When creating a Facebook Group there are a few things that you need to know. Firstly, who do you want in your group? Secondly, do you know the purpose of your group? Thirdly, what are you looking to achieve from your group?
In order to have a successful group you need to keep these things in mind, for example, if your group is centred around solicitors, there would be no benefit of having a lot of tradesmen in the group because you won’t have a common ground to spark conversation or be able to generate any sales from it. You need to attract the relevant people, to make it successful.
What is your end goal?
Ideally, you want to avoid ‘spammy’ people because this will put new and existing members off posting in your group or engaging with you. Although this will help you grow quickly, it won’t be of any quality, therefore it won’t work. It is more effective to grow at 10 members a month and build a strong group instead of 100 members a day and have a dormant group which is then only used for the sole purpose of spamming.
In a business group, it is down to a balance of sales pitches and conversation, if you hard sell to people, nobody will want to buy your product. Whereas, if you share some other relevant tips and content within the group, it will be more appealing.
To ensure that your members return to the group, you will need to engage with them. This consists of asking questions, running competitions and polls, which will add value; whilst it is time-consuming at first, it will be worth it.
Choosing the right name
Whilst this may seem like an easy task, you will need to do your research. You need to see what is most searched for when trying to find relevant groups. You will need to target keywords in your group name, for example, ‘solicitors’ isn’t enough, you would need it to be specific – ‘family solicitors’ or ‘divorce solicitor’ – to get the right reach.
Use graphics
I can’t stress the importance of graphics; a good graphic can make your page seem that bit more professional and appealing to potential members. The Facebook algorithm favours posts with links and photos rather than just text, meaning that more people will see your posts if you have an existing page that you run – you can promote your group on your page. It will also appeal to more group members than just standard text. Having a link in your post will create more impressions in your group, because the link will intrigue people, which may lead to more members in your group, through word of mouth.
A couple of tools for creating eye-catching graphics on your page are Canva and PhotoShop. In terms of the best tool to use, this is down to personal preference and will be discovered through trial and error.
Leverage your friends and Facebook Group members
Encourage your current members to invite their friends to join the groups through posts or private messages. This creates a snowball effect of relevant people joining your group. Having more than one group admin can also help grow your group, as they can all, invite people to it.
Do you already run a Facebook group? Would you like to share your experiences with growing a Facebook group with us? Comment below!