posts advertising various products and services. When I delete these posts OR the posts are flagged by the system/another member, I have received numerous threats. Yikes! While I understand that many in the Dog Moms group are trying to promote their businesses or gain more customers, I would like to take a moment to explain why advertising in Facebook groups may not be the best strategy. In fact, spray and pray in any FB group is not a strategy at all.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that Facebook groups are communities of like-minded individuals who share common interests or goals. Members join these groups to connect with others who share their passions, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions. When you advertise your products or services in these groups, you are interrupting the natural flow of conversation and potentially disrupting the community.

Furthermore, many Facebook groups have specific rules regarding advertising, and violating these rules will lead to your posts being deleted and your membership being revoked as well as banned. It is disrespectful and poor etiquette and I have no time to tolerate this.

 

It’s important to consider the effectiveness of advertising in Facebook groups. While it may seem like a great way to reach a targeted audience, the truth is that many members of these groups are already bombarded with ads on a daily basis. They may not be receptive to your message especially when no one is requesting your business. Only showing up to spam a business rather than be helpful to others is an overall poor strategy.

Instead of relying on Facebook groups for advertising, consider other marketing strategies such as creating quality content for your website or social media channels, engaging with your customers directly through email marketing or social media messaging, and partnering with other businesses or influencers in your industry.

While Facebook groups can be a valuable resource for networking and building relationships with like-minded individuals, they may not be the most effective platform for advertising your products or services. By respecting the rules and the community, and exploring alternative marketing strategies, you can build a successful business without compromising your reputation.

Spamming the Dog Mom group results in an immediate dismissal and ban from the group. Eeks. No one wants that!  (if you think it’s been done in mistake, please send me an email – you can find that below)

 

With all of that being said . . .

here are the FREE ways to advertise as promised:

 

How to Advertise in the Dog Moms Facebook Group

Grab a cuppa of hot tea or pour yourself a coffee as you keep reading.

If you run a business, this is your strategy.

Use it in the Dog Mom group or any other group you are in.

 

1.  Understand how to sell and how to market

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I am a marketing consultant. I don’t mention this in the group, nor am I looking for clients in the group. But I invite you to gain a deeper knowledge of marketing.

I would recommend diving into the psychology of marketing with books such as:

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition

 

The book introduces concepts in psychology and sales designed to show how you can be of true service to your clients and customers. You can also find a podcast from Jay and a valuable Instagram as well.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World

A classic Gary Vaynerchuk book on the basics of understanding the online world and how to get noticed. I’m not one to prefer sugar coating in business education, if you can relate, Gary Vee might be for you.

 

And the last classic marketer I would recommend is just about anything from Seth Godin:

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Purple Cow, New Edition: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See

 

     

 

2. The SNEAKY way to advertise for FREE in the group

So you wanna work around the rules?

Get creative, get sneaky. =)

Ask a customer or friend who has used your services to give you a shout out or referral.

Answer questions and comment on dog mom posts that you are knowledgeable of. Give, give and then give more value. As Gary Vee states, Jab, Jab, jab, right hook.

If someone posts a picture of their dog, comment, be nice, add value.

If someone is needing help training a new puppy, add tips, be helpful.

The more omnipresent you are the more visibility you will have.

Think of it like a networking happy hour.

If you show up to the group event hosted every Tuesday AND you know how to listen AND you have a great business card, over time you will build a business.

 

4. Lastly, an alternative to the Dallas Morning News, Community Impact, TV commercials or D Magazine

Get targeted attention by listing your business in the Dallas Pet Directory.

(just reach out to BeccaNiederkrom (at) gmail (dot) com)

When entering any Facebook group, be considerate of other members and of the admin. Consider putting yourself in his or her shoes by thinking about the time they spent creating the group, responding to comments, questions, admitting members and moderating.

Is it an admin’s job to grow your business? NO

Or is that solely your responsibility? YES

 

My hope is that this post got your mind stirring about the ways to market your business in the most effective way possible.

Again, this is the same insight I share with clients because I want their business to grow and become a massive success. As a Dog Mom and the admin of a Dog Mom group, we need you to be successful. We need your services. And we need you to get loud about your business.

 

 

P.S. if you want to be listed in the directory, reach out to BeccaNiederkrom (at) gmail (dot) com)