Grow Your Influence And Create Community (With Facebook Groups)
Quick question for ya, love — how are you building your online community?
As you grow and scale your business, visibility is key. And if you want to create a highly engaging place to connect with your peeps online, there are few better places than a Facebook group.
People (and especially business owners) LOVE to join Facebook groups. They’re a great place for networking, learning, brainstorming, conducting market research, and SO much more!
Personally, the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, share ideas, and learn through Facebook groups has been absolutely game-changing for me and my business. Every time I check in on some of my fave design + marketing groups I’m just like:
I’m forever #BlownAway by the amount of talent I see in some of these groups, and I just love seeing online relationships blossom from a simple post or two. That’s why one of my favorite tools for building community is Facebook groups.
In today’s post, I want to make the case for both free and paid Facebook groups. I’ll explain what role they can each play in your business, and offer some tips on how to get started. Let’s dive in!
Why Facebook groups?
One of the first things you probably did when you brought your business online (or launched your online business) was to create a Facebook page. If so, that’s such a great first step at getting your name out there!
But while we typically expect Facebook pages to be a goldmine of referrals, engagement, and sales, they tend to lose steam quickly and become a dead zone. π¬
Many consumers see Facebook pages as advertisements. So, they’re less likely to engage with your page content, unless you drive traffic there via paid advertising.
But we want our customers and clients to feel excited to be part of our tribe! And one of the best ways to do that is to allow them to engage not only with us and our brand but also with like-minded individuals. And that’s where your Facebook Group comes in.
There are two primary types of Facebook Groups - free and paid groups. Today I’m sharing 3 tips for hosting each type of group. Let’s get into it!
3 Tips for Hosting a Free Facebook Group
TIP 1: Define your purpose
First things first, your group should have a defined goal or purpose. If you want to reach your target audience, you need to be able to clearly communicate what they can expect from being a member of your group.
Ask yourself this:
- What’s your niche? Who do you want to join your group and why?
- What type of interaction will you have with the members? Do you want to show up as an authority figure and coach your members, or do you simply want a place for everyone to interact and contribute?
- What’s the purpose of that engagement? For example, are you looking for feedback on your product ideas? Boosting your visibility? Selling a product or service?
- How can you encourage engagement and community-building between group members?
Once you’ve answered these questions for yourself, you’ll be well on your way to a strong and purposeful community!
TIP 2: Provide Valuable Content
When it comes to social media and digital marketing, quality content is key!
What sort of actionable, informative, fun and engaging pieces of content can you share with your community to keep it growing? Are there any pieces of content you can share exclusively in the group to help drive membership?
As with other social media platforms, consistency is SO important. It shows your members that you care, that they’re a priority, and keeps you and your business top of mind.
TIP 3: Make Time To Engage
I want you to pause and think about a time when a brand, a mentor, or someone you admire liked or commented on your post. I bet it made you feel like a million bucks. π€©
The beauty of Facebook groups for many is that they give you exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to brands and people you admire. Your members want to interact with the people behind their favorite brands — aka you! They want to get to know you on a more personal level.
All of this means that Facebook groups are NOT a set-it-and-forget-it tool. It’s sooo important to make time to connect with your tribe. This helps build trust, keep them engaged and excited about what you’re doing!
Free Facebook Groups are a great, easy way to engage with your peeps. But what about PAID Facebook groups?
We’ve all seen them… but where do they fit in your offer suite, and how can they help you reach your business goals?
Why paid Facebook groups?
Paid Facebook groups allow us to connect with individuals who are truly invested in our businesses. These individuals have either purchased a course or a program from you, or are specifically paying to learn from you in this group.
These groups also allow you to get paid for your expertise. As business owners, there’s a fine line between supporting our communities and giving away our services for free. I’m sure you’ve had someone ask to “pick your brain” a time or two where they ended up asking more in-depth questions than you expected… and of course they want that time and value to be free. It’s “just a couple of questions”, after all. π
There’s a time and place to support your peeps and answer “just a couple of questions”, but we can’t short-change ourselves by giving away everything we know for free. By inviting people to your paid community, you give them access to you for a small fee as well as other individuals who might be able to answer their questions.
3 Tips for Hosting a Paid Facebook Group
TIP 1: Be Engaged
No really, engagement is key! π
We touched on engagement when talking about free Facebook groups, but it’s even more important in a paid group - simply because people are paying to be a part of it!
Whereas you might be able to wing it in a free group (though Team NS never really recommends this strategy π ), you definitely want to consider your content strategy in a paid group.
Things to think about:
- What sort of rules will you establish for posting or asking questions?
- Do these posts need your approval?
- How frequently do you plan to post?
- What value are your members getting here that they can’t get anywhere else?
Our Facebook group Canva template collections have multiple graphics for you to use to encourage engagement. Whether you ask a question, invite people to share a weekly win, or maybe you feature a member each month who gets to lead a training for the group, just be sure to engage with your group regularly. This is so important to cultivating your community.
TIP 2: Make Membership Worth Their While
We’ve already said that your Facebook group will be full of some of your warmest leads, but the members of your paid Facebook group? They’re even hotter! π₯
These individuals have opted to invest their hard-earned money in you, your program, and your business. But what are they getting for it?
Access to you and your team is fabulous, but let’s be honest... when we’re willing to make that monthly or annual payment for a membership, we’d all like a little something extra in return.
You can sweeten the deal for your peeps with exclusive member discounts, live trainings, opportunities to promote themselves or their business, early access to a new product - things like this that make their financial commitment worthwhile!
TIP 3: Listen to your group
Your paid Facebook group is a great place to learn more about what your audience really wants. You have a built-in focus group here!
Want to find out what kind of content matters most to your audience? Want to better understand what drew them to your community in the first place? Want to get feedback on your new product before you release it to the world? Your paid Facebook group is perfect for getting answers to all these questions and more.
Follow your vision for your business, but don’t be afraid to invite feedback from your peeps. They care and want to see you succeed. More often than not, your Facebook community is eager for a sneak peek at what’s to come.
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey, love. So why not create a fun space to connect with your audience, meet new biz besties, and share what we’ve learned along the way? We’re all about community over competition over here.
Whether you’re running a free group for your audience or a private group for your paying clients, your Facebook Group is like a virtual hangout for your business: a place to build community, interact with your peeps, and get your offers in front of more eyes.
But just like a real-life hangout, it’s SO important to pay attention to the look and feel of your community space… and that’s where our Facebook Group Canva Templates come in. You can get immediate access to our Alyssa and Eva Facebook Group Templates in the Shop for just $59 each, or you can join The Canva Template Shop Membership today for just $49 and get access to 550+ existing templates, exclusive trainings, workshops, and more!
