Why FB Groups?

 And WHY Introductions!? It’s not what you think

I want to talk about why you personally, as a new entrepreneur should consider engaging in Facebook groups. 

Why do I want to talk about this? Well, I noticed a couple of things, some things that were trending and happening in group. There's a huge influx of people that come in and contribute, contribute, contribute & then they ghost. Then a new group of people will come in and they're on it and posting and sharing, and then they ghost and I see that happen over and over again. What's missing is real engagement and relationship building. 

I really want to encourage my listeners today to look at Facebook groups in a slightly different way. I want you to consider how groups can be really a great support system when you build a community within the groups that you've chosen to participate in. 

The only way to really build a community where you can share is to create the building of that community. Does that make sense? So, not only do we as admins need to participate & engage with people... 

The members of the group are the why behind the group. 

They're the inspiration for the subjects that we'll be talking about. 

In other words, what the members care about are what we want to bring into the group. 

The ideas is that members are attracted to our about page (ideally) and attracted to what we post in the group. But we always want to hear more about what members want to hear about.

So what makes a group awesome, incredible & “for you”, it's your participation in the group. Doesn't it make sense? 

When we created our new Facebook group : Courageous Mindful Entrepreneurs. We wanted a name that signified what we wanted to create in our group. 

We want to guide new entrepreneurs and women to being ready to take courageous steps in their business. 

We wanted people that were ready to look inward and be mindful about their decisions. Mindful about their business, mindful about the things that are going on around them that may affect their business. 

As an entrepreneur, you know, that sometimes your best intentions come through fabulously and sometimes they don't. Right. All that, to say that the heart behind every group, I truly believe the heart behind every group will be found in the types of posts that the moderators and the admin are putting into the group. Also within the about page, you will learn so much about the intention of the group in these sections.  

So you may be wondering why create a podcast episode around this topic. 

I'll share more. As an entrepreneur, you are passion driven and many times those emotions can fly really, really high, and they can go really, really low, quite fast. When we're starting a business, we are going blazes running. 

We want to achieve the goals that we want to achieve. And then the truth sets in the truth that it's just not as easy as we wanted it to be. And this is where I think Facebook groups can really be a fantastic support system. If we allow it to be a support system. 

Now our groups in particular and in my podcast, are focused on the internal work to find that support, but we still need an external support system around us. 

We need to live in the real world and we get to choose who we will have in our circle and in our space. So create an environment where you have that support system. It starts with you. It doesn't start externally. 

You may start by looking for a certain groups that have what you want in a group, and then it's it circles right back to you. Ask yourself, how am I going to participate? How am I going to give back to the group? How am I going to receive from the group? 

So I want you to think about how social media, social connections, and Facebook groups can really support your goals, support your dreams. 

Now you may or may not be someone that enjoys social media or Facebook groups, you may not get all that into in Facebook groups. Maybe you're somebody that just goes on and creeps a little bit. Or who watches from the side lines and that's okay too. But hear me out on how you can really utilize the groups to be a great support system when you need it. 

If you pop into a group every so often and contribute and share your thoughts. You're establishing a rapport with the group. It's okay. If you're in and out, as long as you circle back into familiarity and into groups that you've established some connections within. So know that it's okay to go in and out, just come back in and share your story again and re engage and reconnect. Trust me, this is such a valuable tool that you have at your disposal as a new entrepreneur. 

The depth of what you can get out of the group really starts with you. I invite you to think about that. 

Especially during the times when you feel like you don't have a whole ton of support around you. 

Now, true story. A few years ago before I met my husband, we've been married for nine years now. I knew that God was commanding me to be alone for a few years. I was the type of woman that thought I could not be without a man in my life. Right. So there was a time where I had to stand my ground with this belief that I needed to be alone. 

For, whatever amount of time that God was prompting me that I needed to be alone. But when I met my husband, I had decided to go... Online. I decided to get my feelers out that way. I was living in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and he’s in Michigan. 

I see his picture and I'm like, “Oh, He looks kind of cute, somebody I would be attracted to & I wouldn't mind talking to. Plus. He's all the way over there. I'm not moving to Michigan anytime soon. Or ever. So what I thought, guess where I am. In Michigan. 

My point is, is that, that safety net, as I felt it was. Allowing me to create some distance allowed me to come in and contribute when I wanted to learn more about him and engage in conversation with him and we built a relationship. Lo and behold, within a year I was moving to Michigan. 

So granted you're not going to move to Michigan, to come over here and connect with me. But, we can build relationships very easily and keep a safe distance. We can engage, learn about each other. And step away and it's okay. We can go back in, ask a question that may serve many people. Step away. And when we have another question, we go back and maybe see what people are up to and engage in chat. This is the way you build relationships on social media. 

Much easier than face to face. Like for instance, face-to-face dating you know, if I'm on a date with somebody that's a total stranger, I mean, it'd be like, “Mm. I don't know if I like what this guy saying.” Right. I'm not going to do that face to face. But in social media or an online dating, I could keep that space. 

All right. So now just like in relationships, business building can have us go through so many emotions. Business can be frustrating, but then we also face a lot of excitement. And then we're back at disbelief and confusion. We just had this whole realm of emotions that come up and come down. This is natural. We don't want this to happen, but it is how we show our humanness. It is a part of the human experience to have these ups and downs of emotions when we're doing something, especially when we're doing something that we're passionate about. 

So I want to offer you a suggestion- believe that powerful groups can be a powerful tool for you. 

I want to suggest that when you're looking for the support group or you're looking for a group that you want to engage in, you want to check the about page and check the posts. Then decide if you want to be a part of that particular group and how do you do that? You go ahead and JOIN the group. 

You answer the questions that the moderator or the admin have for you. 

Keep in mind, these are typically good questions. Why? 

1. They probe you to think a little more about what you want in a group. 
2. They help you formulate your thoughts around your business idea and your concept. If you're still thinking about it, it's okay. You just type in what you're feeling in the moment and it is okay.

Some will say you can't participate unless you give your email and then you need to decide, well, I guess it's not the group for me or sure. Why not? No big deal. Many times if I'm interested enough to see what's happening in the group, I'll give my email. And then I'll decide, do I want to stay on that mailing list or do I want to remove myself from my mailing list? None of it is a permanent long term commitment. 

You're not marrying the Facebook group. You can freely go in and out and it's okay. 

I've chosen to marry my husband that I met on Christian mingle.com (little plugin). So now I'm committed. I can no longer go in and out, but guess what? In Facebook groups, you don't have to worry about it. You can go in and engage and bounce when you want to. 

Then when you go into the group, go ahead and scope it out. Look at what kinds of posts the other members are posting. And get to know their group rules.

In the group my partner and I have created, we have a specific day to share your links. 

Friday through Wednesday, you simply add value before you could post. What's the value add? Say it's a Monday and you're really excited about a new challenge you're going to be doing in your group or a new course that you're launching and you want to share it. 

In our group, the only way you can do that is to share value first. So maybe you do a quick video and say, “Hey, I'm doing this challenge. What you'll learn in this challenge are three very important components to creating an online video.” And then you give your three tips. And, “By the way, here's the link, if you want to learn more!”

The best tip yet... make an “Introduction video”. <<Find the actual video training in my free group! Use this in any new group you join. Use the copy in a post, or your website! It is an extremely valuable and easy way for others to get to know you!

We put together a really great tutorial and a PDF on how you put together a really effective video without feeling salesy or spammy. We have a great method to how you put together a powerful introduction video. 

Head on over to Courageous Mindful Entrepreneurs and see if we're a home for you as a great support system for your business, which I know we are! I can't wait to see you there. 

Princella Stringer

Empowerment Coach for Entrepreneurs

Courageous Mindful Entrepreneurs