Use Facebook Groups for Book Marketing #ThrowbackThursday

How to use Facebook Groups for Book Marketing

Today’s #ThrowbackThursday post looks at how to use Facebook Groups

How to use Facebook Groups to connect with customersIf you’ve selected Facebook as one of your social mediums to connect with your customers (whether they are a reader, a music lover, or someone who buys the widgets you produce), think about how to use Facebook Groups as part of your marketing plan.

“But I already belong to Facebook, I have my own page, and I post every day,” you say. Yes, this will help spread your message, but if you find the right group, you’re sharing with people who have the same passion for your product. Who is more likely to buy—your Aunt Edna, or someone as madly obsessed with books, music, or widgets as you?

Networking with fans and fellow fanatics adds another layer of connecting to your core audience. And connecting is what puts the “social” in social media.

What can a Facebook group do for me?

(Channeling a little JFK here)–>Ask not what a Facebook group can do for you, ask what you can do for a Facebook group:

    • Ask questions to discover their pain (problem) and have a solution (sale)
    • Be an expert in your field. They will come to you for solutions (see above)
    • Drive traffic to your website
    • Get email subscribers, and put them on your email list
    • Ask advice
    • Give advice
    • Become a part of a community where everyone understands what you’re going through
    • Get feedback
    • Share sales
    • Share posts
    • Request to be or to host a guest post
    • Brainstorm
    • Offer exclusive content
    • Add value

Where do I find a Facebook group that meets my needs?

The obvious place is to do a Facebook search. Or a Google search. Or ask your existing social media if they have any suggestions. People are more than willing to share what they’ve found beneficial to them.

Once you’ve found a group, determine if their purpose aligns with yours and your business. Are they open and generous, or is their mission to collect names for their own email list? Do they share tips and tricks, or is every post an introduction to yet another member? (I belong to one such group and wonder what their purpose is outside of introductions. I never see any concrete suggestions or sharing and wonder why I joined).

On the other hand, I belong to another, fantastic group that is very active. They ask for feedback on book covers, share links to helpful sites, and spread knowledge without thought of reward. They’re generous, supportive and committed to their craft.

What not to do

  • Avoid Spamming. If you’re always selling, no one will read your posts. You want engagement, not scorn.
  • Don’t be a lurker. The point of joining is to belong, and you can’t belong if no one sees you.
  • Get political. Please, in today’s environment, avoid a virtual fight. Unless, of course, the purpose of the group is political
  • Troll or abuse another member
  • Break the rules. BTW, read the rules when you join. If there is a no promotion clause, don’t push your widget. Just don’t.
  • Vulgarity, profanity, etc.

What if I can’t find a Facebook group?

In the very rare case no Facebook group exists, consider creating your own. A lot of work will be involved. After all, Facebook is a 24/7 entity. Do you want to moderate all posts? Are you willing to kick off troubling members? Google the subject and decide if you’re willing to tackle the task. If so, I wish you luck. Send me an invitation.

The purpose of Facebook groups is to share

No one with a passion for a subject wants to exist in a vacuum. We want support, we want to engage, we want to belong to a community that understands the voices in our heads (writers only) or the love we have for our widgets.

Find and join a Facebook group. Contribute. Post a link to something you’re all interested in. Answer a question. And, using the 80/20 rule, occasionally point them in the direction of your product, whether it’s books or widgets.

Bee a part of a colony (couldn’t resist the pun)

Blessings,

Cheryl

p.s. I don’t own a Facebook group, but I do have a Facebook page. Consider following me.

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3 Responses to Use Facebook Groups for Book Marketing #ThrowbackThursday

  1. Iola says:

    I suspect the recent changes to the Facebook algorithms will make Groups even more important going forward.

  2. admin says:

    Facebook algorithms keep us on our toes. We can only hope they work in our favor.

  3. djfeditor says:

    Comme indiqué dans larticle,dans ce cas , il te suffit de cliquer sur le widget pour le stopper. Et perso, jai un laptop avec un modeste Intel Core M3, qui encaisse sans broncher le préréglage raisonnable du widget. PS : Je lai désactivé sur mobile, ce qui ne m”empêche pas, à titre personnel, de lutiliser sur mon smartphone, cest dire si le widget est peu gourmand.

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