7 Strategies to Help You Grow Your Facebook Group
Hey everyone,
As someone who runs two large Facebook groups (Medium Writing and Substack Writers), I thought I’d share a post on some strategies you can use to grow your Facebook group. Facebook groups have been central to much of my blogging success, and I hope that they can be useful to you as well.
Facebook remains the world’s most popular social media network with more than 2.7 billion monthly active users as of June 2020. That’s one reason why it remains a major platform in the world of digital marketing, despite the controversies faced over the years.
Many brands using Facebook have witnessed a decline in organic reach over time due to algorithmic changes. At the same time, a deeper focus on the community aspect of the social network has been encouraged, hence more emphasis on Facebook groups.
This fact has not been lost on many users. In fact, there are now more than one billion Facebook groups in existence, and the number keeps growing. Setting up a Facebook group presents many potential benefits. Here are a few:
Building a community of people with similar interests in relation to your niche
Boosting organic reach and engagement with your brand
Connecting with your precise target audience and growing customer relationships
Collecting email subscriptions for your mailing list
The ability to carry out market research for free
Increasing your earning potential
Any way you slice it, having a Facebook group attached to your brand makes a whole lot of sense. In this article, you will learn some useful strategies to grow your Facebook group, including getting more members, increasing group engagement, and farming more high value discussions.
1. Make your Facebook group niche-friendly
If you are starting a Facebook group, finding the perfect name can be quite difficult. A generic name will likely not have the kind of impact you want. You want to create a name and description that encapsulate what your brand is about so it attracts the right audience. If you were looking to start a Facebook group for writing lessons, for instance, zeroing in on the particular writing niche you cater to will bring better results. Consider the following names: “writing lessons” and “writing lessons for beginners.” The second option would be more appealing to writers who are just starting their careers, instead of attracting people who may not find your content valuable because they already have a writing career. Obviously, your Facebook group name will depend on your business offerings, so if you are struggling to nail down a suitable name and description, your business may not be targeted enough.
2. Set clear rules and expectations for your group
Community rules and guidelines are important to ensure your Facebook group doesn’t devolve into chaos. Members spamming the group and displaying general bad behavior can cause others to leave. You want your Facebook group to be a space that encourages healthy discussions and where people feel safe engaging with your content and community members. When creating rules, think about the types of topics that would be most beneficial to your audience and conversations that would safely fall within those topics without encroaching on other people’s feelings. Think about how you want people communicating with each other and how their interactions will relate to what your brand is about. Also, make it clear what will happen if people violate your group’s rules (for example, getting removed from the group or losing certain privileges).
3. Add your Facebook group link to your email footer
Your business emails and newsletters can supply a constant stream of signups for your Facebook group. Simply put a link to your group in your email footer or signature inviting people to join. You can say something like “Join my free FB Group” or “Join our community,” or something like that. Other places you may consider adding your Facebook group link can include your blog, Twitter pinned post, Pinterest graphic, or in your YouTube channel and video descriptions.
4. Make your group exclusive
If your check out successful groups on Facebook, you will realize that many of them are closed. While limiting people from joining your group can seem counter-intuitive to growing it, this tactic ensures only people who are truly interested in your brand actually join. A closed Facebook group means people can’t see content posted in your group or interact with members unless they actually join. It also often means you will be able to vet people who request access before allowing them to enter. This will likely improve the quality of the conversation and gives you a chance to let new members know what your group’s guidelines are and the consequences if they run afoul.
5. Link the group to your Facebook page
If you have a Facebook page, it is a good idea to link it to your Facebook group. Since your group is most likely a private community, linking it to your page exposes it publicly to your followers. Some people may want to do more than just like and share your posts and become interested in joining your group if they realize you have one. Another benefit to linking your group with your page is that you can run ads on your Facebook page to promote your group.
6. Have daily themes aimed at encouraging discussions
Posting regularly in your group helps to spark conversations that will keep group members engaged. However, a rigorous posting schedule can be time consuming, especially if you don’t have dedicated admins taking care of posting for you. Coming up with a daily theme can take some of this pressure off while still benefitting from robust group discussions. For example, you may have “Wacky Wednesdays” in your group where members share embarrassing experiences or “Music Mondays” where people comment on a music-related topic. A themed schedule also brings organization to your group content.
7. Appoint responsive admins
If you are going to have other people manage your group, they should be fully aware of your expectations and be in agreement with your community rules. One of the things you want to enforce is the importance of being responsive. They should be able to reply in a timely manner to queries from group members, as well as being responsive to requests to join the group. In addition, admins need to be vigilant in moderating the group to ensure unwanted content – and guests – are quickly taken care of before serious damage is done.
Achieving the results you want is not just about starting a Facebook group and watching the numbers go up. A clear strategy will help your group generate the traffic you want, as well as aid in achieving your overall business goals.
Until next time!
Casey
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