I know.....I know...it's it annoying being added to groups without permission. Especially if you are like me and you have 25 "Lash" friends alone! And there's been a LOT of vitriol on the internet about direct sales and the Facebook parties and groups that are using social media to share products effectively.
If you are friends with me on Facebook you know that I'm very clear about my dislike for being added without permission to a group. What you may not know is WHY I am not a fan of this tactic.
If I am in a group, any group on Facebook it's because either it's a group of friends gathering to talk about a common interest, business or a team group.
Having a group to share products with your customers is a great idea!! A great way to share products and get to know customers better and even have hosts maybe join your team. Some people even use the group set up to have Facebook parties. There are pros and cons to groups vs. events.....that's another blog but......
Let's think about a scenario.......you get a postcard in the mail that you are invited to Glenda's Tupbrascentpampberry party in two weeks. It falls on the same night that your Husband will be away on a business trip so you know you'll need to be home with the twins and they go down to sleep at 7pm now that school is in session. Soyou call Glenda and you tell her you are so grateful to be invited to her Tupbrascentpampberry party and you'd love to see a catalog but you won't be able to make. Before you hang up, you chitchat about your kids and Glenda tells you she'll try and get by your mailbox in the next week to drop off a catalog for you to look at.
Two weeks pass and your kids are in bed, allegedly sleeping, the dog is curled up next to you and the house is that delicious quiet that comes when all the chores that HAVE to be done are finished and you have a window in which to binge watch a couple of episodes of Grey's Scandalous Revenge on your DVR. Suddenly your front door bursts open, and 12 people and a bags of Tupbrascentpampberry products suddenly spill into your living room and Fluffy is barking like a maniac and now the kids are up and they want to come downstairs and find out what all the commotion is. Because.....the Tupbrascentpampberry party you couldn't go to has suddenly appeared in your living room....even though you didn't invite any of them and you have all these people in your house and you aren't even the host!
That's what happens when someone puts your Facebook "name" in a party "group" on Facebook. The Party APPEARS in your newsfeed without you even RSVP'ing to the party.
So how can you prevent someone from feeling this way if you prefer to have group "parties" of your Tupbrascentpampberry products rather than events? Hostess Coaching. And some ingenuity. If you and your Hostess get together and make a dream party list and pick a date and she is very excited about getting all those free weenkles that Tupbrascentpampberry gives as a host reward...now is a perfect time to talk about getting those people IN that group without angering them and getting them excited about the party.
There are several techniques but they ALL come down to one thing.... PERSONAL INVITES! However you get there that's the key. You can set up an event to get people excited about the Tupbrascentpampberry products and have all the "Going" invitees get added to your group as they have chosen to come to the party....and you can post an "E-vite" to the party group on your Host's page and anyone who comments can be added. You can have your host send out invites to each guest as well and those who wish to come are included in the group. Make sure your host keeps her invites to under 50 people. And they should be people she cares enough about to include.....
What does this do? It tells your "guests" they matter. That their time is important and that you as a professional value THEM enough to include them in the choice to be in your group.
Once folks become a "loyal" customer/host/team member, consider asking them to join your VIP group. There is where you can share specials and new products and products that might be retiring.
Being part of any business that is successful long term has to include personal connections. Make them personal. Connect with your audience and when your groups begin to grow with people who CHOOSE to be there your business will grow too..especially if you are with a company that tends to have what I call "pop up" merchandise. Suddenly seasonal items that are not in the catalog but appear for a short time, Easter products or Thanksgiving products or even a charitable product. These kinds of things are great for keeping customers interested, something my company is brilliant at including for us, a constant stream each month of new products or temporary products, that customers who love my company can't wait to see.
So, Hostess Coach and use personal connections when using groups and we can all get back to what's really important. Polyvore collages. ((That's a post for another day....we'll get there...))
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