If you want to build a successful business in this day and age, online omnipresence is critical. You have to dominate all digital platforms — in every way you can. And today, we’re diving into details with the best networking tips specifically for Facebook…
When it comes to promoting your company, social media is a cornerstone for content marketing.
Yet in the grand scheme of things, these platforms also serve as indispensable tools for networking…
And as a business owner, you should know that your contacts turn into contracts — if you play your cards right.
When you put all these insights together, it’s clear that you should be using social media for more than just keeping up with your friends and family…
But why should you be putting attention on Facebook, in particular?
The Massive Benefits of Using Facebook for Networking
As one of the longest-standing social media giants, Facebook has succeeded in remaining relevant for 18+ years.
Although the platform’s demographic has shifted in the late 2010s, the current mature audience makes it a goldmine for professional connections.
Here are just a few examples of high-value relationships you can build, maintain, and expand on Facebook:
- Customers
- Business partners
- Suppliers
- Collaborators
- Employees and freelancers
In addition to the prospects and pros you can connect with, Facebook works like a business card for your company.
With your Facebook business page, you have the opportunity to:
- Collect client testimonials for social proof
- Create company-hosted events
- Livestream Q&As, workshops, or product presentations
- Provide the most important contact info in one place
- Build and scale ads both on Facebook and Instagram
Mix the promotional tools with the people potential, and you have every reason to dominate the platform to maximize your business network.
Now that we’ve cleared up why Facebook stands strong as a social networking resource, it’s time to plunge into the most effective tips for leveraging it…
How Do You Grow Your Professional Network on Facebook?
If networking is a priority for you right now, this platform has a tool which outshines any comparable solutions from competitors.
Sure, you can find something similar on LinkedIn, and there are even standalone forums out there for the same purpose…
However, the key is to go where the people are… and the people are on Facebook groups.
FACEBOOK GROUPS ARE among tHE MOST UNDERRATED YET POWERFUL SPACES IN SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY.
In these tight-knit communities, people are making connections, selling products, and helping others — all at the same time.
And you can 10X your business efforts with Facebook groups as well, if you lock in a solid strategy and execute it with massive action.
First, What Facebook Groups Should You Target?
The best Facebook groups for networking will look wildly different from one business owner to another. You have to understand that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here.
Still, there are several factors which can help you identify the highest-value groups for you and your company’s goals.
Before you start joining every group Facebook recommends based on your data, take a moment to ask the following research questions:
- What are the keywords — both broad and specific — which define your industry, but also yourself as a business owner? Product, location, gender, ideal client?
- Who are the individuals you want to connect with for doing business? Fellow entrepreneurs, potential clients, niche specialists?
- Where would these people be hanging out online to meet like-minded professionals? Would they gravitate towards general or niche communities?
- Why are your target connections active in Facebook groups — and why certain ones over others? What’s in it for them?
Here’s how the insights from the questions above could play out in real life…
For example, let’s say you run a fast-growing, female-focused social media agency which serves a global audience. Your main networking objectives could include:
- Hiring freelancers to keep up with demand
- Forging partnerships with agencies which offer adjacent services like web design, branding, or SEO to expand your offers
- Connecting with other women in the digital marketing industry
The keywords you’re looking for are all in bold. It’s as simple as that.
Combine the search terms in different ways, filter through the group suggestions, and join the top three most relevant communities.
But Are Large Facebook Groups Worth Trying?
At a glance, you might be tempted to join the biggest and broadest Facebook groups which cross your path.
More people = more opportunities, right?
In this context, not always…
You see, many Facebook communities with 100,000+ people don’t have enough moderators to keep up with spam. If the group doesn’t come with a firm set of rules in place, you already know you’ll be wasting your time.
On the other hand, there are also plenty of groups with tens of thousands of members which are highly active, expertly organized, and properly managed. These are the valuable communities you need to join.
At the end of the day, quality and quantity can coexist in the Facebook networking space, but you have to be intentional about your shortlist.
Once you’ve gained access to your target groups, it’s time for the real work…
Top 10 Tips for Successful Networking in Facebook Groups
Quick note here before we jump into the most effective Facebook networking tips for business owners…
The following techniques will work ONLY if you:
- Put time, attention, and energy into the networking process
- Develop consistency by repeating successful actions
- Nurture the relationships you create through the groups
Now that the fine print is out of the way, let’s dig in…
1. Refresh Your Facebook Page and Personal Profile
Before you start engaging in any community, you need to set the foundation for networking success.
In other words, you have to ensure your personal and professional brands are on point.
As a group member, anyone can access your Facebook profile and business page at any time. With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why it’s so important to update these assets before drawing the attention of others.
So, prior to posting, commenting, or private messaging, go through this branding checklist:
- Professional profile picture
- Well-designed banners with relevant information as profile and page covers
- Pinned post on business page with a successful project, milestone, or exclusive offer
- Up-to-date business “about” section, portfolio samples, and contact details
First impressions matter, and it’s your duty to make those initial interactions count.
2. Read and Follow the Group’s Rules
We touched on the power of a strong set of guidelines in the context of group selection criteria…
However, it’s just as important to follow the given rules and respect the community. In fact, many admins require users to confirm they have read and agree to the group’s rules before accepting membership requests.
If the group allows pitches only as comments in a designated thread on a specific day, don’t try to push a sale anywhere else.
If you’re prohibited from sending friend requests to members without permission, ask if you can privately connect with someone in a tagged comment.
You get the gist.
Be considerate to the admins, moderators, and fellow members to maintain a high-quality space.
3. Introduce Yourself
Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to break the ice with a short, sweet, and effective introduction.
Think of the post like an elevator pitch, but a less directly promotional version.
Make sure your intro checks all these boxes:
- Who you are
- What problems your business solves
- When you started doing what you do
- Where you’re based
- Why you’re excited to join the group
- How you can help other group members
For more visibility within the group news feed, add a photo, video, or graphic to the post.
And if your introduction gets traction, make sure you respond to every comment. You’ll already be well on your way to creating your first connections.
4. Provide Consistent Value
With all the formalities out of the way, it’s your time to shine as a committed, helpful, active participant. You do that by leading with value.
Every action you take within the group should be driven by the desire to be of service. And the benefits of this mindset go both ways. Aside from helping the community, you’re also positioning yourself as an expert in your field.
Here’s how you can take advantage of every opportunity with a service-focused approach:
- Reply to comments with niche advice (when solicited)
- Provide free resources exclusively for group members
- Answer relevant questions promptly
- Be transparent with traditionally gatekept business insights
In time, you will gain the trust of group members as the go-to authority voice within your industry.
5. Give More Than You Ask
On a similar note, your value-driven mindset should reflect in your giving-to-asking ratio.
Of course, the purpose of any Facebook group is to provide mutual support…
However, this does NOT mean you should be exploiting the opportunity with excessive requests.
Instead, your networking strategy should revolve around answering, helping, and giving. Receiving will come naturally, as a direct result of your altruism.
And when you do ask for advice, resources, or insights, see how you can leverage the situation to create opportunities for others.
6. Don’t Be Spammy
Out of all the Facebook networking tips we’re sharing today, this one should go without saying.
This form of online etiquette should be common sense. But judging by the amount of people who do this, a much-needed reminder is in order…
Posting spam is the #1 worst thing you can do for your business in the digital world. It demonstrates a lack of self-awareness. And it’ll affect your company’s online reputation.
Important to note is that you can — and should — overpromote your company on your dedicated page.
But when you’re in a collective environment, be aware of your surroundings. Read the room. If everyone were spamming their products and services, how many people would still be on board?
Ultimately, a Facebook community is a tool for connections. Don’t take the resource for granted, or you’ll suffer the consequences.
7. Participate in Discussions
In addition to giving as much as you can, you should also be active in everyday conversations.
Even if you don’t see a direct opportunity to forge relationships, you are planting the seeds for any potential interactions from that point forward.
Look at these discussions like water cooler talk in a corporate setting. You’re getting to know one another casually, without any specific goal in mind. And when all parties involved are relaxed, that’s when the real connection opportunities arise.
When you participate in various Facebook group conversations, provide insights when you can, but also absorb information when you don’t know the ins and outs of the topic.
8. Pay Attention to Requests
While building all these professional relationships on Facebook, you also have to act when the time is right. To know when, you have to pay attention to everything going on around you.
Let’s say another member is asking for product or service recommendations…
Or looking to hire an agency as soon as possible, posting a #jobopp…
Here’s where you pitch your business like a pro.
Nevertheless, you should be aware that these opportunities fly by fast if you’re not prepared. If you don’t reply to the comments shortly after the person posts, someone else will in your place.
For this reason, you can activate group notifications to find out right after a new post goes up. And you can also have a very short proposal template saved in your notes app.
After all, if you’re not first, you’re last.
9. Show Up
As with any great goal, habit, or project, Facebook networking success requires consistency, discipline, and massive action.
In this context, professional online connections are just like personal face-to-face relationships…
If you don’t show up, you can’t build trust. And if there’s no trust, there’s no relationship in the first place.
With these facts in mind, strive to incorporate group interactions into your daily schedule. Even five minutes a day can make all the difference — when done repeatedly.
When drinking your morning coffee or tea, check in on the group, answer some questions, reply to comments, and scout out opportunities.
The possibilities are endless when you take charge of creating them.
10. Create Your Own Community
After you’ve spent some time implementing all these Facebook networking tips, you’ll start to understand how you can maximize the tool for your personal business results…
And that’s to create your own Facebook group for your leads, prospects, and customers.
For example, the 10X Team has multiple communities to support different products, events, and audiences.
At the time of writing this article, we have nearly 200,000 people in our groups, and every member holds immeasurable value. Aside from being loyal customers, these individuals are discovering new opportunities for each other while expanding the 10X movement in the process.
Therefore, the last piece of the Facebook networking puzzle is to work up the courage to shape your own community.
Yes, it will take time…
Yes, you’ll certainly need a helping hand or two as the group grows…
YET THE POWERFUL RESULTS WILL BE WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.
To wrap up all the Facebook group networking tips we shared today, here are three major takeaways to implement as often as possible:
- Be respectful, people-oriented, and service-driven.
- Seek opportunities as much as you provide them.
- Become a trusted subject matter expert through consistent activity.
And if you want more expert insights on building a bulletproof online strategy, check out the 10X Marketing System here.
Disclosure: This content is intended to be used for educational and informational purposes only. Individual results may vary. You should perform your own due diligence and seek the advice from a professional to verify any information on our website or materials that you are relying upon if you choose to make an investment or business decision. Investment, real estate, and business involve great risk and there is no guarantee of performance or results.
We are not attorneys, investment advisers, accountants, tax professionals or financial advisers and any of the content presented should not be taken as professional advice. We recommend seeking the advice of financial professional before you invest, and we accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage you may incur.
