Ready? Set? Let’s Grow your Facebook Group.

Starting a Facebook group can be a daunting task {much like staring at your blank WordPress post trying to decide what to blog about}.  While the opportunities are endless, so is the overwhelm. And, to make matters worse, if you only have ten people in your group {one of them being your mom and the other your husband} it can feel like a waste of time.  You may want to give up on your group before you even get started. Let’s be smart and strategic as you grow your Facebook group. 

If you want to grow your Facebook group fast, there are three things you need to do: Be generous. Have fun. Be strategic.

1.) Be generous.

When you’re inviting friends to join you on your journey, do a BIG. FAT. GIVEAWAY. to get them in your Facebook Group for your business. Consider giving away a $100 Amazon or Target gift card with zero strings attached. If you’re a photographer, consider doing a mini session with 10-12 digitals included {feel free to up-sell later, but this needs to feel and be entirely free}. When I started my girls only Facebook group, called Confident and Beautiful, I did a giveaway for a $120 hair straightener and grew 200 new members faster than you can say beach waves!

PRO TIP: Make sure you do a giveaway as soon as your group launches while the momentum is in overdrive. This screenshot is the exact post I put on Facebook to get people to request membership into my group {hint: tell your audience what to do and how to do it – make this seamless}!

Now, I know what you’re thinking: this is going to cost me. You’re right, it is! Consider giveaways a marketing expense that will up-level your business and increase traction with followers; as a result, you can expect to see a return on this investment at a later time.

Don’t forget to lock-in the abundance mindset.

If you ask your clients to help you double your group size {and they do it} great! Reward them some more. Ask them to help you double the group size, again, and offer a double reward.

One more point {and this is key}: make sure you let everyone know how much you appreciate their willingness to help you grow your brand. It doesn’t have to be a monetary thank you, but some little incentive for trying is always a good measure. If you push for new followers and then fall off the planet, so will your tribe.

I used the juicy-reward approach for my photography business to build up my brand page and ended up giving away two mini-sessions.  In exchange?  I got MASSIVE reach on a bunch of posts and loads of new fans.  Without running a single ad.

You could most definitely replicate this model within a group page and your followers will love it as much as mine did. This was seriously so much fun. And, guys? Giving feels good! Check this out…

  2.) Have fun.

As you grow your Facebook group, play along! You are there to be an approachable authority in your industry, don’t make it all {directly} about business!  I encourage most of my clients to only make 20% of their posts promotional.  The other 80% of your posts should be helpful, educational, and value-added content!

Build relationships by having fun with group members. Go live, like… a lot. Be entertaining and don’t be afraid to show them behind the scenes stuff! In one of my groups, I do #showercapmusings! That’s right, I go live fresh outta the shower in my shower cap and chat with group members while getting ready for the day. If that’s not authenticity, I’m not really sure what is. This builds that know, like, trust factor because we’ve had girl time online.

Encourage group members to make posts, comment, GO LIVE themselves, communicate and connect with one another and make the group interactive and FUN. When your clients are communicating and sharing with one another, that’s when your business becomes solid gold and people look forward to what you’re sharing!

This is also a great why you want to have the right type of people in your group {and your page too}!

3.) Be strategic.

After the initial growth phase, you’ll switch into long-term group growing strategy.  Think about when a new store opens.  They do lots of giveaways, you see ads everywhere, and they create a buzz – right?  That’s exactly what you want to do when you set-up your Facebook group.  BUT, if you’re constantly looking for new members and not nurturing the ones you’ve got…. you’ll have a problem.  So balance the time you spend growing and giving to your current group.

The best thing you can do is keep engagement high! Do giveaways for your most engaged audience members. As you grow your Facebook group, you want to stay visible in the newsfeed. I know this seems very hard with FB’s ever-changing algorithm, but let’s simplify it:

The more your group members are engaged, the more your group activity will show up in newsfeeds.

And if your group is doing really well with engagement, you’ll pop into the “suggested content” area for others {insert nerdy giggle}. In turn, you’ll grow more and more and more. In order to do that, we need to keep the newsfeed rolling. Keep track of your most engaged users {encourage them and reward them}.

Twice a month check-in with your group and let them know which group members are the most engaged. Offer prizes that are not business-related. Keep them around the $25-$50 range and make sure they feel splurge-y or spendy to the winner. Trust me. Your followers will love being spoiled. 

Now you are SO ready to grow your Facebook group!

Growing a Facebook group isn’t hard, but you are going to have to put in some work and sweat a little bit! But no fear, sweet soul, I’m going to help you make it happen!  If you’re ready to take your social media strategy to the next level, you NEED my nine-page strategy guide!  It’s totally FREE and full of 30 social media posts you can use for your photography business!  My tried-and-true posts that are going to help you be more consistent, get in the newsfeed, and book more clients.  Grab it right here and I’ll see ya in class!