Brands and the Facebook Group

Hello!

This page is a message for TEXAS-BASED brands, bloggers, creators, and other businesses that would like to participate in our Facebook Group.

We’re happy that you’ve joined our Facebook Group, and even happier that you’ve taken the time to read our new member intro and to head over to this page to learn some best practices for interacting in the group.

• If you’ve stumbled across this page from somewhere other than our Facebook Group, you can find it here.

Now, we know you’re eager to tell everybody all about your brand and to get them to start buying from you. Hold up a bit on that, though. Nobody likes a pushy salesman. They’ll more likely promise themselves to never buy anything from you if they get the inkling that all you want is their money.

Although it takes some effort, a better approach is to give a little to get a little. Try teaching a bit. Share a recipe or answer somebody’s question. You’ll build appreciation and people will begin to see you as an expert.

As the group administrators, we also have to be careful that it doesn’t become spammy in there. If we allow that to happen, people will abandon the group and there will be nothing left but companies advertising at each other. That wouldn’t benefit you or anybody else. It’s hard to see somebody that spams the group with advertisements as doing anything other than taking from them and us. It’s a bit selfish.

This group is about the people in it. Not me, Texas Recipe Workbook, or any other business. I’ve gotten to know many of the members in the group and consider them friends. Please don’t abuse them. I would take that personally. Keep that in mind as you interact with them.

Will all that being said, here’s the path to success:

• Set up a brand page for your business. If you don’t know how, you can learn here. Sometimes it’s even better if you appear to be a human (maybe consider making your page “John Doe at Steak Seasonings R Us” and using your smiling face as the profile picture, instead of just Steak Seasonings R Us with a picture of a seasoning bottle as a profile picture).
• Next, have your Business Page join the Facebook Group.
• As you Interact with the group as your business page, hit like on other people’s posts that you truly do like, and use your special expertise to answer their questions where applicable. Don’t just spam random answers at people to get your name in front of them. Get involved and add value. Whatever you do, never respond that whatever you’re selling is the answer to somebody’s question. That doesn’t work. Don’t waste your time. If you come across as fake to the people you’re interacting with, you’ll do more damage to your brand than you would if you never posted anything at all.
• Post recipes with great pictures. Not just a recipe for a steak with the sole ingredient being your spice rub. Post a real recipe. Everybody will see your brand as who posted the recipe, and if it’s good, they’ll see you as a pro to pay attention to. You don’t need to hard sell them. They know its you. If they’re interested, and they will be if you contribute in positive/constructive way, they’ll follow you and potentially buy from you.
• Everything in moderation. Don’t try to blast the group with dozens of posts for a week or two, then disappear into the void. Quality takes time. Relationships, which are the goal with social media, take even more time. Build relationships with a giving attitude and people will give back in spades. Make friends and be a human, not a faceless brand working to get your hands in somebody’s pockets. If you approach this group as a taker rather than a giver, people will ignore you and maybe even block you. You’ll also very likely be removed from the group.

Thanks again for being a part of our community and contributing in a constructive way. We look forward to being a part of your success story.

If you have any questions or would like to further discuss your relationship with the community, please feel free to reach out to us on our contact page.