Tips and Tricks For Growing a Facebook Group!
So, you started your Facebook group and now you are wondering how to get members and grow your community? People aren’t just going to magically appear in your Facebook group, but luckily there are a few surefire ways to get your group out there for your target audience to see! I recently created a Facebook group called “Living Solo in NYC” where women who are living without roommates in New York can come together to build community and chat with one another. There were a few ways that I felt worked really well when getting my group started.
Reach Out in Similar Facebook Groups!
If you’re creating a Facebook group, odds are there are some Facebook groups that have your target audience in them. For my most recent Facebook group, Living Solo in NYC, I knew to reach out to a group that also focused on women living in NYC, Sweats & the City. This group has nearly 10K members and serves as a space to let other women living in the city connect with one another and ask questions. When I posted, I asked about people’s general interest in a group about living solo in nyc and if they had any name recommendations. From the feedback I got in this group, I decided on a name and went ahead and created the group. I ended up getting over 50 members from this single post!
Use Hashtags that Relate to Your Group
In order to get a response from hashtags, they need to be used correctly and with a strategy. If you want to promote on Instagram, you want to make sure you are using trending hashtags, niche hashtags, and not using banned hashtags. When I went to promote my group, I decided to post on TikTok. When you are looking to use hashtags on TikTok, you want to make sure you are searching for hashtags and are checking to see if they have any traction. You can also visit the Discover page and see what is currently trending and add that to your video if it is relevant.
If I could do a few things differently with this video I would have 1) filmed it outside where I was clearly in New York and 2) added more trending hashtags. I think it ended up getting quite a few views, but the hashtag strategy should have been a bit more thought out.
Reach Out to an Influencer in Your Niche
Do you have a friend who has a large following on social media? Or do you know someone with a following who aligns perfectly with your niche? If you feel comfortable, reaching out to this person and asking if they would join or promote your community can add a sense of trust to your community and can help it grow right away.
I decided to reach out to Liza who started NYC Brunch Squad. This is a Facebook community and group that helps create a community of women in NYC and hosts events all around the city. When I decided to post in my other Facebook group, Liza actually let me know that she felt it was a great idea and many women in her group would benefit from it.
As you can see, the above group aligns very well with my Facebook group and our groups could actually be mutually beneficial to each other.
When I decided to message Liza, I thanked her for her support when I was asking about my Facebook group, asked for any tips she may have for starting conversation within the group, mentioned posting about my group in NYC Brunch Squad, and asked her if she would like to plan a meetup in the future. I haven’t heard back from her yet, but I look forward to the possibility of getting to work with her in the future.
There are so many ways to get the word out about your Facebook group. From just talking to friends and family about it, to hashtags, to reaching out to strangers the options are endless.
