If you want to boost facebook engagement, you need to be looking at building a group. Are you a Business Page owner that thinks running a group to is too time consuming and overkill? If so you are possibly missing a trick! Here’s why:
- Facebook Groups can be amazingly successful for brands (and individuals!). Because they boost Facebook engagement
- Facebook Groups can be great for building real relationships.
- Your Facebook Page can be your front garden – your shop front if you like. It’s neat, tidy and well organised., Your Facebook Group, on the other hand is where all the fun can happen. The party is round the back!
How to Grow Your Group & boost Facebook engagement
One of the biggest challenges facing anyone that starts a Facebook Group is the fact that we all start with no members. Actually you start with 2, you plus the mandatory friend you need to create the group. Once you get it up and running, you have the challenge of growing the membership. Your aim is to grow your Facebook Group into a real community.
Here are a couple of ideas to get you started!
- Include a link and invitation to join your Facebook Group in your email signature.
- Use the Facebook icon on your website to link to your Facebook Group instead of your Facebook Page.
- Use the Call to Action Button on your Facebook Page to lead to the Facebook Group.
- Use a Video Cover on your Facebook Page to highlight your Facebook Group.
- Use Facebook Groups to funnel members into other Facebook Groups!
- Have an affiliate program for paid Facebook Groups.
How to Keep Your Group Members Engaged
The trick now is continue that growth and this is harder than it appears! You nee to give them content that keeps them coming back for more! If they aren’t learning and engaging and growing in some way – they aren’t going to stay in the group. Creating your content, posts and activities that serve that nourishment fest and keep your members from starving is crucial.
- Use Challenges to get your members engaged and excited. Consider giving gift cards or some kind of competition to winners monthly.
- Ask questions and require a Video Comment
- Use Chats to keep folks talking about specific topics
- Give them a regular opportunity to share what they’ve accomplished and vote each other up
Have a plan for your group.
Great content for your Facebook Group isn’t going to just magically happen. You need to have a plan if you want to truly boost Facebook engagement. Keep an eye on what other groups are doing to keep their members engaged. Be creative and imaginative and push the boundaries.
Our recommendation is not to allow Pages to join.
It is often harder to interact with a brand than it is to interact with an individual. You want it to be easy for your members to get involved with posts.
You might want to make sure that your own posts are as you rather than your brand.
Facebook Groups can and should be Safe Places for people to spend time and engage.
People join Facebook Groups because they’re a safe place to have truly vulnerable moments and opportunities to share. People feel okay asking questions in Groups that they would not ask on their timeline. Ensure that you are making it okay for people to ask any question.
Facebook Groups are also places for people to come together around shared interests / stories.
The reality of normal Facebook posts – and really any social network – is that they’re here today and gone tomorrow. There’s a real disconnect from one post to the next due to the algorithms that are in place. But that’s less of an issue within Facebook Groups. Members are far more likely to see and engage with posts from other members which offers great continuity and connection. A great reason for people to get involved.
And that leads to a stronger relationship between the members. Through groups, Facebook users are able to create actual community. Normal social media connections simply cannot achieve that.
Avoid daily “themes” since people tend to glaze over those after a while. Use monthly themes and deep dive into specific topics.
Many groups have regular posts they share on different days – themes – to keep members engaged. The evidence shows that while they do work for a while, the concept gets old and members will begin to ignore those posts. Once that happens, it creates a slippery slope of non-engagement that threatens other posts. Instead, create monthly themes. Thi scan help focus and go deep on specific topics and leaves the opportunity open for other topical content.
Use weekly roundups to keep members accountable.
This works well if you and your members are working toward common goals. It is a great technique to increase engagement AND build community. It is a Weekly Roundup. In this post, members are invited to share their wins or achievements (or otherwise) so that the rest of the group can discuss and comment.
Public vs Closed vs Secret Groups
There are three different kinds of communities. Our opinion is that there’s likely no good reason to create a Public Group where anyone can come and go. Instead, most groups should be Closed where you can control who can join the group, and ask questions prior to acceptance!
Secret groups are a fabulous resource for small groups who want to be able to share conversations and information privately.
Use Group questions to power an FAQ or content plan.
When members ask questions make a note and then (if appropriate) build into your ow Business strategy.
Hope this helps!