Stop the presses! And the posts!! I’ve been working on a new Facebook party strategy for direct sellers, and — break out the bubbly — it’s working! The idea was inspired by a decline in engagement on posts and lacking party results, which led to my Facebook party frustration. Suddenly, it dawned on me, what if I used all the success strategies that have worked at my home parties for the last two decades and translated them to a virtual online direct sales party? “It just might work,” said me. To myself. I put the plan into action and experienced ah-mazing results in a very short period of time. Can I hear a woop woop?!
Facebook party results after using this strategy for one month:
8 parties held
21 parties booked
$3,643 total sales
Average party: $455
Tweak and test to make this work for your biz!
7 Post Ideas for an Epic Facebook Party:
1. Introduce yourself. Success is a result of building relationships. Say hello and tell your new Facebook friends about yourself, which is exactly how you would open your home party. Who are you, what do you like to do, how many kids do you have? Broadcast your intro via Facebook Live and you’ll build the like, know and trust factor faster than you can say, “Helllooo new customer!”
2. Pass around a catalog. One of the first things I do at a home party is hand out catalogs so guests can shop and create their wish list = more sales and bookings. Why not use this same idea at an online party, simply by posting, “Are you new to (your company)? Text me your address and I’ll send you a catalog with a free sample!” This strategy creates a more personal interaction. I reply back by asking “What’s your fave type of fragrance?” so I can send a sample they’ll love. Include post-it tabs on the catalog to make browsing your catalog a fun at-home activity. If you don’t have affordable samples, get creative and text back a short how-to video or a PDF. For example, jewelry reps could create a “Daytime to Dazzle: 5 ways to makeover a little black dress” how-to tip.
3. Roll Call. 15 minutes before the party, ask for virtual guests to LIKE the Roll Call post if they’ll be joining – and share how they know the Hostess in the comments. But here’s a twist. Instead of the same ol’ Roll Call graphic that every direct seller is using, post a photo of the Hostess. This is a key strategy I use at home parties to uncover booking opportunities, who tend to be the Hostess’ close friends and family. A best friend will always help a friend out and book a party!
4. Solve a problem. Go LIVE (via Facebook Live) and create your product selection around a problem you solve. The solution? Purchase a few of the products now and book a party to get the rest! Time saver posting tool: Use the built-in scheduler on Facebook Page events to schedule pre-party posts and follow-up posts so you are posting at the best times to increase engagement and interaction. Cinchshare is also a great scheduling tool if you are partying in Facebook Groups and want to reuse party scripts and graphics. But remember, Facebook does not duplicate content so make sure you change up your verbiage and content.
5. Pick A Date, Pick A Prize. A call-to-action to book a party is key in getting multiple bookings at home parties. Turns out it works for Facebook parties, too. While you’re going live announce that you have special prizes for the first to pick a party date so they can get your MacDaddy problem solvin’ product for free – or at low cost. Show 3 – 5 colored envelopes (or use gift bags) with your next available open dates on them and share that when someone picks a date, you’ll open the envelope to reveal a prize. In the marketing world, that strategy is known as FOMO. Fear of missing out. And the award for best booker in a party plan company goes to…(the suspense is killing me)…YOU!
6. Ask Me A ?. Playing a sponsoring game at every party is the fastest way to generate interest in what you do. And yes, it works when you go live at your Facebook parties, too. Your final call-to-action during your live party is ASK ME A ? about my job. Respond to questions and discover who wants to learn more about what you do. Replay viewers will be able to see questions/answers which will encourage them to ask too. Follow-up to see who wants to learn more.
7. Door Prize Slip. Never leave home without your door prize slip, which is your lead generator and call-to-action all in one. Use Google Forms to create a virtual door prize slip that you can easily share (via a link) on your Facebook Parties. You’ll want to use open-ended questions vs. closed-ended. For example, avoid the typical (and almost always a no answer) question “Do You Want To Host A Party?” Instead ask: What type of party do you like best? with several options to pick from: Facebook Party, Home Party, Catalog Party or Not Into Parties, But Like To Shop Online. See what I did there? I offered options which made it easy for guests to say yes to booking a party! Follow up using verbiage like this, “I see you selected Facebook Party. Yay! Do you have a weekday in mind?” Boom. You booked a party.
A really cool new update to Google Forms is the option to add a video or photo to your form. Watch this YouTube tutorial to learn how But there’s soooo much more google forms can do…click the option to get notified when there’s a new response and have a done-for-you-follow-up system with responses automatically sorted into a spreadsheet, along with an option to see responses in a visual format. And did I mention all this awesome sauce is free with your Gmail account?
Bonus Tip: If you’re looking for a new way to party online check out Sqweee, which launched in 2018. A Sqweee party is completely off of Facebook (guests get a link to join) and integrates with YouTube videos and Youtube LIVE, so you can still go live to interact and connect with party guests! Our community gets a Sqweeet special, too. Enter the word: VISIONISTA in the referral code box to get a 4-week trial (vs. 2 weeks) and $15/ month for your first 6 months (vs. $20). Students of my Facebook Party Pro course will find Sqweee training and a test party in the course tutorials.
If you want help holding better Facebook Parties join my VIP Group for direct sellers and get access to my Facebook Party webinar replay and 2 free gifts: What to post on your Facebook Page to book more Facebook parties and Facebook Party Tips & Tools – with the CEO and Creative Director of CinchShare. Learn more here