How local businesses can use Facebook Groups to build trust and generate referrals.

This is the third article in a series.

In the first two articles in this series, I argued that creating social media content is a waste of time for small business owners in the home services industry. Next, I explained how to create a low-maintenance but effective Facebook page for small businesses, one that would allow a business owner to “set it and forget it.”

The final step in a low-effort, high-reward social media presence is to join local neighborhood and community Facebook groups. Be warned! This requires more effort than the “set it and forget it” business page. This approach works best for people who already log in to personal Facebook accounts on a regular basis.

Why Facebook groups?

In neighborhood and community Facebook groups, people often ask for referrals for services such as landscaping, HVAC, and bathroom remodeling. Being a member of these groups gives you opportunities to engage with the community and to promote your business.

Joining groups is a long play: it helps you build trust with neighbors, which in turn generates referrals. Group members are very sensitive to self-promotion, so when you join, do not make a sales-y pitch about your business.

How to build trust in Facebook groups

When you first join the group (or an admin lets you in), introduce yourself. Here’s a fill-in-the-blank message that you can use:

“Hi everyone! Thanks for letting me join the group. I live in [town / neighborhood name] with my [spouse name, child name, pet name — whatever personal details you want to share]. Professionally, I am the owner of [company name,] a business that provides [services]. On the weekend, you can find me [describe hobbies 1 and 2].”

Participate in the conversations if you feel like it. Is someone asking for recommendations for a service adjacent to your field of expertise? Offer the name of a business that you know. These recommendations that do not directly benefit you build group members’ trust.

How to build generate referrals in Facebook groups

The Ideal Scenario

Someone asks the group for a recommendation in your field. This is pure gold. Don’t waste the opportunity! Add the following as a comment on the post:

“Hi [first name], I run [company name] and we do exactly what you’re looking for. I would be happy to talk about your needs. My number is [phone number].”

Other Ways to Generate Referrals

Some groups have specific days for business owners to promote their businesses. For example, one group might have a “Small Business Post” on the first day of each month. Add your business and services to that post each month if you see it come up. If you’re not sure what the rules are about promoting your business, send a direct message to one of the group’s admins.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can always search a group’s posts for keywords related to your business. This will surface people asking for recommendations. You can add your business in the comments, which will notify the original poster and any commenters of an update. More importantly, if other group members are searching the post history for recommendations, they’ll find your business too.

How to identify which groups to join

Make a list of all of the neighborhoods and towns within your service area. For each one, search Facebook for a neighborhood group that is relevant. Look at the group description to see if it is a place where people discuss local issues, ask for advice, or connect neighbors to relevant businesses.

Here are some examples of neighborhood and community Facebook groups in Maryland that would be good for a small business owner to join:

• Bethesda Potomac Rockville Moms

• Potomac Friends and Neighbors

• County Connect Prince George’s

• Howard County MD

• DMV Moms and Families

Do not join groups that are too specific (eg, a group that posts about local worship services only). Groups that are business focused (eg, “The Best Businesses of Howard County, Maryland”) are hit-or-miss. Join a couple to see if it is worth your time.

Groups can be a time-suck. Don’t let them be.

Looking at every single post in every single group is time-consuming, if not impossible. Do not spend a lot of time monitoring group posts. If you log in to Facebook on a regular basis, you’ll see some posts from your groups in your news feed. That’s where you can tune into an interesting or relevant post.

. . .

For those local business owners who are themselves their company’s marketing team, ignore the marketing experts out there. Here’s a simpler social media strategy:

• Do not create your own social media content if you’re the only one doing marketing for your company.

• Do not work for your Facebook page; make it work for you.

• Generate referrals from Facebook Groups by building trust with your neighbors.

Now you can finally turn your focus back to generating customer reviews on Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook. That’s going to be your real money-maker.

Here are two ways I can help you:

1. Serve as your business’s Fractional CMO.

2. Analyze and optimize your marketing strategy.

   Interested? Send me a note.