Ep 24: 4 Keys To Increasing Conversions from Your Free Group

Aug 2

4 Keys To Increasing Conversions from Your Free Group

Are you running a free community but struggling to convert members into paying customers? Don't worry, you're not alone. Recently I received a question from a community member that has a free group. They're struggling to get conversions from the group. In fact, they're not even sure how to sell to the free group. There were three words inside of her question that caught my attention and I think they are the biggest barriers to her actually getting more sales from this group.

This conversation was sparked by someone named Jamie who asked this question, “Do you have any pro tips for how to monetize a Facebook group? I have a very engaged group that's pretty sizable for my niche, and I list build when they join, but I don't do any sales in my group. Aside from the occasional mention of one of our programs, which are open all the time, do you have a good framework for selling in a group without being salesy?”

I have some sales secrets to share with Jamie, but before we proceed, I want to address three important words that Jamie mentioned. While it's not the primary focus of this episode, I believe it's crucial to discuss this topic. So, what are those three words? "Without being salesy." Why should we strive to sell without being salesy? Let's explore that further.That single phrase indicates that the challenge lies not in knowing what actions to take, but rather in Jamie's mindset towards selling. I want to emphasize that you have the freedom to sell within your group at any time. After all, that is the purpose of the group. If you're unable to achieve a positive return on investment from the group, then it begs the question: Why do you have it in the first place? I talk about when it is time to shut down your free community in Episode 15. If there's not a positive ROI from that free community, it's probably actually harming your business.

There's a quote by Bob Huey that says, "If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will." This quote holds a powerful message. It means that despite putting in all the effort to build connections and engage with people in your group, if you fail to make an offer, they might end up investing in someone else's business. Selling is an integral part of showing up for your community. If you genuinely want to support your community to the fullest, you must also make offers to them. In this regard, I'm here to assist you by sharing four essential keys to increase conversions in your free group.

Key 1: Connection – Establishing Trust and Authenticity

The first key is connection. There's a quote from Napoleon Hill that says “The best way to sell yourself to others is to first sell the others to yourself.” I challenge you to ask yourself:

How are you creating connection?
How are you building trust with the people inside of your group?

You can do this by showing up authentically. You're sharing a little bit about your life and about your journey, and that creates these connection points where people feel like you're somebody that they can relate to.

Next, how are you establishing credibility in the group? Maybe you're sharing case studies, maybe you're talking about work that you're doing with clients, or you're talking about what's happening inside of your program. you're building that credibility early on. Establishing connection in your group with the members of your group is really important if you want people to trust you enough to invest in your programs.

Key 2: Awareness – Highlighting the Need for a Solution

The second key is awareness. This is awareness of the need for a solution. Ask yourself this:

Do they really understand the problem?
Do they know the negative impact that that problem is having on their life?Whether that's personal or business, and do they see the potential impact that comes from solving that problem?

If not, you need to be doing the work to build that awareness. Again, this can be coming through stories, but it can be coming through tips and advice that you share, but you need to make sure that you're building that awareness around the need for a solution.

Key 3: Preparation – Guiding Members Toward Your Offer

The third key is preparation, and it's often overlooked by many. Preparation involves asking yourself, "How is the content and the community preparing them to become my ideal customer?" For example, if you know that the people who have the most success in your program have an email list of at least 1000 people, how are you helping people in your free group get to a thousand people on their email list so they become a perfect customer? If your program helps watercolor artists get better at their art, how are you generating interest in watercolor painting and getting people to get started in that craft so that they desire to be a part of your program?

Your content, whether it's in the form of live training, posts, or any other medium, should play a vital role in helping people make progress and be prepared for your offer. It's crucial to have a clear understanding of who your perfect customer is for your specific offer. By doing so, you can guide and support individuals in reaching the necessary milestones that will prepare them to take advantage of your offer. Preparation involves aligning your content with the needs and goals of your audience, helping them develop the necessary knowledge, skills, or mindset required to fully benefit from what you have to offer.

Key 4: Invitation – Making the Ask

The fourth key is the invitation, which is the sales component. When you have already established a connection, built awareness of the need for a solution, and helped prepare your audience to be ready for your program, the invitation should feel incredibly natural. By following the previous three keys, the invitation becomes the easiest part of the process, seamlessly fitting into the overall flow. It feels authentic and aligns with the journey you have taken your audience on, making it a natural next step for them to join your program. The invitation serves as an opportunity for your community members to achieve further progress, delve deeper into their journey, and receive additional support. These are all valuable and beneficial outcomes. The invitation can be presented in various ways, such as at the conclusion of a Facebook Live session, within the post's PS section, or even through comments.

It's important to reflect on how you are extending invitations to your community members, encouraging them to attain greater results. Whether it's inviting them to join your webinar, join your waitlist, or enroll in your program, consider how you can extend an invitation that aligns with their readiness to take their progress to the next level and achieve more results. H2- Bonus Key: Promotion – Creating Attention and Urgency

I have one more bonus key for you: promotion. While Jamie mentioned that her programs are open all the time, this may not be the case for everyone. If you follow the open and closed launch model, your promotional periods are clearly defined. During those periods, your entire business focuses on promoting that particular offer across all channels, including your free group. It's relatively straightforward to leverage your free group during a promotional period.

However, if you're like Jamie and you don't follow the traditional launch model, and your offers are available year-round, generating attention and creating urgency becomes crucial. I want you to consider this question: How can you generate attention and create a sense of urgency for a limited time?

Even without specific launch periods, you can still implement strategies to drive engagement and interest within your free group. Some approaches you can explore include limited-time bonuses, exclusive discounts, time-limited challenges or events, or creating a sense of scarcity by highlighting the limited availability of certain resources or opportunities.

By implementing these strategies, you give your community members a sense of urgency and a clear reason to engage with your content and make a decision. Remember, promotional periods don't have to be limited to traditional launches. With creativity and intentionality, you can create effective promotional periods within your free group that encourage action and drive results.

Mindset Around Sales in Your Free Group

It’s crucial to remember that it all begins with your mindset when it comes to sales. If you lack confidence in the value and impact of your program, it will be challenging to effectively help people and achieve consistent sales. Additionally, you must be willing to repel those who are not the right fit in order to attract the right audience. This requires selling with confidence and conviction, which is essential for increasing conversions within your group.

Having a strong belief in the value you provide and being unafraid to assertively communicate that value to your community will greatly enhance your sales efforts. Embrace the mindset that your program is genuinely transformative and that it can make a significant difference in people's lives. By embodying this mindset, you'll be able to sell consistently and confidently, ultimately leading to increased conversions in your group.

If you found this valuable, share it with one friend of yours that has a free community because I know it will benefit them and help them get a positive return on investment from their group. And if you have any questions you'd like me to address in a future episode, reach out to me on Instagram @shanaspeaks or send an email to support@communitycultivated.com . Stay tuned for more valuable insights!!