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What’s Changing in Facebook Groups

July 23, 2017 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 8 Comments

If you’ve been wanting to start a Facebook group, this is a good place to start! I’ll update with what’s changing in Facebook groups as it rolls out!

If you’ve been around for a while, you KNOW how important Facebook groups are to me! I wrote a post for Jane Friedman about using Facebook pages vs Facebook groups and have been steadily growing my Create If Writing Facebook group since I started the podcast in 2015. But things are always changing on the internet and some HUGE Facebook groups updates are taking place in 2017 that we need to discuss.

Like my reach dropping in my own group as it did on my Facebook page. GASP!

We’ll talk about the Facebook group updates, some educated guesses for what we can expect, best practices for using Facebook groups, and why some HUGE Facebook groups just closed their doors.

(And if you want to learn more about the recent changes in Facebook pages, you can do that HERE.)

There are major updates coming to Facebook pages. What you need to know about starting and running a Facebook group.

WHAT’S CHANGING IN FACEBOOK GROUPS

Facebook recently announced that is has a new focus: GROUPS. This will mean group insights, linking pages to groups, having suggested groups at the top of each group, asking questions of potential members as a vetting process, and being able to schedule posts. (See the tools listed HERE.)

While these SOUND like great things for group admins, this new focus may NOT be a great thing for group owners overall.

Unless you like the changes that happened to Facebook Pages after 2014.

What the History of Facebook Pages Can Teach Us about Facebook Groups

If you have had your Facebook page before 2014, you know why that date matters. In 2014 Facebook began rolling out changes that greatly impacted the organic (aka: unpaid) reach of Facebook pages.

Pages suddenly went from having a decent number of their followers see their posts to almost NO followers see their posts. I found this post on the Social Media Examiner from back in 2014 talking about reach— this was just the beginning of this issue for page owners. No one HAD to talk about reach before this, because it wasn’t a problem.

Before 2014, if people liked your page —> people saw your post. That was it. 

The change happened after Facebook started rolling out new tools and insights for page managers. Organic reach dropped as Facebook began to adopt more of a pay-to-play model. (As in, if you want to really boost your page reach, you need to start paying to boost posts.)

If we can learn anything from Facebook’s history, it’s that when Facebook focuses on an area and rolls out new tools, it means that changes are coming. Specifically to organic reach. (Check out this fascinating 2014 Slideshare of Facebook’s history, particularly slides 68-70.)

The Facebook Ads Explosion

Facebook may be about user experience, but Facebook is also about FACEBOOK. Particularly how Facebook can make money. Over a year ago, Facebook said that it was running out of space to show ads.

With more people than ever using ads, this means that Facebook needs more spaces to show ads.

Facebook has added messenger ads for pages (contributing to the rise in bots), but also has been testing Facebook in-messenger ads on the home screen.

For a long time I’ve also heard murmurings of Facebook moving to ads inside of groups as well. I think the new focus on groups means that we are not far off from this.

Facebook Groups Updates and Ads

Because Facebook is still rolling things out, it’s hard to know for sure what the paid piece will look like. But here are a few educated guesses based on what I’ve heard from other group owners as well as what I’ve seen.

  • Boosting Facebook posts

As Facebook rolls out features, sometimes they are there one minute, gone the next. When I have linked my page to my group (see this tutorial to do so), I have sometimes seen the option to boost my post IN THE GROUP. This has mostly been on mobile and isn’t always available.

I’m not a huge fan of boosting posts in general, so I haven’t clicked to see how this will play out. But the fact that I’ve seen the option indicates that this will become akin to boosting a post on a page.

  • Targeting within Groups

One of the larger entrepreneurial groups I’m in had a discussion a few months ago about targeting ads to groups. Right now as you create Facebook ads, you can target custom or lookalike audiences, people who like certain pages, or other demographics. I would guess that soon this would add Facebook GROUPS.

The debate inside the group was about whether your ads would show up IN the group or if you would just be seen in the newsfeed of people from a particular group. Some claimed to have seen ads inside of larger Facebook groups. If the Facebook newsfeed is running out of room, it makes sense for ads to show up inside of groups. Jenn from Jenn’s Trends agrees!

SO WHY ARE BIG FACEBOOK GROUPS CLOSING?

Several HUGE Facebook groups have shut down in the past month, just as Facebook announced these new changes. Coincidence? I actually do think so. But it’s definitely worth mentioning!

Melyssa Griffin archived her Facebook group, Online Biz BFFs, which hit over 70k members before cleaning out 1-2k people and archiving the group. This means that posts are still visible, but you can’t comment or post. She cited a difference in vision from the time she started the group.

Screw the 9 to 5 closed their 40k member Facebook group in summer 2017. This after actively building the group as their main focus and building a huge part of their brand ON the idea of building a Facebook group. Founders Josh & Jill opened a new group that has about 5k members currently. To join the new group, potential members must answer questions about what they’ll bring to the group and making clear that spammy posts aren’t allowed.

Kimra Luna closed her over 40k member Facebook group, Freedom Hackers, citing the Facebook algorithm as a cause. In her post she claims that no one can see HER posts and that when she creates a new event, her group members don’t get notified. (Read her full public post HERE.)

I think there are some takeaways from these successful groups that I’ll weave into my tips for Facebook groups below. But in short, I don’t think that these groups shut down because of impending Facebook-group-acalpyse.

HOW TO CREATE AND RUN A VALUABLE FACEBOOK GROUP

I have a few big practical tips for you as well as some takeaways from the large groups that closed down.

  • Be present.

While Facebook is rolling out a scheduling feature, scheduling may not be the best option. Groups are about engagement and connection. Nothing creates a disconnect quite like a scheduled & automated post asking for “conversation.” If the group owner can’t take the time to be present to START a conversation, it’s not really a conversation.

Facebook also has become more strict about outside schedulers and at least one group owner I know was banned by Facebook from using a scheduler in her group. I see plenty of group owners still scheduling with third parties (so FB seems to be dropping the hammer on this arbitrarily), but it alerts the group members to the fact that you aren’t THERE.

From the group member side, one of the issues with some of those larger groups was the lack of engagement from the group owners. Many people join to connect with the face behind the brand, but as the groups grew, the owners appeared less and less. That relates to the next tip…

  • Don’t just strive for numbers

The more people in a group, the more to manage. I remember feeling nervous and excited when my group went over 1000 members. It’s a great milestone…but at the same time, that means a lot of people I don’t KNOW.

The sense of community can change or get lost altogether. My group still has a great connection. People know each other. They talk. They support each other. It’s pretty awesome. (You can join here!)

The larger groups get, the more management they take, which increases the likelihood that things get out of control. Out of control? you say. Yep. Which brings us to point number three…

  • Moderate your group

Group owners don’t just need to be present. They need to set the TONE. Part of that means moderation. This part isn’t always fun.

Many Facebook groups just exist for promotion. And many people have taught that you should get into Facebook groups to find your ideal customers. What this means is that in basically ANY Facebook group, you’ll have a decent percentage of people who join and then immediately and frequently post links to their latest blog post/book/thing.

Each week I delete posts and remove members. Each week I have a few posts on the fence where I have to decide if I want to kick someone out or take the time to message them, sharing why I deleted their post.

(Want to NOT be gross and smarmy in Facebook groups? Read my post here.) 

I can’t imagine how many spammy, self-promote-y posts got deleted in those large groups that have now closed down. Several of them had team members and paid positions to manage the groups. In each of those three large groups, members could see a ton of spammy posts that still made it through (even temporarily), or thinly-veiled posts just trying to build a business on top of the hard work the group owner did to build the group.

It’s a LOT of work to moderate, especially as the group grows. Without that work, though, the value of the group goes down. You can ask questions now as people join the group, which is a great way to vet people at least a tiny bit.

  • Post as your SELF, not your PAGE

With the linking of Facebook groups, I ran a little experiment. When I posted as my PAGE (something that you can do when you link your group and page), my reach tanked. When I posted from my personal PROFILE, my reach was fine. If you are going to link your page and profile, this is probably the first way that Facebook is going tin adjust the organic reach.

You can see here that the top 5 posts for the month included NO posts from my page, Kirsten Oliphant, but only my personal profile, Kirsten Kiki Oliphant, and a group member. (Way to go, Roland!!) That’s pretty significant, especially considering I post daily at least once or twice. I spent almost a month posting as my page.

Once connected, you can toggle between posting as yourself and your page with a little dropdown arrow in the top right of the posting box. Now that groups have insights, you can do your own tests to see how your reach is affected!

 

So, should you start a Facebook group if you haven’t already?

YES. Or…maybe.

I do think that reach will go down as a pay-to-play system moves into place as it did for pages. This is the reality of building on someone else’s free platform. (So build that email list! I’ve written a great book for getting started if you need help.) We don’t know exactly what this looks like or will look like. But for NOW, Facebook groups can really be great if you want to build a community.

My email list is my main jam, but it’s kind of like a wheel: I’m at the center, having one-to-one interactions that move out from me at the center.

Facebook groups are a little more like those messy spiderwebs. I’ve done the work to build it, but rather than having all the separate spokes, the web of people weaves together and connects. It allows for COMMUNITY. Which is pretty special.

Need more resources on building up your FB group? Here are a few helpful posts!

  • The Power of Facebook Groups with Katie Krimitsos of Biz Women Rock
  • How Not to Be Smarmy in Facebook Groups (please PLEASE read this one)

Want help with your Facebook page? Here are a few helpful posts!

  • When Facebook Changes an Algorithm
  • Facebook Updates in 2018 – What You Need to Know

Questions? Thoughts? Comment below! I’d love to know your experience with Facebook groups!

 

Filed Under: Facebook, Platform, Social Media

Are Facebook Messenger Bots Replacing Email?

July 11, 2017 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 2 Comments

This is another post in a series on email lists and email marketing! If you want to see my full resource page on email, you can see that HERE. Today it’s all about the Facebook messenger bots. 

Every few months a new platform jumps onto the scene that gets tons of buzz. Some of these make a splash, then seem to lose steam (heyyyy, Snapchat), while others just keep building. One of the latest trends is the use of Facebook messenger bots. I’ve heard many people say that Facebook messenger bots are the new email.

So…are Facebook messenger bots replacing email? Here are my thoughts. 

How do Facebook messenger bots stack up to email lists? Everything you need to know.

Facebook Messenger Bots vs Email Lists

First, what the heck are Facebook Messenger Bots? 

Bots preceded this development and are essentially automated messages you can use to “talk” to people through your page. (Personally? I need one because I almost never see messages sent to my page.) You can set up how the bots work and what they’ll say. (Here’s a great tutorial from the Social Media Examiner.)

How Facebook messenger bots are being used right now? 

Facebook recently introduced a new aspect to Facebook ads. You can choose to target people through Facebook messenger. Which sounds…terrifying. I’m getting enough unsolicited email every day–I definitely don’t want that popping up every time I open Facebook!!

Thankfully there are some protections in place for this. You have to opt into these kinds of ads by either messaging the page at some point or by allowing something (like a freebie) to be delivered via Facebook messenger.

Do you have to be using Facebook ads to use bots?

NO. You can set up bots with a free service like ManyChat to have an automated reply (for anyone like me who forgets to check my page messages…) or to message people about new blog, Youtube, podcast, or other content. Check out this detailed tutorial from *Owen Video. He’s using it for YouTube, but you can do this for other options.

I just set one up for my podcast! Want to know when I have new podcast episodes? Click here to receive those notifications via Facebook messenger and meet the Kiki Bot. 

Why are people raving about Facebook messenger bots? 

If you have an email list, you know that open rates are NOT 100%. It varies across different industries and also according to list size, but 20% is kind of a benchmark GOOD open rate. Clickthrough rates are something like 3-5%.

Facebook messenger bots? Can have open rates of 80-90% and click through rates of above 50%. THAT’S INSANE. So of course people are jumping on this bot boat. That’s amazing engagement! Right?

Yes. But…maybe.

Why Facebook messenger stats aren’t all that

While those stats are SUPER impressive and beat out even the open rates for free challenges (which I’ve found have between 60-80% open rates), they may not be exactly what they seem.

Remember when Facebook admitted that it hadn’t been measuring video metrics correctly, but still bragged about all the great stats? Yeah. That happened.

I also know that when I have Facebook open, messages pop up right there as a chat, whether I click to open them or not. If that counts as an “open” for messenger ads, then it’s no wonder that the open rate is so high! I also wonder how clicks are actually measured and how trustworthy these stats are.

Then again, those numbers are still huge. And we KNOW people are on Facebook constantly. Plus, messenger has not (until now) been a market-y place. So people may engage there the way they engage with friends: easily. Quickly. Without hesitation.

Why I’m a little leery of the Facebook messenger bot ads

I’ve played around with Manychat (an app for creating bot messages) and subscribed to a few bot opt-ins to get a feel for them.

My biggest qualm with these bots is that people don’t fully understand that they are opting into something. Unlike email, where there are laws and regulations that mean we have to be super clear and often use a double opt in (where people have to enter their email address AND click to confirm in an email afterward), messenger bots are regulated by Facebook.

While Facebook wants to promote the user experience, they are also all about the FACEBOOK experience. Which looks like: Facebook getting our money. So I foresee messenger ads becoming more and more common.

Right now the regulations in place ensure that a page cannot opt you in without you first messaging the page (which still to ME is not permission to opt into some kind of ad sequence via messenger). I also find that it’s not as easy to unsubscribe. Usually one of the first messages tells you that you can type “stop” to stop. But if you don’t remember this and aren’t reminded, there isn’t an easy one-click unsubscribe as with email.

Some people will see that as a plus because they’ve essentially got a captive audience. But I’d rather have an audience that WANTS to be there. Not one that’s there because they can’t figure out how to leave.

Why you shouldn’t discount email

No matter what new things come along, email has a few big advantages over basically everything. The first is that email isn’t going anywhere and almost everyone has it. It’s a way of life and way more established than any other social platform.

While you can see your Facebook “subscribers” if you’re using a tool like Manychat, I haven’t seen a way to download a spreadsheet of emails the way that you can with an email list. Which means that your contacts are still in that app. Unlike email, where you can actually print them out and hold them in your hand. Your email list is YOURS. Your bot subscribers are friends you have permission to visit from Facebook. Until you don’t.

Messenger bots are so new that we don’t really know what will happen next.

Why you might want to try messenger bots

With anything new, you could become an early adopter and see a lot of traction before the whole thing becomes overdone. Starting early can be a great way to carve out your own unique space and become an expert in a growing field.

The downside, of course, is when those platforms DON’T take off, or if you build on a platform that then changes and leaves you in the dust.

Which is one more reason I’ll ALWAYS recommend pairing whatever it is you do — messenger bots or something else — with growing your email list. 

Your potential audience may be slow to adapt as well, which is something to keep in mind. When I’ve asked my own group, they are almost ALL totally opposed to and grossed out by this idea. A few signed up for these bot messages for someone’s launch and they hated it. So you also risk really ticking people off.

But this reminds me of the whole pop-up debate. Everyone says they HATE pop-ups. And yet…research shows that they work.

If you want to know more about setting up messenger bots and ads, you can check out Manychat (which has great tutorials about bots), this great post and interview from Social Media Examiner, this post from Jon Loomer about setting up ads so that people end up in your messenger “funnel,” and Amy Porterfield’s interview with Rick Mulready about messenger ads.


Ultimately, YOU need to decide how you to connect with your ideal audience. But I would urge you not to jump ship on email for the next shiny thing. I could insert a bunch of tired metaphors here about things that glitter…but I think you get the point.

Thoughts on bots? Will YOU use them? Have you experienced them? Let’s discuss in the comments.

Filed Under: Email List, Facebook

How to Make Facebook Show the Right Blog Image

March 20, 2017 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 1 Comment

One of the most frustrating things is when you create a great image for Facebook and then you can’t make Facebook show the right blog image. I hate this. Bloggers hate this. Writers hate this. People email me about this and write questions in Facebook groups about how to make Facebook show the right blog image.

So I’m going to show you!

This is just one of two tips in this week’s Create If Writing podcast episode, so you can listen here and watch the video blow to see a demonstration.

Listen to Episode 94- How to Make Facebook Show the Right Blog Image


 

How to Make Facebook Show the Right Blog Image

Step 1- Create the right sized image

If you are just sharing a photo on Facebook, square is best. But if you are creating an image for Facebook to pull into the feed to go along with your link, I always use 560 x 292 pixels. This pulls the correct image, beautifully sized and non-pixellated.

I use Picmonkey for this and you can watch my quick video on how to resize images for social media for more on this.

Step 2- Insert the image into the Yoast SEO plugin

I love this plugin. It is life. It helps guide you into making smart SEO choices, allows you to choose the heading when your post shows up in Google search, and lets you choose the image for Facebook. And more.

First, install the plugin and get familiar. You’ll find that it creates a little box at the bottom of every post. You can click on the social share tab and then upload the image you just created for Facebook. (You should also create a great Facebook headline and description while you’re there.) Publish the post as you normally would.

Step 3- Debug that mug

Facebook generally will NOT pull the correct image at first. Sometimes ever. Which is the super frustrating point most bloggers find themselves in. But Facebook made a tool for that! It’s called the Open Graph Object Debugger. You plug in your url and then hit Show Existing Scrape Information. Then scroll to see what image and description it’s pulling.

Then, when the image is NOT the one you wanted, you will put in the url again and click Fetch New Scrape Information. I do this as many times as it takes to get that image showing up in the preview. I also generally ignore any errors that it points out. I’m just interested in the image and usually the errors are a bunch of nonsense anyway.

Want to watch? Check out this brief tutorial on how to make Facebook show the right blog image.

Are you sick of Facebook pulling the wrong images? Here is how to make Facebook show the right blog image. And it's easy!

And that, my friends, is how you make Facebook show the correct blog image. Ta DA! Share with all your friends. Bookmark the debugger. And use it. Often.

Filed Under: Facebook, Show Notes

Facebook Groups Best Practices – for Group Members AND Owners

October 17, 2016 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 9 Comments

Facebook groups are a useful tool to build your business, either as a group owner or a group member.

Much of the advice recently about finding your perfect readers or customers is to use Facebook groups.

The only problem?

This has created a culture of people behaving badly in groups. From shameless self-promotion to poaching group members, people seem to have forgotten their manners. I think it’s high time we talk about best practices for Facebook groups.


Listen to Episode 71 – Best Practices for Facebook Groups or…How NOT to Be Smarmy in Facebook Groups

 

[Want to join my Facebook Community? You really should. We can be non-smarmy together. ]

create-if-writing-episode-12


Best Practices for Facebook Groups

I’m quite the Facebook group junkie. I’m not going to tell you how many groups I’m in or how many I moderate or own. IT’S TOO MANY. That’s the bottom line. (I’ve even thought of creating a FB group for people with too many Facebook groups.)

Confession: I moderate over 25.

There is a reason that these Facebook groups are so popular! They are a GREAT way to connect with people on a platform most people are already on anyway.

But there is a dark side to these groups as well. Many of the groups for bloggers, writers, or entrepreneurs are full of people who just want to use the group to promote themselves. After all, we keep hearing that Facebook groups are a great place to grow your audience and find clients. Right?

Yes. However, you really need to know HOW to do this. Because if you handle this incorrectly, you will alienate those potential clients and tick off other group owners. If you are in Facebook groups, you will know that this happens OFTEN. If you moderate or own Facebook groups, you know just HOW often, because you are the one who deletes so many posts. (Can I get an Amen?)

So let’s break this down into how you can actually engage in these groups, bring value, and connect with potential new readers or clients without being GROSS.

How NOT To Be Smarmy in Facebook Groups as a Member

The easiest, overarching thing to remember in a Facebook group is that it’s not YOUR group.

  • Follow the rules (listed usually in a pinned thread or in the description in the side)
  • Listen before you speak when you join a group- see the culture
  • When in doubt about posting, ask the group owner.
  • DON’T JUST DROP LINKS TO YOUR POSTS/SALES PAGES/OPT-INS. (unless that is allowed in the group)
  • DON’T POST YOUR AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS. (unless that is allowed in the group)
  • DON’T POST YOUR PRODUCTS IF THEY DIRECTLY COMPETE WITH THE GROUP OWNER’S PRODUCTS.
  • DON’T COPY AND PASTE THE SAME MESSAGE TO MULTIPLE GROUPS AT THE SAME TIME. IT’S GROSS.

If you want to bring value to the group, you can engage in conversations and respond if people ask questions. When it comes to posting content in the group, make sure what you are posting is not a thinly guised, smarmy promotion, but something that’s actually helpful.

Remember that you didn’t build the group. This is someone else’s work. If you feel bitter that you can’t share or build your own platform from the group because of the rules, you may be there for the wrong reasons. Build your OWN group.

Best practices for Facebook groups as a member and an owner!

 

Best Practices for Facebook Groups as an Owner

Many people join the larger groups because they are unhappy with their own group and want to access more people. Don’t devalue your group, NO MATTER the size! REMEMBER that at one time, that giant group was small. It grew because that group owner valued the people in it.

  • Don’t add people without permission.
  • Ask questions (new feature in 2017!) of potential members to weed out spammers.
  • Promote discussion.
  • Allow people to share links, even if that’s within threads, not on the wall.
  • Be a good moderator.
  • Be present.
  • Don’t just schedule all the posts for the group.
  • Value members with exclusive content.
  • Use Facebook Live.
  • Disclose Affiliate Links.
  • Showcase and celebrate your members!

If you have made any of these mistakes either as a member or an owner, it’s TOTALLY OKAY. We all have. And sometimes it’s hard to navigate the waters of groups and dynamics.

Every group may not be for YOU. The most important thing to remember is to be intentional with your choices. This affects how you behave IN a group and how you RUN your group.

Want more? Watch this workshop from me on running a Facebook group!

I hope that you are left with some great ideas of how to more authentically engage with these best practices for Facebook groups! Disagree? Have some other pet peeves? Rant away in the comments!

Want to learn more about Facebook groups? Here are some great links from people I love. 

What’s Changing in Facebook Groups – Create If Writing

Facebook Messenger Bots – Create If Writing

Facebook Pages & Facebook Groups – my post on Jane Friedman’s blog

Your Email List Is NOT Your Community – Biz Women Rock

3 Mistakes to Avoid with Your Facebook Group – Caitlin Bacher

Leveraging Facebook Groups – my interview with Katie Krimitsos of Biz Women Rock

 

Filed Under: Facebook, Show Notes, Social Media

How to Use Facebook Live to Build an Audience – 068

September 26, 2016 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 1 Comment

It’s the year of video! And has been for the last five years, apparently. But live video stormed onto the scene in 2015, offering more ample and unique opportunities to use video. In this interview with Chef Mareya from Eat Cleaner, she shares how to use Facebook Live to build an audience.

This posts contains affiliate links! At no extra cost to you, any purchases made by clicking through may result in a commission. 

Listen to Episode 68 – How to Use Facebook Live to Build an Audience!

Want to connect with Mareya? 

Find her Facebook page (where you can watch weekly live cooking shows) and the Eat Cleaner  site.

how-to-use-facebook-live

 

How Mareya Got Started on Facebook Live

Mareya had a following already on Facebook, so she used the live aspect once it became available to leverage who she already had. Facebook is still favoring the live platform, so you can get tremendous reach by using live video within the platform. You are able to reach people in a dynamic way. There is no smoke and mirrors– no editing. The watchers have started to become their own tribe with a name for themselves and interact with each other online.

The Benefits of Facebook Live

  • You will have the favor of Facebook
  • If you are a regular, you will start getting regulars
  • This allows people to really see you as you are without the polish and the fakery of more produced videos
  • People become lifers through this kind of platform because of the personal nature
  • Facebook might start to pay attention to YOU
  • Because it’s a new platform, you can really plant your flag there and GROW because it’s so new
  • You will garner a group of more connected fans than you might through another platform
  • Higher-watched content helps prime your page and grow your organic reach

Want to know how to use Facebook live to grow your audience? Um, yes please!

Why You Should Stop Being Nervous about Live

What’s the worst that could happen? People know they aren’t getting a polished, professional video. Your people have more faith in what you’re doing when things are so stripped down. Being unedited means you build trust with people. There may be surprises, but there are no secrets!

Tech Setup for Facebook Live

The nice thing is that you don’t need to have a lot of the things that you might need for more edited and polished videos. Here’s what you DO need, based on Mareya’s suggestions and my own.

  • Your phone (supposedly it will be rolling out to desktop soon), held vertically
  • Tripod
  • Ring light
  • Microphone (I use this one for video)

Can You Monetize Your Videos?

You can actually use your own products or cross-promote your products in the videos. If you are talking about something paid in the video, you can have a more authentic integration that’s NOT an ad.

Tips for Upping Engagement on Facebook Live

  • Take questions
  • Say people’s names
  • Respond later to comments
  • Show up regularly with VALUE

How Can You Launch a Physical (Not Digital) Product

  • BE BRAVE
  • Do the pre-work
  • Know your audience and the market
  • What makes your heart leap out of your chest with excitement
  • Research who else is doing it and how you might bring your own angle to the space
  • Know the business metrics you need to achieve to make it work
  • Get a coach to help you put the numbers to it and walk you through the process
  • If you want to patent, find someone to help you through the patent & trademark process
  • Buy related urls so you have them before you launch
  • Use people around you as a sounding board

 

My big takeaway: TELL YOUR STORY.

People don’t just buy products. They buy people. They come to like you and want to do business with you and support you. They see you telling the truth and it builds trust. Live video is a phenomenal way to tell your story in an authentic way.

So if you’re wondering how to use Facebook live to build your audience, the best way is to USE FACEBOOK LIVE TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE.

Got it? Okay. Perfect.

Let’s chat in the comments– Are you using this platform? Are you working up the courage to get started? 

Filed Under: Facebook, Platform, Show Notes, Social Media

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An epic course for fiction authors with practical strategies to create a six-figure income.

Hey, I'm Kirsten!

(Rhymes with BEER-sten.) I am the author of Email Lists Made Easy for Writers and Bloggers and the host of the Create If Writing podcast. My goal is to help writers, bloggers, and creatives like YOU turn readers into raving fans and learn to make a living doing what you love...without being smarmy. Questions? kirsten at kirstenoliphant.com

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