For many, Facebook has become synonymous with social media. As of third quarter 2017, it crossed the 2 Billion active monthly users milestone making Facebook the biggest social network yet.
As Facebook continues to grow, businesses, marketers, and individuals continue to take advantage of Facebook's many features to grow their brands, businesses and interests.
One of such features is Facebook Groups.
WHAT IS A FACEBOOK GROUP?
A Facebook group is a collection of like-minded Facebook users who share common goals, values, businesses, ideas, interests or hobbies. Such groups exist to provide community, niche knowledge, and support to members.
In this post, you will see how a particular Facebook Group is helping writers succeed, but before that there are
5 BENEFITS OF JOINING FACEBOOK GROUPS
There are many benefits of belonging to Facebook Groups. Following are some key benefits.
1. Community/Support
No one is an island, social media is designed to help people get more social, Facebook groups help people connect, share more and grow as a community.
For instance, you could learn a lot about Facebook Ads in ebooks or online, but belonging to a Facebook Ads Group will give you continuous support in addition.
Support systems like this facilitate ongoing growth and development of members involved by sharing knowledge, relevant information or professional advice.
2. Knowledge
Experiential knowledge such as is shared in groups go a long way. Members learn from the experience and expertise of other group members.
It could be a book recommendation, app, software or hack that saves time or improves efficiency.
Writers can also gain substantial article ideas by collating questions asked by group members leading to more articles, and blog traffic.
3. Networking
Active and resourceful group members quickly increase their Facebook friends count for obvious reasons.
Some of these new connections extend to LinkedIn, Twitter and other such platforms, leading to job recommendations, mentions etc.
4. Target Audience
Another big benefit of Facebook groups is the ability to reach a highly targeted and qualified audience.
Whether you're seeking an audience for your Facebook Ads, Polls or surveys, such groups are a great place to begin.
Writers or bloggers can also easily find knowledgeable group members for interviews, podcasts etc.
5. Potential Market
Facebook groups make market survey easier. You can interview members to help shape your product or service design.
Similarly, once your product is out you can either market directly to the group or drive targeted traffic to your sales funnel, depending on group policy or guidelines.
SOME POPULAR FACEBOOK GROUPS FOR WRITERS
Whether you're just starting or growing your freelance writing business, you could use a lot of help and that's exactly why Facebook groups for writers like the following exist.
1. Writers' Groups (66,329 members)
2. Writers Helping Writers (45,683 members)
3. Fiction Writing (37,088 members)
4. Article Writers Club (27,582 members)
5. Writers and Authors Promotions (21,935 members)
6. Online Copywriters (9,496 members)
7. The Copywriter Club (6,730 members)
8. Writing Revolters (5,328 members)
9. Copywriting Training Wheels (4,360 members)
10. B2B Copywriters (4,261 members)
(Figures accurate as of Jan 3, 2018)
They'll typically ask a couple of qualifying questions before approving your join request.
THE FACEBOOK GROUP HELPING WRITERS LIKE ME SUCCEED
I belong to several writers groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp but none quite compares with “Earn Your First $1,000 As a Freelance Writer” which took me from total novice to success in record time.
Run by renowned Nigerian blogger Bamidele Onibalusi, the group which began in mid-2016 now has over 2k members (and counting) from all over the world, many of whom successfully earned their first $1,000 as freelance writers their first month.
The biggest catch is helping even newbies reach their first $1,000 month with tasks and templates to match.
To achieve this goal, Bamidele adopted a pseudonym, new persona and started from scratch while we watched and practiced from the flanks.
Since then some of us have continuously and increasingly earned thousands of dollars per month writing.
HOW THE GROUP IS HELPING WRITERS SUCCEED
1. Practicability
This particular group uses a do-as-I-do approach. Members aren't just told but shown exactly what to do at every stage of the process.
These steps are documented here. Click to learn more, join and take part in the challenge.
2. Mentorship
Mentorship shortens the learning curve. For novices like me (at the time), having Bamidele tutor me was a major miracle for two reasons.
Firstly, he's Nigerian and a writer just like me; I thought if he can do it so can I.
Secondly, he's an authority and respected (guest) blogger with top class press coverage. I was learning from a pro.
3. Support
Writers of all calibers weigh in on matters arising from time to time. Some share tips and offer extra help to members including free website hosting.
Having several responses to member questions provide options and improve the decision-making process.
4. Templates
Having templates to work with increases speed, eliminates guesswork and avoidable errors. Tried and tested templates are provided for group members. From pitching through follow up to closure, templates are available to download and use.
5. Peer to Peer Reviews
For instance, members ask each other to critique their copy or business website and provide honest feedback. This has helped many members bring their copy and websites to professional standards.
At other times relevant apps or software are discussed with all the pros and cons you need to know.
6. Blog Suggestions
Depending on your niche, you could find similar writers who can point you to relevant blogs, especially for social proof.
This eliminates trial and error plus time wasted pitching irrelevant, time taking blogs or publications.
With sufficient social proof writers are set to start prospecting for clients.
7. Testimonies
Perhaps the biggest bit, testimonials from members is such an adrenaline boost. Whenever members feel drained and dry, simply logging into the group and reading testimonies is a motivation.
Every day members share their success stories to inspire action and commitment, driving others to succeed.
Here's a similar testimony from another group I belong to:
HOW TO CHOOSE WHICH GROUP(S) TO JOIN
“If you're a writer and on Facebook, start seeking out relevant groups. Simply type “Copywriters” in your Facebook Search for instance and see the options”.
7 THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR BEFORE JOINING A GROUP
Check out the following before joining any Facebook group:
1. Who's in charge (Group Admin)
2. Entry requirements/Guidelines
3. Number and pedigree of members
4. Number of new members
5. Number of active posts
6. Questions and quality of comments
7. Verifiable testimonies from members
CONCLUSION
Social media presents tons of opportunities, one of which is Facebook groups. Joining a relevant group can help you achieve your long-held dreams of becoming a well-paid writer. Now is the time to start or join one.
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Author Bio:
Amos Onwukwe is an AWAI trained eCommerce B2B/B2C Copywriter and Digital Marketer featured in eCommerce Nation, eCommerce Insights, Understanding E-commerce, Floship, Huffington Post among others.
