Jump into Communities & Stand Out

It’s easy to join Facebook groups then quietly lurk in the background for weeks or even months. While this might feel safer, it defeats the whole purpose of joining the group—getting to form relationships and build your own community.

It’s time to stop hiding out and start networking in your online groups. Here are a few easy tips to help you speak up and stand out…

Choose Communities that Fit

If you’re passionate about serving your tribe, then you have to go where they are. Pick communities where your ideal audience is likely to hang out. For example, if you are a low carb blogger, then find Keto groups and join them. You may also want to join group for health bloggers and low carb recipe creators.

If you get into a group and find it’s negative or the moderators are unkind, don’t feel like you have to stay. Quietly remove yourself from the group and move on.

Introduce Yourself

As soon as you’re approved to join a new group, take the time to introduce yourself. Share a few sentences about who you are and what you do. If you want, you can dive into why you do it but remember to stay brief.

Keep in mind that some group moderators don’t want you to post links to your website when you first join. If that’s the case, you need to respect the group rules. You’re not going to win friends by upsetting the moderators.

Add Value

This means participating in the conversations in your group and sharing what you know. For example, someone asks a question about how to install WordPress and you know the answer. Share it! 

If you don’t know the answer, you can always use Google and say, “I’ve never dealt with this problem but I did find some interesting advice over here: (link)”. This response shows you care even if you didn’t know how to help.

Voice Your Questions

Ask for advice in your groups. For example, you might say, “I’m not building my mailing list because I’ve been stuck on which list service to purchase. I’ve narrowed it down to Aweber or ConvertKit. Can you tell me which one you’d choose and why?”

Start Discussion Topics 

Don’t be afraid to share what’s going on in your life or business. Talk about a book you’re reading that’s inspiring you, a mindset shift that you experienced, or a customer interaction that made you smile.

Let people in and give them a chance to get to know you. It might feel scary (especially at first!) but as you do it, you’ll begin building an amazing community filled with caring and supportive people.