Stop being an annoying marketer in the Facebook group

Let’s be honest, sometimes it works well—marketing in Facebook groups or forums. That’s why the annoying types show up, the ones who keep pushing their services. However, it is possible to market in forums and groups in a non-irritating way, and in the long run, I’m convinced it leads to better results.

We all have different thresholds for when we think people start promoting their own products too much. Sure, some are desperate because they need to be, but just like on dating sites, a desperate marketer is extremely unattractive. In Facebook groups, similar groups, and forums, it becomes downright annoying. Whether you draw the line when someone always shows up to promote themselves when a web agency is requested, or if you’re okay with people starting threads to tell others about their business, that’s up to you.

Market without going too far

What we need to understand is that many people get really irritated when their boundaries are crossed, and it’s possible to market without actually going over that line too often.

To go back to the dating analogy, the very first thing you need to realize is that you shouldn’t be the date who always talks about themselves. The foundation of being a good marketer on social media is to be helpful and give. From my experience, if you focus on helping instead of trying to sell, you’ll go much further. Answer questions, provide tips on good solutions, and offer support when you have expertise (which you eventually want to sell or which is relevant to your products).

You can’t know everything

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can do it all, but the truth is, you can’t, and you shouldn’t try to. It’s tempting to want to answer every possible question, but you’re an expert in your field, not in everything. Sure, it might give you a short-term boost in your reputation, but in the long run, it’s not a sustainable approach. Make sure to be clear about what you can offer and focus on being genuinely helpful in those areas.

Every group is unique

Another important aspect to consider is that the atmosphere in each group is different. Some groups are open to quite a bit of self-promotion, while others absolutely despise any hint of it. In my opinion, there’s really only one good solution: listen first, then speak.

Take the time to read up and, for heaven’s sake, use some good judgment when you decide to post something. Personally, I don’t mind if you have strong opinions on a topic and disagree with others, but make sure you’re doing it in the right group. Some people get horrified by such things.

Don’t expect to get rich

If you already have strong performance in SEO and AdWords, it might be worth considering social media (or if you have extra time and enjoy it), but don’t expect it to be a magic bullet.

The image above is analytics data from this site, and we’ve been pretty successful working with Facebook.

You might be able to increase the numbers a bit with more aggressive promotion, but that could damage the brand’s reputation. Depending on what you’re selling, the numbers will naturally vary, but more complex products (like search engine optimization) tend to perform better on social media, comparatively.

Imagine you’re at a party

I like the analogy of being at a party. If you imagine you’re invited to a large gathering, you know a few things in advance. Some people there know each other well, others don’t, some are old friends, and someone dislikes someone else. It’s not the right time to barge in and announce that you’re selling cheap birdhouses at your store, 99 SEK until Friday. You’re not there to sell, you’re there to meet people.