[SUCCESS STORY] How Cory Barnes Uses Facebook Groups To Grow His Membership Website

Who is Cory Barnes? (00:00:44)

• Cory Barnes created a Facebook group about 12 months ago, which now has almost 12,000 members, and he was able to generate $11,000 in 90 days by driving traffic from the group to his business directory website, ESPN Connect, (00:00:45).
• The Facebook group has generated around $4 million in exchange revenue between members, and Cory has not spent any money on paid advertisements to grow the group, relying on word-of-mouth and occasional giveaways, (00:01:43).
• Cory owns a digital marketing agency and has attracted 12,000 local business owners and professionals into his community, Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a population of around 880,000 people, (00:01:49).
• The Facebook group is an online marketplace for residents and business owners to exchange leads and referrals, and Cory has been listed in over 12 different publications and will be speaking at Joe Soto’s mastermind weekend, (00:02:02).
• Cory’s website, ESPN Connect, offers membership plans, and he makes around $3,000 per month recurring revenue from these plans, with around 710 members as of today, (00:02:09).
• Cory has been able to monetize his Facebook group by providing value and service to its members without having to meet in person, and he has been able to document the group’s success, including the $4 million in exchange revenue, (00:02:13).
• Cory’s story is an example of how a community can be built and monetized through a Facebook group, and he is now sharing his knowledge and experience with others, (00:02:25).
• Cory’s Facebook group has become a successful online community, with members able to connect and exchange leads and referrals, and he is proud of what he has achieved, (00:02:41).
• Cory’s digital marketing agency and his Facebook group have been successful, and he is now able to teach others about how to build and monetize a Facebook group, (00:03:03).
• Cory’s website, ESPN Connect, has been successful, with around 11,000 dollars generated in the first 90 days, and he is now making around $3,000 per month recurring revenue from the membership plans, (00:04:42).

Reasons why Facebook Groups Work (00:05:14)

• Facebook groups work because as the administrator, you have control over the content and can sculpt posts to provide tremendous value to members, allowing you to become a trusted authority in your industry (00:05:14).
• The idea behind creating a Facebook group is to give value first, and then members will begin to follow you and organically join and invite their friends because they think the group is valuable (00:05:35).
• Recent studies have shown that Facebook is moving away from the traditional newsfeed and focusing more on Facebook stories and groups, making it a hot time to get into creating groups (00:05:48).
• Facebook groups allow for creative control over what content to allow on the main wall, and they are free to create and run, giving you the ability to put whatever content you want within the group’s ecosystem (00:06:15).
• By creating a Facebook group, you can establish yourself as the trusted authority in your industry, and with Facebook’s shift in focus, groups are likely to become even more important in the future (00:06:21).

Types of Facebook Groups (00:06:34)

• Facebook groups can be utilized by various professionals, including yoga instructors, handymen, fitness coaches, and nutrition coaches, to create a community around their specific theme or area of expertise (00:06:35).
• To create a successful group and attract members, it is essential to provide tremendous free value to the members, such as giving away free content, video trainings, memes, inspirational graphics, and posters (00:07:04).
• Professionals can leverage their expertise to create valuable content, including mini trainings, free ebooks, guides, checklists, or even giveaways, to establish trust with their group members (00:07:20).
• Establishing trust within the group is crucial, as it allows members to become familiar with the group owner’s name and begin to like and trust them, making them more likely to engage with the group and follow requests (00:07:42).
• Once trust is established, group members are more likely to participate and get involved, as long as the group owner maintains an ethical and professional approach (00:07:54).

Set Up Your Facebook Group the Right Way (00:08:00)

• To set up a Facebook group the right way, it is recommended to make the group private, while also making it available to be searched for by the public, in order to control who joins and posts in the group (00:08:01).
• Pre-approving all new members and posts is also crucial, as it allows for screening of members to ensure they meet certain criteria, such as being local to a specific city, before they are allowed to join the group (00:08:24).
• Creating three to four pieces of content daily, such as video trainings, can help to engage members and provide value, and it is possible to carve out time to do this, even just one hour a week (00:08:46).
• Networking with others by tagging people who can help with specific requests or connections can be very valuable, both for the person seeking the connection and the referral source, and can be done by tagging relevant individuals in posts (00:09:07).
• Being genuine and real with members, and trying not to look at the group as just a way to make money, but rather as a way to connect with friends and provide value, is important for building a strong and engaged community (00:09:32).
• Creating a great Facebook banner with instructions, such as a link to a website or video, and a clear and descriptive group name, can help to attract new members and provide a professional image (00:10:12).
• Syndicating content across multiple platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube, can help to increase reach and engagement, and can be done by creating content first on Facebook and then sharing it on other platforms (00:11:05).

5 Quick Ways to Grow Your Facebook Group (00:11:21)

• Creating a membership website with valuable content can help grow the site, and using Facebook Groups is an effective way to do this, with the site owner having expertise in marketing and creating content such as videos on how small businesses can improve their marketing (00:11:37).
• To create content for a membership community, owners can use their expertise to provide valuable information, such as a yoga instructor creating a three-minute video with tips on energizing oneself in the morning, and then sharing it on YouTube and the community site (00:12:26).
• Community owners can also curate existing content from the internet and share it with their members, making it easy for them to find, and this can include articles, videos, or other types of content (00:13:58).
• Keeping the site simple and lightweight, with fast page loads, is important for user experience, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel or add unnecessary functions (00:13:29).
• To grow a Facebook Group, owners can share the group on their personal and business Facebook pages, and provide valuable content to attract and retain members, with the goal of adding authenticity and value to the community (00:14:45).
• To grow a Facebook group for a business, it’s essential to be genuine and real with people, and not solicit or hard pitch, which can help attract local business owners, such as those in Chattanooga, Tennessee or fitness instructors, to join the group (00:15:07).
• Joining local business chambers or groups, which are not expensive, can provide opportunities to meet powerful and connected people, who can then be invited to join the Facebook group, and encouraged to add their friends, leading to a rapid increase in group members (00:15:27).
• Creating an attractive graphic using Canva, with a size of 800 by 800 pixels, can be an effective way to promote the group and invite people to join, which can be shared on Facebook and other platforms (00:15:43).
• Adding people to the Facebook group who would be interested in the content, such as friends who have shown interest in similar topics, can help increase the group’s membership, and it’s estimated that at least 50-75 people out of an average person’s 300 friends on Facebook would be interested in the group (00:15:58).
• Hosting a giveaway can be an effective way to attract new members to the group, but it’s crucial not to do it too soon, and instead, wait until the group has gained some traction and has around 300-400 members, to maximize its impact (00:16:21).
• Encouraging group members to invite their friends, asking questions, and reminding people to participate in the group, can help create a sense of community and increase engagement, which can ultimately lead to the growth of the group and the business (00:16:42).

How to Find Members to Join Your Group (00:16:49)

• To find members to join a Facebook group, it is easier to get friends of existing members and their friends to join through word-of-mouth once the group has reached the 500 member mark (00:16:49).
• Managing a Facebook group requires a significant amount of time every day to manage posts, approve members, interact with members, and tag members, which can be enjoyable but is not an overnight process (00:17:10).
• Using analogies like a farmer, growing a Facebook group takes time and effort, similar to planting seeds and waiting for them to grow into fruits or vegetables (00:17:30).
• Participating in trade shows can be an effective way to promote a Facebook group by spending a small amount of money on a table, sign, and business cards with the group’s URL (00:17:39).
• Utilizing email blasts to an existing email list, whether through Mailchimp or other services, can be an effective way to promote a Facebook group and encourage people to join (00:17:55).
• Hosting a giveaway, such as a Starbucks gift card, through an email blast or newsletter can be a great way to incentivize people to join a Facebook group (00:18:08).
• Doing a Facebook live session within the group can be an effective way to promote the group and encourage existing members to invite their friends to join by offering valuable content (00:18:16).

Ways to Keep Members Engaged (00:18:29)

• To keep members engaged, asking random questions from a book in the group can be an effective strategy, such as asking about the city where the first McDonald’s in California was founded, and the first person to answer correctly can receive a free book (00:18:39).
• Speed networking is another approach to get people interacting with each other, building rapport, and asking questions like how a business got started, or sharing helpful apps or websites, and giving away a gift card to someone who shares a cool new app (00:19:00).
• Sharing content, such as polls, motivational posters, and giveaways, can also encourage engagement, as seen in the example of giving away a $59 camera, which generated a lot of excitement among group members (00:19:30).
• Creating and sharing training sessions using a free website like Loom, which allows screen recording of desktop activities, can provide additional value to group members and help establish expertise (00:19:48).
• Hosting debates and discussions, such as arguing over motivational posters, can be an entertaining way to keep members engaged and interacting with each other (00:19:25).

How to Help People Generate Leads (00:20:07)

• To generate leads, a system can be used where people introduce themselves and state who they want to meet, allowing for connections to be made, such as a sales professional named John who sells POS services wanting to connect with a dentist (00:20:11).
• A round table sales method can be applied in a Facebook group, where members are asked to introduce themselves and express their interests, enabling potential connections and meetings to be arranged (00:20:18).
• A paid membership model can be implemented, with different tiers such as free, standard, and preferred, where the preferred tier offers additional benefits like direct outreach, email shoutouts, and newsletters for a monthly fee of $100 (00:20:49).
• A notification system can be set up to alert the group administrator of new leads, allowing them to connect vendors with potential customers, such as Donny the plumber, before the lead is posted publicly in the Facebook group (00:21:11).
• The notification system provides a head start for vendors to respond to leads, increasing their chances of securing appointments and making sales, as seen in the example of Luke, a painter who made $30,000 in one week after being tagged in a post (00:21:45).
• Successful interactions with vendors can be turned into email newsletters or testimonials, highlighting the benefits of the membership model and encouraging others to upgrade their membership, such as Luke’s experience being shared with others (00:22:22).
• The membership model can be promoted through email newsletters, encouraging members to upgrade to a higher tier, such as the “hunter clan,” and offering exclusive benefits to those who do (00:22:44).

Facebook Group Accelerator (00:22:51)

• An online training program, known as the Facebook Group Accelerator, has been developed for professionals looking to grow with this system, which is an eight-week online course (00:22:51).
• The program includes over 40 training lessons, a monthly Facebook live session, and hours of bonus content to teach everything needed to know about Facebook groups (00:22:58).
• The bonus content includes lessons on brilliant directories and systematic approaches, with the program featuring a mix of whiteboard and over-the-shoulder instruction to take students step by step through the process (00:23:14).

BONUS: Free Guide – “The 6 Must-Have Apps Every FB Group Admin Needs” (00:23:19)

• A free guide is available for Facebook group administrators, which includes the six must-have apps every admin needs, and can be downloaded by visiting the Facebook Group Accelerator website and clicking on the big green button at the top (00:23:20).
• The guide is an Ebook that provides best practices and methods for utilizing the must-have apps, and it can be accessed directly by clicking on the link on the page (00:24:00).
• The eBook is recommended for everyone, as it contains useful information, and it can be downloaded by clicking on the green button on the page (00:24:21).
• Cory Barnes is the creator of the guide and the program, and he can be tagged in messages on the Facebook group if anyone has questions about Facebook groups or his program (00:24:42).
• To get started with Facebook groups, it’s essential to be social and reach out to potential members, as authenticity and being social with members and potential members are key to making social media work (00:25:06).
• The importance of being social and authentic in the beginning stages of creating a Facebook group was emphasized, as it can help attract members and make the group successful (00:25:10).