1 00:00:04,350 --> 00:00:04,890 Hi there. 2 00:00:05,310 --> 00:00:07,710 I see that you made it over to the new tips 3 00:00:07,710 --> 00:00:09,660 and talk portion of the podcast. 4 00:00:10,260 --> 00:00:14,850 These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and 5 00:00:14,850 --> 00:00:19,020 things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business. 6 00:00:19,700 --> 00:00:23,420 Today, we're going to talk about the difference between Facebook business 7 00:00:23,420 --> 00:00:25,550 pages and Facebook groups. 8 00:00:26,450 --> 00:00:28,970 As with anything with your business. 9 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:31,610 Some things are going to be right for you. 10 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:32,930 Some things aren't, 11 00:00:32,990 --> 00:00:35,960 maybe both a page and a group would be right for 12 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,140 you. And you'll be able to clarify that as we go 13 00:00:39,140 --> 00:00:45,650 through, but here's the thing just because you can doesn't mean 14 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:46,520 you should. 15 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:47,600 In other words, 16 00:00:47,630 --> 00:00:52,670 Facebook pages and Facebook groups are available for everybody, 17 00:00:53,210 --> 00:00:56,450 but just because they're available doesn't mean that you should do 18 00:00:56,450 --> 00:01:00,170 them. Depends on what your goals are for your business, 19 00:01:00,530 --> 00:01:03,680 where you are in the development of your business and what 20 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,100 your purpose is for using not just pages and groups, 21 00:01:07,100 --> 00:01:08,510 but social media platforms. 22 00:01:08,510 --> 00:01:11,480 Overall, before we get started, 23 00:01:11,510 --> 00:01:14,870 I want to clarify what I mean by a business page. 24 00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:18,770 And this is really important because when you start with Facebook, 25 00:01:18,860 --> 00:01:20,510 you create a profile, 26 00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:22,850 which is your personal name. 27 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:24,050 So for me, 28 00:01:24,050 --> 00:01:24,950 it would be Sue Mon, 29 00:01:24,950 --> 00:01:26,240 hide on Facebook, 30 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,660 and then everything that I create, 31 00:01:29,690 --> 00:01:33,920 then moving forward on Facebook should be a subset. 32 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:34,730 If you will, 33 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,010 underneath my profile, 34 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:38,090 Sue Mon height, 35 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:41,270 I know that people are still doing this today, 36 00:01:41,540 --> 00:01:44,420 setting up a business page, 37 00:01:44,660 --> 00:01:46,490 but it's really a profile. 38 00:01:46,490 --> 00:01:47,090 In other words, 39 00:01:47,090 --> 00:01:50,450 they're going in and creating another account. 40 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:54,170 That's really then another profile, 41 00:01:54,230 --> 00:01:55,370 but they're naming it, 42 00:01:55,490 --> 00:01:56,660 their business. 43 00:01:57,740 --> 00:02:00,230 When you start an account with Facebook, 44 00:02:00,260 --> 00:02:04,550 you start a profile and the profile should be your real 45 00:02:04,550 --> 00:02:06,410 name, not a fake name, 46 00:02:06,650 --> 00:02:08,990 not some crazy, 47 00:02:08,990 --> 00:02:11,180 additional name that you want to make up. 48 00:02:11,180 --> 00:02:12,950 It should be your real name. 49 00:02:13,550 --> 00:02:20,630 And then underneath that will be any other pages or groups. 50 00:02:20,930 --> 00:02:23,150 So it's all connected together. 51 00:02:23,990 --> 00:02:25,640 If you don't set up that way, 52 00:02:26,030 --> 00:02:30,470 you can be shut down and you don't go through all 53 00:02:30,470 --> 00:02:33,800 of this work of getting followers only then to be shut 54 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:35,690 down because you didn't set it up correctly. 55 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,980 Now let's talk about what the difference is between a page 56 00:02:40,340 --> 00:02:41,060 and a group. 57 00:02:41,570 --> 00:02:42,950 And when you should, 58 00:02:42,980 --> 00:02:45,440 or when you shouldn't have either of these, 59 00:02:45,950 --> 00:02:51,110 a page is what you would use to represent your business. 60 00:02:51,290 --> 00:02:55,940 I recommend that everybody who has a business should have a 61 00:02:55,940 --> 00:02:57,380 Facebook page. 62 00:02:58,340 --> 00:03:01,270 Let's think about how we work in our daily lives now. 63 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,280 And people want to know if you have a website, 64 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,980 it's almost like having credibility for business that you have to 65 00:03:08,980 --> 00:03:09,520 number one, 66 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,010 have some type of website presence, 67 00:03:12,250 --> 00:03:15,460 but also be on not just social media, 68 00:03:15,490 --> 00:03:17,260 but be on Facebook. 69 00:03:17,770 --> 00:03:18,040 I mean, 70 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,160 that's where people look in the very beginning. 71 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,010 That's why I say absolutely positively. 72 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:25,090 If you have a business, 73 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,850 you should have a business page. 74 00:03:28,630 --> 00:03:31,450 There are some cons to having a business page. 75 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,570 One of the problems with having a business page is you 76 00:03:34,570 --> 00:03:38,710 feel like you put posts up on your business page and 77 00:03:38,740 --> 00:03:39,670 nobody sees them. 78 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:44,110 And it's true for every hundred followers. 79 00:03:44,110 --> 00:03:44,890 You have, 80 00:03:45,490 --> 00:03:49,000 maybe three of those followers are going to see a post 81 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:49,750 that you put up. 82 00:03:50,710 --> 00:03:51,940 So you're going to say to me then, 83 00:03:51,940 --> 00:03:52,540 well, Sue, 84 00:03:52,540 --> 00:03:54,130 why even do it? 85 00:03:54,550 --> 00:03:56,110 Is it worth it in the first place? 86 00:03:56,140 --> 00:03:59,560 Why should I even bother the reason that you're going to 87 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:01,090 want to have a Facebook page? 88 00:04:01,150 --> 00:04:04,540 Even if you get so little visibility, 89 00:04:04,660 --> 00:04:05,800 just organically, 90 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:07,510 when someone's scrolling the feed, 91 00:04:07,660 --> 00:04:08,290 like I said, 92 00:04:08,290 --> 00:04:10,300 3% give or take, 93 00:04:11,050 --> 00:04:16,150 but if someone directly goes to find you on Facebook, 94 00:04:16,450 --> 00:04:17,650 then you'll be there. 95 00:04:17,770 --> 00:04:18,820 Then they'll see you. 96 00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:22,930 So there is visibility if it's customer initiated, 97 00:04:23,410 --> 00:04:25,270 but there isn't visibility. 98 00:04:25,420 --> 00:04:26,440 If it's organic, 99 00:04:26,470 --> 00:04:28,780 if you're expecting to put up a post and then someone's 100 00:04:28,780 --> 00:04:29,680 going to see you right away, 101 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:30,610 that doesn't happen. 102 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,520 Okay. 3% to me is almost zero. 103 00:04:33,850 --> 00:04:38,410 However, when someone wants to go and research your company, 104 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:40,150 maybe they've just heard about you. 105 00:04:40,150 --> 00:04:42,580 And they're thinking about buying a product from you, 106 00:04:42,580 --> 00:04:44,770 but they want to know a little bit more about you. 107 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,020 They're going to want to see that you have a website 108 00:04:47,140 --> 00:04:48,910 and they're probably going to want to see that you're on 109 00:04:48,910 --> 00:04:51,520 Facebook. So for that reason, 110 00:04:51,550 --> 00:04:52,780 you should have a page. 111 00:04:53,890 --> 00:04:56,590 And the other reason why you should have a page is 112 00:04:56,590 --> 00:04:59,740 if ever you're thinking that you want to do any type 113 00:04:59,740 --> 00:05:03,070 of Facebook ads for attracting followers, 114 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:05,170 for selling product, 115 00:05:05,530 --> 00:05:09,490 for initiating any type of communication with the people who are 116 00:05:09,490 --> 00:05:13,270 already following you or attracting other people to follow you, 117 00:05:13,780 --> 00:05:17,230 that is all done from a Facebook page. 118 00:05:17,740 --> 00:05:20,830 The other reason is Facebook shops, 119 00:05:21,190 --> 00:05:23,980 another sales channel opportunity for you. 120 00:05:24,100 --> 00:05:26,470 You can set up Facebook shops in a couple of different 121 00:05:26,470 --> 00:05:29,920 ways. Now you can direct people to your website, 122 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,340 to where all of your online products exist already. 123 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,730 Or you can set up shops right inside Facebook, 124 00:05:36,730 --> 00:05:38,530 which is literally turnkey. 125 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:40,450 You can put products up there. 126 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:45,340 You can have customers buy through the Facebook mechanisms that are 127 00:05:45,340 --> 00:05:47,050 there and get shipping labels. 128 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:47,590 All of that, 129 00:05:47,590 --> 00:05:49,990 there's a whole new it's called Facebook shops, 130 00:05:50,230 --> 00:05:53,800 turnkey system within Facebook so that you can sell products there. 131 00:05:54,700 --> 00:05:55,990 So it's for visibility. 132 00:05:55,990 --> 00:05:58,580 When people are reaching out and searching for you, 133 00:05:59,030 --> 00:06:01,880 you can run ads and you can sell your products. 134 00:06:02,090 --> 00:06:04,460 Those are the reasons to have a page. 135 00:06:05,210 --> 00:06:10,130 That's why I say every single handmade product business should absolutely 136 00:06:10,130 --> 00:06:12,080 have a Facebook page. 137 00:06:13,130 --> 00:06:15,140 Now, how do you work that page? 138 00:06:15,290 --> 00:06:18,020 Given that I told you only about 3% of people will 139 00:06:18,020 --> 00:06:20,210 ever see that information organically. 140 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,200 You want to post on Facebook so that people who are 141 00:06:24,260 --> 00:06:27,800 initiating a contact with you will see that your account is 142 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,400 active. I would suggest two or three times a week. 143 00:06:31,790 --> 00:06:35,240 You're posting something new on your Facebook page, 144 00:06:35,510 --> 00:06:38,690 knowing full well that the majority of your followers are not 145 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:40,550 going to see any of the posts, 146 00:06:40,790 --> 00:06:45,710 but the people who are coming to your page will now 147 00:06:45,710 --> 00:06:47,180 let's move on to groups. 148 00:06:48,020 --> 00:06:51,380 And I think this is where some confusion comes in because 149 00:06:51,710 --> 00:06:52,820 people are thinking, 150 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:53,600 Oh well, 151 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:54,740 there's groups available. 152 00:06:54,770 --> 00:06:56,300 So I should start a group. 153 00:06:56,840 --> 00:06:59,810 Well, let's talk about what a group is for and the 154 00:06:59,810 --> 00:07:00,830 pros and cons, 155 00:07:00,860 --> 00:07:03,830 and whether you should have a group as a handmade product 156 00:07:03,830 --> 00:07:06,920 business. And I'm going to jump to the end first. 157 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,400 And then I'm going to clarify this where I say that 158 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,910 absolutely everybody should have a Facebook business page. 159 00:07:14,510 --> 00:07:17,720 When we come to Facebook groups. 160 00:07:18,230 --> 00:07:19,250 My answer is, 161 00:07:19,460 --> 00:07:20,390 it depends. 162 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,810 And let me explain why I say that a business group 163 00:07:23,810 --> 00:07:29,300 is virtually a gathering of people coming together for a specific 164 00:07:29,330 --> 00:07:33,230 purpose. Some of you I know does by who's here are 165 00:07:33,230 --> 00:07:35,840 already in my group gift biz breeze. 166 00:07:35,930 --> 00:07:37,940 If you're not feel free to come and join us, 167 00:07:38,330 --> 00:07:42,860 we are a very defined group of handmade product, 168 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:47,570 business owners or people who are considering turning a hobby or 169 00:07:47,570 --> 00:07:51,350 a craft into a business and want to start rubbing shoulders 170 00:07:51,350 --> 00:07:55,160 with other people who have it's all based on business, 171 00:07:55,190 --> 00:07:57,650 learning, business development, 172 00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:01,610 questions, and answers assistance with the business. 173 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:03,890 So it's a very defined group. 174 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,130 It is not a place to go place your product and 175 00:08:07,130 --> 00:08:09,200 sell. So it's not a buy sell group. 176 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,860 It's very defined in terms of what the group is. 177 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,560 Probably all of you are part of other groups that are 178 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,840 specifically related to your product. 179 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:21,680 So maybe you're part of a group that talks about soaps. 180 00:08:21,950 --> 00:08:23,840 And so that group could be, 181 00:08:24,380 --> 00:08:28,190 where are you sourcing your product types of issues that you 182 00:08:28,190 --> 00:08:32,090 might have when you're creating your soaps or adding sense to 183 00:08:32,090 --> 00:08:34,130 the soaps or all those types of things. 184 00:08:34,130 --> 00:08:35,470 Very product specific, 185 00:08:36,290 --> 00:08:40,670 lot of groups like that on Facebook that are specific product 186 00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:41,930 creation groups, 187 00:08:41,930 --> 00:08:45,290 depending on what industry you're in baking candle, 188 00:08:45,290 --> 00:08:47,360 making jewelry, 189 00:08:47,630 --> 00:08:49,190 pottery, all of that, 190 00:08:49,700 --> 00:08:51,140 a very defined purpose, 191 00:08:51,530 --> 00:08:56,370 gathering a specific community together towards a specific goal. 192 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:01,050 The fabulous thing about groups is there's a lot of comradery. 193 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:05,700 There's a lot of engagement and interaction that's free. 194 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:07,440 You can easily join groups. 195 00:09:08,250 --> 00:09:10,470 So then we circle back to the question. 196 00:09:10,740 --> 00:09:12,060 Should you start your own group? 197 00:09:12,540 --> 00:09:16,590 Here's the big question for you to ask yourself about that? 198 00:09:17,340 --> 00:09:22,110 What would be your business purpose about starting a group? 199 00:09:23,210 --> 00:09:25,160 A Facebook group takes time. 200 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:28,220 You need to monitor the group you need to be in 201 00:09:28,220 --> 00:09:32,570 there regularly interacting with members and promoting the conversation. 202 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,300 So a question to ask yourself is, 203 00:09:35,330 --> 00:09:40,040 would the results of a Facebook group align with specific goals 204 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:41,780 you have for your business? 205 00:09:42,620 --> 00:09:47,480 Let's cover three examples of Facebook groups that are formed for 206 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,930 a purpose that could align with handmade product businesses. 207 00:09:51,950 --> 00:09:55,430 If you have a certain element of education as part of 208 00:09:55,430 --> 00:09:56,960 your handmade product business. 209 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,870 So let's say you are a knitter. 210 00:10:00,140 --> 00:10:02,060 And so you sell your knitted, 211 00:10:02,060 --> 00:10:03,620 scarves and mittens, 212 00:10:03,620 --> 00:10:04,340 et cetera, 213 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,850 but you also have patterns or teach knitting. 214 00:10:08,180 --> 00:10:11,030 A group could be a wonderful way to bring all of 215 00:10:11,030 --> 00:10:15,830 your students together and add additional support that lays on top 216 00:10:15,890 --> 00:10:18,800 of the educational programs that you have. 217 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,610 People are then joining the group to get additional direction from 218 00:10:22,610 --> 00:10:25,100 you. Another example could be, 219 00:10:25,130 --> 00:10:28,250 if you are involved with your local community, 220 00:10:28,490 --> 00:10:33,020 maybe you gathered together business owners from within your community. 221 00:10:33,140 --> 00:10:38,210 And together you work towards creating promotional efforts that drive people 222 00:10:38,210 --> 00:10:41,210 into your downtown area. 223 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:42,980 Maybe there's a sidewalk sale. 224 00:10:42,980 --> 00:10:44,780 That's put on things like that. 225 00:10:45,170 --> 00:10:49,310 So you're establishing yourself as a business leader within the community. 226 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:53,240 How that helps you with your handmade product business is perhaps 227 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,600 you're looking at getting placement within some of the local boutiques 228 00:10:56,780 --> 00:10:59,930 or you're looking for consignment opportunities. 229 00:11:00,830 --> 00:11:03,860 A third idea for a group could revolve around your product 230 00:11:03,860 --> 00:11:07,100 specifically, and the people who would be using your product. 231 00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:08,750 So your ideal customer, 232 00:11:09,410 --> 00:11:13,010 let's say you have a product that is focused on babies. 233 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:16,550 So maybe it has to do with potty training or toddler 234 00:11:16,550 --> 00:11:17,990 clothes, things like that. 235 00:11:18,470 --> 00:11:22,190 You could create a group that is all moms. 236 00:11:22,580 --> 00:11:24,050 You have similar interests, 237 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,360 similar challenges with your children, 238 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:28,670 your product serves one need, 239 00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:32,480 but it could be a whole conversational support group for moms 240 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:33,410 of young children. 241 00:11:34,550 --> 00:11:38,600 And I have a bonus idea for you straight from one 242 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:41,690 of our Breezers Nene from Nene soaps. 243 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,100 She's created a VIP group for her customers. 244 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,670 Here's a snippet from a recent Instagram Maive, 245 00:11:49,820 --> 00:11:51,350 where we talked about her group. 246 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,550 So Nene you're product in your group, 247 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:56,320 and it's your friend, 248 00:11:56,350 --> 00:11:57,460 your family, 249 00:11:57,460 --> 00:11:59,050 and your customers. 250 00:11:59,680 --> 00:12:02,320 You have created a special place online. 251 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:03,520 That's private, 252 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,360 VIP people have to be directed there to know about it. 253 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,270 And then you're offering specials to them. 254 00:12:10,870 --> 00:12:13,900 It is fabulous to hear that this is such a success 255 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:15,820 and that you're getting business from your group. 256 00:12:15,970 --> 00:12:17,500 That amazing. 257 00:12:17,830 --> 00:12:20,620 The one thing I will say with that is when people 258 00:12:20,620 --> 00:12:21,580 join your group, 259 00:12:21,700 --> 00:12:23,680 you can ask them three questions. 260 00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:25,300 If you join the breeze, 261 00:12:25,300 --> 00:12:27,430 you'll see that I have three questions there. 262 00:12:27,790 --> 00:12:31,030 One of my questions is are you willing to share with 263 00:12:31,030 --> 00:12:34,060 me your email address that is really, 264 00:12:34,060 --> 00:12:34,870 really important. 265 00:12:35,290 --> 00:12:39,370 And the reason is if Facebook ever decides to shut down 266 00:12:39,370 --> 00:12:42,310 groups, you have no contact with them. 267 00:12:42,460 --> 00:12:42,640 You know, 268 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,130 this is the only thing that you need to be cautious 269 00:12:45,130 --> 00:12:47,380 about on social media platforms, 270 00:12:47,530 --> 00:12:48,490 anywhere, Facebook, 271 00:12:48,670 --> 00:12:50,350 Instagram, Pinterest, 272 00:12:50,740 --> 00:12:54,730 anywhere that if they change the rules, 273 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,580 the only way you have access is through that platform. 274 00:12:58,090 --> 00:13:00,610 So if for some reason something happened, 275 00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:02,470 gosh, they shut down a group. 276 00:13:02,470 --> 00:13:03,340 For some reason, 277 00:13:03,940 --> 00:13:06,460 you've lost all those people who are in your group. 278 00:13:06,700 --> 00:13:08,020 How else are you going to contact them? 279 00:13:08,050 --> 00:13:10,240 The only way you know them is through Facebook. 280 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:12,520 Let's summarize this. 281 00:13:12,910 --> 00:13:16,630 If you're considering a Facebook business page and you don't have 282 00:13:16,630 --> 00:13:19,690 one yet thumbs up 100%. 283 00:13:19,750 --> 00:13:21,640 Yes. As a product based business, 284 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:24,010 you want a Facebook page, 285 00:13:24,430 --> 00:13:25,420 Facebook groups. 286 00:13:25,450 --> 00:13:28,750 You need to decide based on what we reviewed here today. 287 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,000 And I'm going to go back once again to saying, 288 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,640 just because it's available to us, 289 00:13:34,060 --> 00:13:37,450 doesn't mean you have to do everything. 290 00:13:38,170 --> 00:13:40,780 And now you should have the information that you need to 291 00:13:40,780 --> 00:13:41,860 decide. Exactly. 292 00:13:42,300 --> 00:13:43,560 What's right for you. 293 00:13:45,510 --> 00:13:46,620 That's a wrap. 294 00:13:47,250 --> 00:13:49,200 I bet get to the point kind of girl. 295 00:13:49,620 --> 00:13:52,350 And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek 296 00:13:52,350 --> 00:13:54,630 sessions. Now it's your turn. 297 00:13:55,110 --> 00:13:57,780 Go out and fulfill that dream of yours. 298 00:13:58,050 --> 00:14:00,450 Share your handmade products with us. 299 00:14:00,810 --> 00:14:01,980 We want them, 300 00:14:02,130 --> 00:14:04,830 and they bring us both so much happiness.