How to Sell on Facebook (A Methodology for Facebook Group Owners)

If you want to sell your online courses, then you're bound need to have an audience. In the ideal scenario, you won't wait until when the course has been created before you begin to build that crowd. One thing I've learned through my experiences as an entrepreneur - building the product, then and finding the people to market the product to is similar to putting the cart before the horse. A better approach is to build a community first. Then, you need to know exactly what they are looking for, then market to them that.

Making a course is an excellent way to build an audience for your online course. Even better, it could help build a community of leads and customers who will give you the insight they want, need and want to buy. In the context of a Facebook Group you can watch posts and tap into your audience's desires, language, and gaps where they aren't being served - then give them exactlywhat they want, with less effort than trying to figure it out on your own.

In this post I'll show you how to establish communities using a Facebook Group, tap into the group to find out what people want, and before you create it.

  A grave error to steer clear  

In my years of doing consultation and launching online courses I've witnessed one deadly oversight that I'd like help you avoid. This is the mistake of launching a course before you have an online community.

Maybe you've seen this happen in the past, or perhaps you've witnessed it for yourself. It takes you a long time to create your course. You're excited to make sales and serve and you work on the course's online version with great enthusiasm - only to open the course up for the world to see and...

... crickets.

There is no need to buy.

It's sad. And unfortunately it happens far more often than course designers would like to admit.

Instead of focusing on what might or might not be a good idea the product, invest your energy in building your community first. Once you're the head of your community, you'll find it's very easy to make profits from your courses, coaching or whatever you want to offer.

When I began to build my business, I struggled to find a solid method to create a community around the business. It was a blessing that I decided to put my focus more on the Facebook group more than anything else, including and podcasting. When I think back how I was able to sell my course online with such incredible impact, it's my Facebook group. This group has become a solid lead for contacts, networking, socializing, and tapping to what an existing audience desired.

  Build A Community Around Your Theme  

If you plan to offer your online course to participants who are members of your Facebook Group, you first need to build a group that is highly relevant to your and niche.

For me I've set up various groups. One that has been the most successful for me is my Podcasters Secret Weapon group along with the Pay2Podcast groups (the latter of which is one that is paid for). The existence of a group specifically that is specifically for podcasters has enabled me to sell to people in the podcasting niche.

If I had created groups that focused on fasting, dieting, weightlifting or something other than my specialty I'd be able to build a community of folks who wouldn't want to take my online courses about podcasting.

If you're not yet, I suggest you sign up to Facebook and create a new Facebook Group. When you've completed this process you'll need to think of a title for the group. This is the reason for my next suggestion:

  Make Your Facebook Group Name for SEO  

If many people form a group, they try to come up with catchy names. For Facebook it doesn't always work well. If you imagine Facebook as a sort of search engine, you'll notice that it's particularly adept in crawling to find information - rather, it employs words that are more literal.

If, for instance, your group was named "Fantastic Beasts" and the group is for gym enthusiasts, Facebook doesn't know that. Instead, name your group, "The Weight Room" or "Gym Enthusiasts - Who Want to Get Rid." Make use of the option search term "Gymnasium" in your group name.

If your group is for digital marketers or Instagrams users - put those keywords at the start of the title of your group. The only way you'd be well to get fancy with titles is when you've already have a loyal following and have a large flow of fans into your group. If you've established a strong following and large following (like Lewis Howes or Hal Elrod as an example) You'd be best to incorporate your name within your title. However, if you don't have many followers who are likely to look up your name in Facebook or who you can contact via mailers, ads, podcast, or other media make sure you use keywords that correspond to your topic in your group name.

  Have A Clear Goal For The Facebook Group  

Similar to my previous tip about creating an online group with a niche and pertinent to the target audience for your online course Your group should also be able to have a mission.

The goal of your group should not be solely offer products (including the online course) to members. You'll use your group to create leads, acquire clients and to sell more courses, - however, don't frame it in that the way.

A great instance of a group with a an important purpose can be found in the Order Of Man Facebook Group. With more than forty thousand active members Ryan Michler's page is now a community on the internet which is unique to other online communities. There are many posts within the group that are between fifty and often in the hundreds. Men who are focused on their work can connect, discuss the topic of what it means to be a man as well as how to become a better man.

When you create an Facebook Group to build a community for your audience, make sure your group is focused. You've probably noticed that that all of the groups I've listed are targeted and are driven by a specific intention. Having this strong focus will aid you in the future in the event that you want to market your course to your community.

  Invite People to Join your Facebook Group  

The process of building your community can be a difficult work. If you don't already have a community, you'll need work hard at it - but in end, it'll pay off. Like Arne Giske, one of the Facebook Group Growth Hacker told me on my Thriving launch Podcast: "At first it'll take a lot of work. If you're a newbie, you'll have be required to work hard at the process. But once you have the community, you'll be able to have a group that buys the things you've got. Not only that, you'll also have a group which will let you know what they want and then you'll just have to create it and market to them."

The work required upfront will be worth it in the long run.

One of the first ways you can build the community you want is to start by posting Facebook posts. It's what my customer Tim Hoover did with his Elite Fitness Group. There was no list of email addresses and no community yet, he used this method by posting to his Facebook page and asking his community to join his group. He's had over 500 very active members. This is exactly the way I approached it at first, but after a short amount of time I stopped requesting people to join because my members began to refer and join their friends.

This may seem daunting or time-consuming to create an audience if you don't already have a following - but all of us began with nothing. Take Arne Giske as an example. When he started his group he was just 23 years old, still living in the basement of his parents in a jobless state, and completely not yet a part of the internet marketing world. He stuck to this strategy of consistently asking members of his target public to join his group. Today, the group has more than fifty thousand attentive members. If you're an Millennial entrepreneur, go join the group and check out the strategies he's using so that you can mimic his strategies to your group.

  Here are some alternatives to tell your friends about your neighborhood:  

• Videos are available on Facebook (if you're new to advertising on the internet, take it easy on this)
• Send an email to your followers as well as friends and anyone else you think would be interested.
• Private Facebook message requesting people who you think would be interested in to join the group as well as its content
• Link to your group in your menu bar or content on your website
• Social media posts that include the links to your company
• Make a shout-out on your podcast on behalf of your group
• Asking friends to tell their friends and create posts on your group

  Increase Group Membership By Giving People Incentives To Join  

Membership can be rewarded by hosting giveaways, or by offering unique pieces of training, videos as well as content aren't released elsewhere.

It is also possible to offer a little extra time for you and your group - time that you won't be giving elsewhere. Such a speciality and exclusivity can help you position you and your team as an authority for top-quality treatment and insight in your field.

  Here are a few ideas for giveaways:  

• Special PDF-based reports
• Hacks you haven't seen or are sought-after by others that are typically given to clients
• Walkthroughs and video training that customers would like to see
• Online courses for free

This is the kind of thing that causes people to wish to offer their email addresses attention, time as well as support. This is exactly why people are drawn to join a community.

Offering giveaways and exclusive gifts are exactly the kind of thing Ryan Levesque was doing when he was building his Next Level Mastermind group (it's part of a paid course however he is able to demonstrate this model to the highest degree). As he launched the group, he provided a slew of tantalizing giveaway prizes. He also gave prizes to individuals who made the top post in the group (which inspired members to write and post, which they actually did!). He also offered prizes for affiliates to those who had signed up the most people.

This tactic Ryan Stewman utilized to grow his Sales Talk with Sales Professionals, group to become the biggest and most active sales group on Facebook. Incentivize members to sign up. Make use of whatever you can. At first, it'll seem like you're giving away every piece of artillery in your arsenal however, as you build an army of loyal and grateful members, it will yield dividends.

The value you give for a group that is free may be exhausting, but that's what you're doing to attract interest. It's how you're winning fans. If you think it's tiring and unaccustomed to offering the attention you deserve think about the words Gary Vaynerchuck has to say in his video: "I Day Trade For Attention." When it comes to the sales world the importance of attention is paramount. It's why Coca-Cola, TMobile, and every giant corporation spends billions on running ads and capturing your attention.

The value you are trading in exchange for loyalty and attention which helps you create an entire community of loyal clients and loyal fans.

Join Your Facebook Group To Conduct Market Research

The moment is now when we're closer selling, but we're still not there yet. At present, you're part of the group. It's a targeted group, and it's moving along and more people are joining. Your contribution is valuable and you're building loyalty and involvement.

The next step is to begin asking the people you know about their issues. Ask them about their needs. Find out what they're doing and find out more about them - all so you can create an online course that's precisely what they need. That way, when you make an offer - they'll take it.

Take note of their words and struggles, their pain points and the entire information to selling the course.

  Here are a few ways to conduct market research within your organization:  

• Taking polls inside the members of your organization ( here's how you can do it)
• Asking questions about pains
• Inviting discussions
• Commenting on statuses and inciting more dialog

The market doesn't have to be complicated, it's straightforward as just asking. Note what's being said and what people want.

  Utilize The Data to Pre-Sell Your course  

I'm not a huge fan of the old adage "build it and they will come." I would rather have them come in, gather and make them buy what they want.

As Russell Brunson has said in his book, Dotcom Secrets In the places where people congregate, there's a chance to make money. In the past, it was difficult to locate communities that you could join and legally use them to sell - Facebook Groups allow you to complete this task independently with minimal investment.

When you've tapped into an audience that knows the things they're looking for, they trust you and will be happy to purchase from your.

It's not that difficult because you've already done your homework to build trust, create communication, and capture attention.

Now you'll have to start talking about the desire you have to create an online course that meets the requirements of your target audience (which the time you spent with them and your studies have assisted you to gather the data). With posts and content it is possible to plan how develop an online training course to assist them in resolving these problems.

Instead of building the course and falling flat when no sales happen You can sell the course to a group of beta participants. Since the course is currently live and in beta this means it's less expensive or live. It also includes special perks which won't be offered later. If you've researched thoroughly, you'll know exactly what the requirements are looking for in on-line courses, so the pricing won't be hard to figure out.

Because you've earned trust and awe-inspiring attention, people are likely to be reading your posts and curious about what you're up to (which is crucial to the sales). Since you've given value for free, there's no reason to doubt that your paid content will be superior and more worth the investment.

In my instance I've accomplished this through the help of my Pay2Podcast class and my ProfitFromFB course. The two courses have been validated via actual sales. This has made it logical to create a proper way of promoting these courses to people outside members of my Facebook Group.

  Create Your Community Prior to You Build Your Course  

If you follow the suggestions I've provided in this piece, there is no reason why you can't build a community of highly involved people who have an interest in your course subject. If you do this you'll avoid creating a course that isn't bought by anyone, simply by checking what they want to learn up front, and then creating a course that teaches students exactly what they need to learn.

Luis Congdon is a digital marketing specialist for businesses. He's been featured and quoted on the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, JP Morgan, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine, Huffington Post, Huff Live, Elephant Journal, and numerous other publications. To get the free training in digital marketing to increase your sales online, head over to ThrivingLaunch.com