Do you promote yourself on Facebook regularly or multiple times a day but still can’t gain real traction in your biz? Have you ever wondered why no one wants to take you up on your offer (even when it’s free).
Chances are you’re going about it in all the wrong ways.
Marketing on Facebook is not about “getting” clients. It’s about sharing your message and attracting clients with that message.
Now, I teach my clients there are a ton of different ways to get clients besides Facebook (but we’ll talk about that another time). For the purposes of this message- I want to focus on the little blue and white box (aka Facebook) and how you can use it correctly to grow your biz.
You’re going to want to pay attention.
Here are the eight reasons why you’re not getting any business from Facebook.
1. No one knows who you are. Maybe you’re just starting. Or maybe you’ve been hiding. Waiting in the wings for your perfect opportunity to introduce yourself in a group or announce your new venture on your personal profile. You comment on and like other people’s posts, but you rarely (if ever) start your own conversation. People are not attracted to followers, they are attracted to leaders. It’s time to put your big girl panties on, swallow your pride, leggo your ego and start making an impact with your posts.
2. You’re not making “friends”. If you’re an introvert like me, this could be a difficult task. I know it’s hard to put yourself out there to “strangers” and people you don’t know. But if you have an online business- ain’t no ifs, ands or buts about it- you’ve got to. Don’t look at people as potential clients or leads, instead create relationships. Make friends. Show a genuine interest in others.
Plus, did you know that if you’re actually connected to someone through your Facebook friendship, they now see all of your posts in their feed, including ones in groups that you’re both members of. Pretty awesome, right?
3. You don’t have a compelling message. If just went googly eyed as you read that, then chances are you don’t have a strong enough message, or maybe you don’t have one at all. Your message is what’s going to call in the clients, friendships and collaborations that will skyrocket your business. People relate to messages, and stories- so don’t be shy to share yours. You just might inspire someone to do the same…
4. Your promos suck (sorry, not sorry). If and when you do post a blatant promo- it’s gotta be good. Like, really damn good- or people will just tune it out. Most people aren’t on Facebook to buy- they’re there to make connections, so you’ve gotta go about it in a really thoughtful way. Weave in story or your message in with the promo so it’s not just like, “Hey, buy my thing!” I usually do this by talking about my own struggles and successes and incorporating my “why”, which is my son.
5. You’re all over the place. More is not always better. My best advice is to choose a few really good places to dominate and leave the rest. Most of the same people are in the same groups anyway, so you’re not missing anything by sticking to 3 or 4 places where you really want to show up. Plus it’s super annoying when “so-and-so” just posted the same message to 5 million groups.
6. You’re not seen as the expert. Maybe you are posting and focusing on a few groups. But are your posts relevant? Are they positioning you as the expert or are you just posting random things and fun quotes- which is totally fine- about 20% of the time. The rest of the time, you should be asking questions, offering help or giving tips relevant to your niche.
You want people to see you as synonymous with whatever your niche market is.
7. You’re seen as desperate. False scarcity is a thing of the past. In fact it makes you look really inauthentic. When you’re posting almost every day or every week- with the same exact post about how you only have a “few spots” left, people will start to think that you’re either desperate for clients or not really good at what you do.
Act as if. If you were the best of the best, would you post “thirsty” posts on Facebook begging to fill your free sessions. I don’t think so…
8. It takes time. If you feel like you’re doing all the right things, but it’s still not happening as fast as you want, then I encourage you to have patience with yourself. It takes time to build relationships and position yourself as an authority. Not a ton of time, but consistent action over time. Keep going.
Here’s bottom line: no one wants to be sold to (including you). Using Facebook (or any social media) to grow your business is a smart idea- but only if you do it right.
I’m going to repeat myself here, just in case you didn’t get it the first time and because it’s an uber important shift you need to make: Marketing on Facebook is not about “getting” clients. It’s about sharing your message and attracting clients with that message.
Loved this list, Jenn. I’m a big fan of yours and all that you do. I wonder: so, you’ve given up finding clients on FB…so, where do you find them? How do you measure the ROI of the time you DO spend on FB?
Thanks for a very thought provoking post!
Megan
I particularly love point 8. Facebook and I are definitely friends – now. But it has taken showing up in my groups pretty much every single day for the last 5 months….It definitely takes time, but boy has it been worth it. 🙂
Thanks for pointing out the distinction about attracting clients and “getting” clients. Love that.
Yes deliver value and then attract your clients instead of hound them down. Great post!
This makes so much sense. Connection is super important and the way we share our message is what is going to help us connect with those we want to help. This is good stuff
LOVE THIS! 🙂 You are awesome.
I think #1 is most important. They do not know who you are. We only want to work with people we know, like and trust. This relationship “dance” takes time.