Facebook’s groups have become very popular and chances are you can find a group related to just about any topic you can think of. If you are active on Facebook you probably already belong to a group or 2. So let’s journey into the world of groups and how to best use them for networking.
Groups are perhaps the best place to build relationships with people you may not know or not know very well. Groups are awesome for holding conversations with other members, ask questions and share information. Groups are like their own community built in commonality. The members all share a similar interest and so networking is a bit easier than say with a business page.
However there are something’s you should keep in mind when participating in a group. When you go to a networking event, you certainly do not share your information, hand out your cards and then leave right? You engage in conversations of some sort and the same hold true for groups. It is not what you are sharing but how you are sharing it that makes all the difference.
You want to be sure to talk to your fellow members and not at them. Just as you participate in networking groups in person, you want to do that same in the Facebook groups. Your fellow members may not know you let alone your business. You want them to get to know you first as people do business with people they know like and trust. You can have the best product or service in the world but if the members do not know you they will not give your business much thought.
Many times you see people promoting their products or services in these groups. While groups are great for this, it is not the only thing you should be doing. Start a conversation or ask questions as a way to get to know the other members. Respond to others conversations or questions even if you do not know that member.
Don’t get discouraged if other members do not respond at first. It takes time for people to get to know you. There is great potential to meet new people with which to build a relationship with. Groups are great for this.
So when participating in Facebook groups don’t lose site of the power it has for building relationships. The business you gain will naturally flow from there. Then when you do share a promotion about your product or service it will gain more attention because now the members now know you better.
