Facebook Groups are full of passionate, responsive communities. How do you get a piece of this action?
Facebook groups spark great discussion and bonding between members, and unlike the Facebook News Feed where you’re jostling for space with cat memes and baby pictures, everyone in the group is there because they explicitly want to see content and engage with other members. With a Facebook group, you’re reaching people where they already are online without having to ask them to complete an additional step to get to you. There are no separate logins or jargon to learn, it has an interface people recognise, and the option of push notifications around group interactivity.
But! As glorious as this sounds, you still have to put the hard work in, of course. InChief caught up with Deep Bajwa who has created a thriving Facebook Group of around 1,300 super-engaged members, which as we all know is way more beneficial than a group of hundreds of thousands of members who don’t engage. Deep has created her group for a specific niche audience of female wedding suppliers working in the luxury space and who are aspiring to work for clients with £1m+ budgets.
So how did she do it?
So Deep, tell us what have been the crucial steps for you to fill your group with engaged members?
My members are huge vocal advocates for the group, talking about it and inviting people in, which always leaves me in awe. On top of that I regularly talk about my groups on all my social media platforms, I do a lot of guest speaking and training on stages (or at least I did when we could!) and in other groups, which helps to increase the awareness of my group. I also have a sales funnel which helps to bring people in regularly.
If you are going to run a successful Facebook group then consistency is your best friend: show up for your members, show them that you care and stay connected to WHY you are doing this. It does take a lot of hard work and love to grow a group and to create a community, and being connected to a purpose will make it that much easier to show up even when you don’t quite feel like it.
The worst thing you can do is to start a group, get excited and then lose that enthusiasm and drop your consistency. People begin to really rely on these spaces (particularly now that everything is more online) and so creating a community of like-minded people and fostering a positive, collaborative and kind atmosphere that is reliable is so important – you set the tone of how everyone will react and respond to each other.
When lockdown happened I went so much harder in my wedding suppliers Facebook group, I showed up more, I gave ideas to members, I listened, I genuinely cared and that has given me back such love & loyalty – it has been worth every minute.
How do you encourage your group members to post and interact with each other?
I have staple posts that go out a few times in the week which are designed to encourage conversation, insights and connections, and I ask questions regularly that resonate. I spend 10 – 12 hours a week on my Facebook group and I respond to every single comment.
Does your group create any revenue for you? If so, how?
Along with a member’s portal, one of my groups is the add on to a monthly wedding business membership with a monthly fee. It concentrates on scaling your business into the luxury wedding market and sales along with monthly masterclasses from guest speakers, which are then all available on the external member’s portal, a member’s directory, a monthly virtual social, member discussion pods and an on-call day with me where each member has the opportunity to be mini-coached by me.
My group is free, but I offer the option for a paid membership called “The Elevate Membership”. In the membership one of the most fun things is a weekly live I host, where I have a gin and tonic and tell the group about what’s been happening with me and answer any business questions they may have – I love that hour of the week! I also encourage them all to connect and collaborate with each other as well as connecting members to each other if they may be able to work together on something.
Having a regular monthly income from this along with revenue from coaching and courses has been my saving grace after my wedding planning business, Opulence Events London, saw all of its weddings postponed to 2021 and beyond due to COVID.
Are there any weekly or daily habits you think any successful FB group owner should adopt?
Respond to all comments, be IN your group with your people, ask them regular questions about what THEY want from you and always look to support them and serve them the best you can – LOVE your group and it’s members, they will feel it!
