~by Haley Lynn Gray~
Want to tell the world about your business? One of the suggestions I make to entrepreneurs and business owners is that they find and join either Facebook Groups or LinkedIn groups where they can share their business.
The next question I get is just how to find the groups that I’m recommending people look for. To start, go to the search bar at the top of Facebook, then type in the search terms for what you’re looking for.
That could be something like “Raleigh Community Information”, or “Raleigh Women in Business”, or “Female Entrepreneurs”, or “Women Entrepreneurs”.
I recommend looking for groups with “community” or “for sale” in the title. It all depends on what you’re selling. You may want to find moms groups, for-sale groups, yard sale groups, or something else. You will have to get a bit creative in your search for groups where your ideal clients hang out.
Generally, you’re not going to find an entire group that has all of your ideal clients in it, rather you hope to find some buyers or ideal clients that are hanging out within that group, and build relationships with them, and ultimately get them to buy your stuff.
Overall, I’ve found it easier to find groups on Facebook than on LinkedIn. I prefer groups that are more interactive and less post-and-run because few, if anyone, actually reads the posts in those groups. There may be some groups on LinkedIn that are very interactive, but they seem to be few and far between.
Depending on what you’re selling, you may need to take a different approach. For instance, with senior care we don’t post in a lot of groups online. Instead, we focus on good quality referral sources, and we look to family and friends to refer others to us.
If you’re in direct sales, then you may want to find Facebook Groups that list vendor fairs. Register for the vendor fairs to get an opportunity to get in front of more clients.
Groups may be a good fit for your business, but it takes time to build relationships with people, and for them to know, like, and trust you.
Ultimately, your goal for your business should be to get in front of people. Then to build relationships with as many people as possible outside of your immediate circle of family and friends.
That’s so that you have lots of people to do business with. You’ll have to be a bit creative when finding groups, so use different keywords to find groups on Facebook until you’ve found a few groups that you’re happy with.
Some of my favorite groups on Facebook are Women’s Entrepreneur Network, Entrepreneur Incubator, Joy Patrol Party, and Nathalie’s Masters of Manifesting.
Good luck, and happy hunting for Facebook and LinkedIn groups!
Meet the Author: Haley Lynn Gray
Haley helps female entrepreneurs create a strategy plan for their businesses – so they can make enough money to spend quality time with their family, pay for their children’s dance lessons, pay bills – and not worry about where the next client is coming from.
Haley is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Leadership Girl. She helps other entrepreneurs build their businesses by sharing the benefits of her business education and experience through Business Coaching.
Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or expand an existing business, Haley can assist you.
Connect with Haley:
- Work with Haley
- Facebook Page: @Leadershipgirl
- LinkedIn: Haley Lynn Gray
