How to build your email list using Facebook Marketing and Facebook groups

Listen, if you’ve been blogging or running a business for a while and you aren’t bringing in the kind of revenue that you want to be bringing in, then I’ve got some important news for you:

The number one most important thing that every business owner should be doing is building an email list.

And I know it’s something that causes frustration for many entrepreneurs.

In fact, it was the number one topic that people in my Facebook group, The Business Profit Engine, said they want to learn more about in order to grow their online business.

Make sure you join our group because there are some amazing discussion on this topic: The Business Profit Engine

And I think an email list is a really smart thing to prioritize.

Here’s why.

Your email list is the lifeblood of your marketing

Yes, that’s a lot of pressure to put on one thing, but it really is that important.

If your email list is too small, you constantly struggle to get new clients, book your services, and fill your programs.

And if your email list is not constantly growing and being nurtured, it gets cold and people will not buy from you.

In contrast, when your email list is large and you are systematically adding new leads to it, you make more money.

This is true whether you are a coach, consultant, copywriter, designer, VA, course creator, or any other type of entrepreneur.

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The saying “The money is in the list” is absolutely spot on

The most profitable entrepreneurs understand that email list building isn’t something that happens once and is done. It’s a consistent and integral part of their marketing plan.

In fact, they are maniacal and relentless about email list building.

Let’s make it so you are the same way.

But first, I want to tell you about my journey and how I used Facebook marketing to go from <50 people on my list to 1,500 email subscribers in just 2 months (and way beyond since that time) – and I want to share how you can do it too.   

It’s a really effective and quick method for building an email list. And it uses Facebook groups for effective marketing.

It’s a bit of extra work and I wasn’t sure if it would have a good enough ROI for the time it takes to implement.

Well, a couple months later after implementing this method of email list building, I can tell you:

It works.

It works really well.

But let me let me do a rewind in time first, so you can understand why I needed something that worked rapidly.

In May 2017, I sold the marketing firm that I had co-owned for almost 18 years in order to launch my own consulting business.

Starting a new business with a new target audience meant I had to start all over again from scratch.

I was at ZERO:

• I had a new website and blog with 0 visitors.
• I had no list.
• I had no Facebook group.
• I had no clients.
• I had about 100 Likes on my Facebook page.

And, after helping so many other clients build an email list, I knew that an email list was crucial for me to get clients.

How I grew my email list using Facebook marketing

So here are the steps I followed to build my email ist:

The first thing I did was to sign up for ConvertKit. I’m so glad I did.

I like it a lot better than MailChimp because:

• You can easily create many different types of forms (and you need forms to promote your content upgrades).
• You get great form stats to see which convert best
• You can segment your subscribers more easily – this is important for creating funnels that lead to sales.
• ConvertKit easily allows you to create multiple forms, opt-in incentives, and custom automated messages (super important as your funnels get more sophisticated).

From there, I started blogging, implementing SEO, Tweeting, posting on LinkedIn, and pinning like crazy.

You know, all the things…

And what I discovered is that while all of those activities are important, they take a long time to get traction.

And I needed to grow my list and get new clients WAY more quickly.

That’s when I started joining Facebook groups for business and blogging.

I started noticing that a lot of these groups put up prompts each week that allowed you to post your lead magnets or blog posts or social media handles. Some even let you promote a paid service or product!

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How can I use Facebook Groups for marketing and building my email list?

If you aren’t familiar with Facebook groups, let me give you a brief synopsis.

Facebook groups are communities of people who come together virtually to connect over a common topic.

And there are TONS of groups for business, online entrepreneurs, digital marketers, content creators, VA, bloggers, and more.

They are not only great for meeting other online business owners, but they often have great educational posts and videos, and you can grow your list like crazy!

They were so effective for me that I increased my list by more than 1,500 in 60 days (that’s an average of 25 per day!).

And I continue to grow my email list like crazy using this same system.

To have success in Facebook Groups, I discovered it was best to belong to the ones with an engaged community filled with motivated members and an enthusiastic host.

I learned that many of the groups have Promo Days – yay!

The group hosts encourage you to promote your opt-in incentives (freebies, lead magnets, content upgrades, etc.).

I’ve also skyrocketed my website traffic using this technique.

But before you run out and begin spamming Facebook groups, I’d like to give you some pointers and tell you how to join and network in Facebook groups the right way (otherwise you won’t build your list and you may get banned):

1) Start off by joining 3-5 Facebook groups 

While you can join as many Facebook groups, as you would like, it’s difficult to actively participate in too many. Use the search function in Facebook and look for keywords that describe your target audience. For instance, if you are a VA who works for coaches, then search for groups of coaches. If you are a financial planner who specializes in real estate brokers, then search for groups where they hang out.

2) Read the Facebook group guidelines and rules

You can find these in the sidebar or pinned to the top of the group. Learn what the group will allow (and what it won’t) and do NOT violate these or you will get booted and banned from the group.

3) Actively participate and contribute to the Facebook group

Once you join a Facebook group, you become a member of a community. Show up in it consistently, add value, provide tips, showcase your expertise, post thought-provoking questions, be a resource, and congratulate people when they have wins.

In other words, interact with people in the same way you would if you met them at an in-person meeting.

Get visible and get known for your area of expertise, and as a person who makes contributions.

TWEET THIS!!

4) Share your lead magnet in your Facebook groups (if they allow you to do so)

So, you’ve found some Facebook groups with your ideal customer and they have discovered that you are an expert in what you do (because you’ve provided such incredible value.

Now it’s time to leverage the marketing power of Facebook groups and get people on your email list!

Look in the Facebook group guidelines for their Promo Day or Offer Day.

The host will typically have a prompt with a graphic that is called something like Freebie Friday or Offer Day or Share-It Wednesday. Post your lead magnet under that prompt.

5) Keep track of your Facebook groups

At first, it was hard to keep track of the Promo Days because they are all on different days of the week. So, I put together a comprehensive spreadsheet of the groups I think are the most awesome for business owners and bloggers along with their size, host name(s), focus area, URL, and their Promo Days.

And then I kept adding to it and I keep it continuously updated. 

There you have the exact marketing strategies that I used to skyrocket my website traffic and quickly build my email list using Facebook.

And you can do it too!

Ok… it’s time to get back to writing my next blog post even though I’d much rather plop down on the coach and read a juicy sci-fi novel. (Just being honest!)

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