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Are you wondering how to get clients from Facebook groups without feeling icky? You’ve come to the right place because I’ve made at least $10,000 using this method.
In fact, let me tell you the story of Ethney…
Like many people getting started in business Ethney had big plans of how well her business would do during its first year.
Ethney was a planner so she wanted to prepare everything before finding her first client.
She developed a solid business plan, put all her software and systems in place, and got her branding and website ready.
She also hired an accountant and even consulted with a lawyer for her contracts.
So, when you look at her business from the outside it was perfect.
However, there was only one problem…
Ethney didn’t have a single client.
It means that she really needed to get clients fast otherwise she’d end up with one expensive hobby.
So, what can she do to resolve this problem?
In this resource, you’ll learn 5 ways to find clients using Facebook groups as well as what you need to do to be ready to get paid.
5 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Clients in Facebook Groups
Before diving into how to quickly and easily find clients using Facebook groups, let’s first at 5 ways that don’t work.
A little background about me…
I started my digital business just before 2020 when we had that major global event.
My first client as well as my first $5,000 online came from me finding a client using a Facebook group.
I’m telling you this so you’ll realise that I’m not just talking about theory but something that worked for me in real life.
So, here are 5 ways to repel potential clients inside Facebook groups.
1. Ignoring a Potential Client’s Request to Not Send a DM
I see this quite often inside Facebook groups where a potential client would say something like “no DMs”.
Quite a number of freelancers or VAs would ignore this and send a direct message anyway.
I remember there was a time when I advertised a role for one of my clients and I asked potential freelancers to send me a DM.
It was so overwhelming that I swore never to do it again.
2. Not Paying Close Attention to Their Requirements
One of the most annoying things anyone can do when offering a service is not ‘listening’ to your potential client’s needs.
When a prospective customer publishes a post inside a Facebook group giving an overview of their needs and pain points.
In many instances, they are looking for a specific solution or result.
For example, the person may say, “I’m not looking for a program or training but a done-for-you service”.
A freelancer may write in the comments, “___________has a really amazing program that would be a great fit for your needs”.
What does the client want? These potential customers are normally cash-rich and time-poor so they have no interest in yet another training program.
3. Using Vanilla Responses When Commenting
When trying to get the attention of new clients one of the best ways to get lost in the crowd is to reply like everyone else.
Responses like “I sent you a DM”, “here’s a link to my portfolio” and “Applied”.
Yes, I hear complaints all the time from freelancers who say that they don’t bother applying for a role that has dozens of comments on it.
The question though is, what are you doing to stand out in that crowd?
4. Doing a Copy and Paste Attempt
Another reason why you’re not getting clients using Facebook groups is when you take a slapdash approach.
In other words, you prefer to hurriedly apply or reach out to 100 potential clients every week.
Instead of spending quality time reaching out to only 25 using a unique approach for each one.
Remember that quality beats quantity every single time.
5. Looking for Work Posts
This may sound strange…
You are looking for clients and publishing a post inside a Facebook group saying that you are looking for clients doesn’t really work.
The reason for this is that it screams desperation and potential clients will take advantage of this weakness.
There is a clever way to do this which I’ll mention later in this resource.
Your Ideal Clients
Okay, to begin this journey, having a very clear picture of your ideal client would help you to succeed at finding clients in Facebook groups.
If you don’t know who your ideal target audience is then you won’t have a deep understanding of how you can help them.
Let’s look at a specific example of a social media manager.
As you probably know when a client is looking for a social media manager the person they are likely to hire is someone who understands their clients.
Here’s why…
Your ideal client dislikes the hiring and onboarding process, so the person who can hit the ground running is the person who’ll get the job.
Take some time to figure out what you enjoy doing the most in the services that you provide.
Also, figure out which clients you absolutely enjoy working with to provide that service.
Knowing who your ideal client is, where they hang out, where they go when they have specific questions and where they are in that painful journey will enable you to speak to their need better.
Joining Relevant Groups
When you know who your ideal client is and where they go to ask questions then it’s time to join those groups.
Did you know that as of August 2022, there are over 10 million groups on Facebook? That’s a lot of Facebook groups!
Also, the maximum number of groups that you are allowed to join is 6,000.
It means that there is so much opportunity out there when it comes to finding clients in large Facebook groups.
Are you still wondering which groups to join to find your clients?
Let me ask you a question…
What software or platforms are your clients using daily in their business?
When they have a problem or question with that platform where do they go for help?
Let me give you a practical example, I enjoy helping clients with Kajabi and ActiveCampaign.
So, I’ve joined groups in that area of specialisation so that I can meet potential clients.
For example, Kajabi has an official support group on Facebook.
Therefore, you should do the same, even if all your clients are interested in are bullet journals or pretty stationery.
Depending on your offer remember that you can also join local groups to find clients.
Start Your Own Facebook Group
Did you just say that you cannot find a group on Facebook where your clients are asking questions?
If you said yes, then I would encourage you to create your own FB group to develop a sense of community.
Now, I have to tell you that growing your own Facebook group is hard work and it does require some level of strategy to pull it off.
Using Facebook lead ads or Facebook ads with the lead objective is an effective way to grow your Facebook group.
The good thing about having your own Facebook group is that you decide who gets in or not.
Your Facebook group members will get access to you and learn the best practices for their business.
You get to post whatever you want (well almost because Facebook is now deleting posts everywhere like crazy).
You’ll have a group of business owners at different stages of their growth journey and it means that your pipeline of prospects will always be full.
As a service provider, you can publish valuable content and even use live video to warm up the members of the group so that they can become ideal customers.
Another advantage is that you’ll get to assign group admins and assess your client’s needs by looking at the popular posts inside the group.
Create a Facebook Business Page
In order to build that know, like and trust factor online it’s important to have a presence about who you are and what you do.
It not only builds brand awareness but tells people in your industry that you are serious.
A great way to achieve this is by having a Facebook page. It demonstrates that you are serious about doing business online.
If you are worried about having a page without any likes or only your friends and family like the page.
Remember that you can always run a page likes campaign so that you can get to your first 100 – 200 page likes.
It’s important to complete it as much as possible so that you can let Facebook know that you are serious.
There’s no need for you to add an address or phone number and you can always link to another social media platform if you don’t have a website just yet.
How to Get Clients from Facebook Groups
Now that you have an overall idea of how to know your ideal clients, why join relevant groups or even create your own Facebook group as well as what you shouldn’t do.
Let’s look at 5 ways to find clients using the strength of Facebook groups.
Remember that you don’t have to use all of these methods.
In fact, just using one of them will get you the results that you need.
1. Answering Questions
This one may or may not come as a surprise to you but answering questions in a clever way always sets you up as an expert.
The answers you give must provide value without expecting anything in return.
In fact, when you answer the question it would be like writing a summary of a blog post for the question that has been asked.
Of course, there are some questions that would take a bit of screen sharing to illustrate the solution so try bullet points instead.
So, do as much as you can within reason.
At the end of your answer or at the start you can say something like this.
“Several of my clients had a similar challenge and the way I solved it was….”
Or, “some of the members of my group had a similar challenge and we got it sorted within 24 hours by doing…”
2. Asking Open-Ended Questions
Sometimes a potential client may come into a group and say something like, “I’m trying to make a decision between X and Y, what’s your preferred option”.
Most service providers will jump in the comments and say, “X” or “Y” but you need to be the person that sticks out and instead ask an open-ended question.
In case you don’t know what that is, these types of questions need a deeper answer other than yes or no.
They normally start with, who, what, where, when or why.
The response to this type of question is never a one-word answer and the response will give you the ability to ask even deeper questions.
When you ask these questions you stand out as an expert and as someone who really cares about your potential clients.
3. Building Relationships
I am sure that you didn’t see this one coming. Lol!!😂
So often we forget that social media is a place to get to meet new people and build a network of people who know, like and trust each other.
Yes, you are looking to find clients online but it’s also important to find people who you enjoy working with for a long time.
If you have been a freelancer or a virtual assistant for some time, you’ll know that there are scammers as well as clients who can be scary to work with.
Therefore, building relationships will help you to know who the nice people are in a group.
Also, you’ll get a bunch of referrals from building relationships because these people know you as the go-to person for the service you offer.
4. Commenting on Promo Threads
There are some groups that have threads/posts for specific days of the week.
Be sure to read the rules before joining those groups or even after you join so that you don’t get in trouble for sharing links or promoting on the wrong day.
Some of them allow you to tell everyone what you do without sharing a link to your business.
Others let you share your latest blog post or free offer.
I can think of one specific one that encourages you to look for beta testers for your product or service.
There are even some that would encourage potential clients to say what type of service they are looking for or what problems they are experiencing.
5. Guest Speakers
Did you know that there are groups where people are looking for guest speakers?
You are probably thinking why on earth would you be interested in groups for guest speakers?
The truth is that you are an expert in the service that you offer because you solve a problem.
There are coaches, course creators and group owners who are always looking for guest speakers to help their members solve problems.
For example, my 3 areas of specialisation are funnels, digital marketing and tech set-up.
Therefore, I can offer some insight into how people can overcome problems they are facing in these 3 areas.
You can do the same for your area of expertise.
How to Jump-Start Your Results in an Existing Group
After joining a group consider looking for existing content where you can join in the conversation.
You can go as far back as 3-6 months and start commenting on those older posts.
In large Facebook groups, this can be tricky if you don’t know how to add value.
When inside the group, go to the search bar for the group and search for the following:
- The keywords or phrases that your potential clients use to describe their problem
- The name of the software and tools they use to solve those problems
Here’s an example of a search in a group that I’ve joined.
First step, head to the top of the page and click on the little magnifying glass so that the search bar will pop up.
Enter your keyword, name of software or problem phrase and hit enter.
You’ll see the results on your right as well as options on your left to customise the search results.
I would normally toggle on “most recent” so that I can see them in reverse chronological order.
Next step, scroll through the results until you find a post where you can add value and write a comment, always adding valuable resources too.
Summary
While finding clients from Facebook groups may not be the easiest task in the world it sure beats going out in the rain and cold in a market selling goods.
Or worse, attending a trade fair and handing out business cards.
In fact, you can meet more people online or even network faster online to a much bigger audience.
The trick is to do it consistently for 3-6 months so that you become the go-to person in your area of specialisation so that others will start tagging you on autopilot.
You’re probably thinking that you have no idea what your area of speciality is in terms of expertise.
Or you may be worried about what will happen if you change your expertise.
The reality is that you need to start somewhere and then when the time comes to change you can refer those potential clients to others in your network.
