Ways to have a Successful Facebook Party
I find in my training that there are two types of consultants. One who has no idea how powerful a Facebook party could be for their business or the consultant who completely relies on Facebook for every ounce of interaction in their business….and Knows how to ROCK IT. Facebook parties have been gaining momentum and popularity in the last 4 years. Many direct sales consultants are extremely successful with them and others find them a waste of time or do them completely wrong causing them to have issues with Facebook. First let’s start at the beginning.
What is a Facebook Party?
Being a Social Media Strategist for Direct Sellers, I love the idea of Facebook parties. I think it is absolutely the coolest thing in the world to remember my mother’s Home Interior Parties with all those ladies at my house and now we can do the exact same party but only virtual. A Facebook party is when we, as the consultant invite our own friends or family or friends and family of a Hostess to join us on Facebook for a “live” party or for a set amount of time. During that time, posts are made within the event that discuss our products, the Scentsy opportunity and also why someone would want to host a party. During my Facebook events, there are things that I do unique to me, so that people will remember, Jilleysue the Scentsy lady. All of the orders, bookings for future parties and chats about joining the company will take place either on my website, by Facebook message, text or emails. There are many ways that work when it comes to Facebook parties, but for the most part, you get the idea.
Why are problems happening with Facebook Parties?
We all know what we call it. Yes it’s called Facebook Jail. It’s awful right? It feels like you are literally sitting in jail and can’t connect with anyone. You instantly understand how much we rely on Social Media. For those of you that don’t know Facebook jail is when you get that message that pops up that Facebook has restricted you from using some of its functions. Sometimes you can’t see pages of people you are not friends with. Sometimes you are restricted from posting in events or groups. Sometimes Facebook will freeze your personal account or completely delete some of your posts. There are a wide variety of ways, I have seen Facebook freeze accounts.
Facebook is well aware of our industry. They actually altered their algorithm at one point due to the fact that they were very aware of how much Direct Sellers use Facebook to build their business. What I truly believe happens is that some people do not properly Hostess Coach so that people know what they are being invited to. What ethically should happen is for people to personally invite their guests and let them know you will be inviting them to a Facebook event. When you don’t communicate what will be happening, people are very likely to hit the SPAM button especially if the consultant is doing the one inviting and your guests don’t know who that person is. I believe the clicking of the SPAM button is the real reason direct sellers are being penalized by Facebook. These types of parties should be considered a bonus. I use them for hostesses that are not near me or for hostesses that travel a lot but are still interested in having an Scentsy party. When your entire business is built around Facebook, your entire business will never be solid and could be at risk. Relying only on Facebook is basically putting all your eggs in one basket. Even though you may not be doing anything wrong literally, Facebook decides how they want things run and we are at their mercy. We are lucky with Scentsy, that we have a variety of party ways. Practice a mix of our options and try new things. Mix Tote parties with FB if you have to work from home. Try to throw a home party or event in the mix when you can. Never rely solely on one online platform.
10 Tips for a Successful Direct Sales Facebook Party
1. I repeat this over and over and for some reason, I still constantly see it. It is one of the biggest ways to get your account frozen. Facebook wants all of your business to be done on a Facebook Fan page or business page. They do not want posting of any kind on your personal profile. How many times a week, do you see a Scentsy or another Direct Sales ad on a personal page. Big no no. They do not want any sales or posts asking customers to buy anything on a personal page. Post your journey and how your business is a part of your life but don’t sell.
2. Create a PRIVATE Event from your personal page. If you have a hostess, for a particular Facebook event, add her as the co-host and she will have the same functionality as you. Be sure you send her instructions. A quick 3 minute video or even a voice text explaining to only invite 30-50 people, and to text and remind people as the date gets closer. She will be able to add friends and family and they will be able to see her listed. Be sure to remind her NOT to add everyone. ONLY 30-50. This will feel more special and get people interacting more. Interaction is KEY!
3. As I said above, remind your host to personally invite anyone you are thinking will want to come to the event. Email and Group messages are just too impersonal. Private messages work wonders but do not copy and paste the same message to every guest. People can tell when you are being authentic. Customize the message to them so they feel warm and fuzzy. You can also post the event link on your host’s profile and give her friends and family the option to join. People like to have a choice. I have mailed post cards before, but for the most part, I will always call or text. Never add people you don’t know. When you do a bulk invite, you are asking for trouble.
4. As Gary Vee always says, “Roll out the red carpet for 10, rather than worry about having 100 who aren’t talking.” Keep the party small, you will be able to give each person personal attention and connect with them more. This will allow you to remember people by name and also invite them to your VIP group. Remember you want to build that relationship from start to finish. The experience defines YOUR personal brand. You want to stand out in every aspect of your business. Simply regurgitating the same thing other consultants do will make you forgettable. Show YOUR SPARK!
5. Pre-Set. Get your Facebook party set up well in advance. I usually make sure it is at least 10 days before. Be sure there is the first post there before you invite your host. People want to know the party is started not show up to an empty room right? Remember Scentsy online should be the same way it would be in person. Decorate for your party girl! DECORATE!
6. Give your Host pointers about what she can say to people to invite them. Give her an exact script and let her know she can change it up into her own words. You can say something like, “Hey girl, I’m thinking of having a Scentsy party right here on Facebook since I have no time to really do it any other way. Its less than 30 minutes, perfect for me. Come join me. Want an invite?” You can also suggest she posts something along those lines on Facebook. This way she can invite the people that want to come and then she start her messaging and texting. I always let my hosts know….”tell your peeps this is so much better than driving, they can stay comfy in their sweats.” 🙂
7. Let your hostess know that she needs to do the same thing online that she would do in person. She needs to remind people, text people, tag them in the party. People get busy and forget. The party will be the most successful if you work together with invites and reminders.
8. You must show up as a consultant. You can’t expect to book this party and then the night before send one reminder. I love to use tools like Cinchshare to schedule all my posts and get things ready so that I never forget. You need a system and you need to help your host have a system. Reminder, the better your hosts do, means she could possibly want to do what you do.
9. Make sure all of your posts and images are within Scentsy compliance. Google and Facebook take copyright infringement issues very seriously. You can not just take images off the web and alter them or make them your own without permission from the owner. Create your own personal brand. Canva and Picmonkey are easy to learn. They make it something every one can use. Decide what images you need and take the time to create your own look and feel so that guests remember you.
10. Keep the Facebook event very simple. You want your business duplicate by your team. Even in Facebook events, you have potential people who might want to join your team. When they see they can have parties and stay in the comfort of their own home, it becomes very appealing to some. However, if you make the event too complicated, they believe they could never do something like this. You don’t need edited videos or custom pictures or complicated incentives. These are all great, but your Facebook party system CAN evolve and now we have the amazing tool of Facebook LIVE. All you need is a few pre-posts, a custom album to make shopping easy and then GO LIVE. A quick 30 minutes showing the top products and what people love the most to see is how you incorporate Scentsy into YOUR OWN home. Have your event look just like your home party but simply online.
A successful Facebook party can truly change your business. You can connect with more people and increase your personal volume. Don’t miss out on this type of party because you think it is too complicated. It really isn’t. In fact the more simple you keep it, the more apt you are to grow your team and inspire others to learn from you. Follow these steps and be aware of what you doing. Plan our your Facebook parties and avoid the dreaded Facebook jail by creating an experience that is uniquely your own. Practice makes perfect. 🙂 Go get ’em GIRLBOSS!
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