How to create and grow a successful Facebook Group

So you’re considering setting up a Facebook Group? Well here here.

Facebook Groups are great places for forming and nurturing communities while providing a safe space for like-minded individuals to come together for discussions, debates, and sharing advice.

Why should I start a Facebook Group?

Facebook Pages are great for sharing content with your audience, but a Facebook Group is so much more communal. As a more appropriate place for sharing events, surveys, and chatting to your audience, it’s a much more personal way of communicating with your audience and forming a two-way bond.

Facebook Pages are like dogs; they require consistent attention, and new content every day. Facebook Groups, on the other hand, are more like cats; while you still need to regularly post, they don’t require the same amount of leadership as a Facebook page. By opening your group to the public, you can allow conversations to flow without the need for your constant supervision.

Facebook Groups also come with the benefits of built-in-analytics (for groups with 250+ members), and the added bonus of notifications for group members whenever new content is posted. This puts more eyes on your content, from an audience who genuinely care.

Tips for a successful Facebook Group

Find your Niche

Don’t create a Facebook Group without a specific intention. Think carefully about what you want to achieve, and what kind of environment you want to create and then make this clear in your group description for new joiners to see. Choose your niche first, and exercise dedication to keep your group focused on this topic as it grows.

It’s also a great idea to have multiple moderators and group admins to keep conversations flowing and support one another’s content within the group. This will encourage new members to get involved and share their thoughts.

Lay down the law

Once your Facebook Group starts growing, your number one problem is likely to be spam. In order to keep your Facebook Group a place of high-quality content that your audience will want to see, you need to be strict when it comes to the do’s and don'ts of group membership. And remember you have the power; if somebody breaks the rules, remove them from the group.

A great way to keep your group clear from spam and promo content, is to clearly state the community guidelines of the Facebook Group in your description for all new joiners / existing members to see. If your group still receives spammy and inappropriate content then you might need to create a separate post re-iterating the rules, and then pin this to the top of your group.

Keep it fun

If your Facebook Group becomes too promo or branded, your members are going to either turn off their notifications or simply leave the group. Remember to keep things fun, interesting, and relevant to your audience. Pose lots of questions for members to chime in on and encourage them to ask their own questions and share their thoughts.

Never approach a Facebook Group from a marketing point of view. A Facebook Group should be a space for great conversations and not for showcasing content like you would with a Facebook Page.

Make it easy to find, and desirable to join

With a good keyword-filled title, a great header picture, and lots of tags, your group is more likely to appear to your target audience. If you’re running a local business, you can even add a location that will help those in your area find your group. Of course, to really help growth, the best thing you can do is ask your friends to join and share, alongside some more influential people, if you can. We would, however, advise against adding people to your Facebook Group without asking their permission. Instead, you should send some invitations and give people the choice to join.

It’s also worth setting up some ads if you really want to see some growth. You can also include some links to your group on your website, or start creating gated content.

Be a conversation starter

Keep your group alive by initiating conversations, posting regularly, and engaging with everything and everyone in the group. Whether you’re joining in with conversations or simply liking comments, your audience will feel so much more appreciated when you’re making the effort to acknowledge, engage, and respond.

It’s also important to plan your content in advance using a social media marketing calendar. While Facebook Groups can be a little more unstructured and informal than Facebook Pages, in order to keep your content flowing regularly, it pays to jot down your ideas and spread them out across the month. With ContentCal’s custom planning channels, it’s easy to make notes and draft content for your Facebook Group.  

And speaking of social media marketing, ContentCal has just launched its very own Facebook Group for those who love to plan their content. If you don’t want to miss out on amazing advice, and social media marketing tips, then our group is the place to be.

Do you manage a Facebook Group? Let us know your top tips on Twitter at @ContentCal_io