After blogging about food and health for nearly a decade, I’ve noticed that a large percentage of readers have their own wellness business. Therefore, I will be blogging about business-related topics every so often. Like today!
Listen. Facebook is beast. It can be massively helpful in building your business…or it can be a huge waste of time.
Today I’m going to help you use it more effectively to grow your audience, build your mailing list and get more clients.
But first, let me assure you. You don’t have to use Facebook at all if you don’t want to.
When I started my business in 2009, Facebook was a mere shadow of what it is today. I still found clients. I still grew my mailing list. People have been doing business for a long time without social media of any sort. So before we dive in, think about this:
Are you a Facebook person? Are you familiar with the platform? Do you use it, personally? Do you enjoy it?
If not, ditch this tactic. Go read a different article. OR, decide to immerse yourself in Facebook as an individual. That’s the best way to understand how it works. Use it. Make sense? Come back in a few months and read the rest of this article then.
If you have indeed been using Facebook for awhile, you enjoy interacting there and you’re ready to dive in…then let’s do it!
For a visual overview of the key pieces you gotta have in place on Facebook, download my free guide:
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How do I get clients from Facebook?
Unfortunately, Facebook is not a vast sea of potential clients jumping at the bit to hire you. It’s just not that simple.
Instead, think of it as a vast sea of potential clients who may be open to hearing what you have to say about weight loss. Or blood pressure. Or stress relief. It’s an enormous network of people who, like any group of people, have health problems they are worried about and want to solve.
This is your opportunity to establish yourself as an expert and build relationships.
Put your sassy pants on and go for it!
Do I need a business page or can I use my personal page?
Back in the old days, business pages allowed us to reach a lot of people for zero dollars. Now, our posts only appear in a small percentage of our fans’ feeds.
For example, as of this writing I have about 5,000 Facebook fans. I posted an article yesterday and it only reached 300. WTF, right?
I see many entrepreneurs second-guessing the value of Facebook business pages, but there are two things you should know:
1. Without a business page, you can’t run Facebook ads.
2. You can reach more of your fans for free by utilizing Facebook Live video, posting original photos instead of links to articles, and posting photos/videos instead of plain text. These types of posts are given priority in Facebook algorithms (as of this writing.)
For example, a link to an article on my page this week reaches about 300. An original, uploaded photo reaches about 3,000.
In short, a Facebook business page is not the end-all-be-all for your marketing. But it is worth having. Try posting at least twice per day.
Should I use my personal page to promote my business?
The short answer is yes. But don’t go overboard. These people are your friends and family first, potential clients second. If you start blasting them with health and wellness info, they may tune out.
There are a few places where you should definitely advertise your business, and those are outlined in my free guide.
Should I start a Facebook group?
Facebook is constantly changing but as of right now, groups are what all the cool kids are doing.
Why?
Because we got fed up with the craptastic reach our business pages were getting. Once you get people into a private group, they are much more likely to see what is posted there.
Another reason groups kick butt is because the layout fosters more of a conversation. Anyone can create a post and it shows up in the main discussion area. (On business pages, others can post but it’s somewhat hidden in the sidebar.)
Facebook groups are typically set to “closed” and require approval to join. That makes them quasi-private and the conversation more likely to flow.
One last reason to start a group is if you are dipping your toe into a new business idea. Let’s say you’re a health coach who works with women in your local area. And let’s say you have an idea to create a program specifically around healing eczema. Before you invest the time and energy into developing a program, a Facebook group called “Women with Eczema in Tallahassee” would let you see how many people are interested in the topic and even do some market research. Run that group for a few months and you’ll know exactly what this specific type of woman is looking for.
But only start a Facebook group if you are prepared to invest daily time and energy into it. Especially in the beginning! Remember, you are the host. Groups require consistent attention to thrive.
How do I get more engagement?
Whether it’s on a business page or within a group, using Facebook as an entrepreneur really is like hosting a party.
You need to know how to start conversation. You need to be lively, but not pushy. Interesting but not self-absorbed.
1. Be consistent. Post approximately the same times every day.
2. Have a point of view. Be a little controversial.
3. Share news and articles, but always with your take on it? Add value.
4. Be imperfect. No one wants to see you sipping a green smoothie on a sunny beach. We want to see the smoothie that you tried adding spirulina to and ended up tasting disgusting. We want to the see the time you left the blender on too long and smoked out the motor. Be human.
5. Be specific. The market is saturated with health and wellness advice. Stand out by targeting a very specific group of people. As discussed above, a group called “Women with Eczema in Tallahassee” will attract nearly 100% of women within that target. “Busy Women Getting Healthy” on the other hand is much too vague.
So now what? How does this lead to paying clients?
Converting your Facebook audience to your mailing list should be the primary goal.
It could be a free, downloadable cookbook in exchange for their email address. Or a webinar. The key is to help solve a problem THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT and therefore, motivated to solve.
Pro tip: If you are going to invest in Facebook ads, the time to do it is when you are giving away something for free. Advertise to a warm audience of your current fans and group members for best results.
Once they are on your mailing list, your emails should work to continue the relationship and sell your products and services.
I’ll say that again.
It’s your EMAILS that generally do the selling.
And we’ll talk about those another time. For now, start growing an audience of raving fans who can’t wait to buy from you.
Ready to get started?
There are a few key elements to have in place if you want Facebook to work for you, and I’ve outlined them all in this free guide.
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