Imagine: you’ve created a Facebook Group full of all the perfect people. They fit your niche, appreciate your brand, and have come from all walks of life to support you by way of their membership and participation. It sounds perfect, maybe even too good to be true. Unfortunately, for most of us, it is too good to be true. Not for long, though. At Social Media Marketing World 2020, Bella Vasta discussed eleven ways to keep your Group engaged. Here we’ll unpack some of those points, and you’ll learn how to give your members an experience better than they ever could’ve expected.
First things first, be sure to add multiple moderators or admins. Vasta’s first tip may seem counterintuitive, but you’d be surprised by what it can accomplish. Your members want to hear different perspectives, get to know different personalities, and make different connections. They may love your brand (and you!), but they might connect more personally with a different moderator. In the end, that will help you and your brand, even though it might be hard to relinquish some control.
Next, Vasta says to schedule your Live events at least once a month. This gives your members something to look forward to, shows your reliability and dedication, and gives you the chance to really market the events. While Facebook Live is a great tool, going Live out of the blue means a lot of members may miss your broadcast(s). Scheduled Lives eliminate this problem while still allowing you to reap the benefits of live videos.
In the same vein, a good way to encourage attendance is via community-wide events on Zoom. These meetings don’t necessarily have to be incredibly productive, as the fact that they’re taking place at all is a critical step in strengthening the commitment your community feels to you and one another. Zoom is a tool that allows for everyone to meet at the same time, see each others’ faces, and interact on a more personal level than Facebook comments or posts alone.
Vasta also says it's critical to make your members feel special. She prefers to do so by making them the “hero” of her Stories. In other words, she shares the successes of her members with the Group. A simple congratulatory comment can make a member’s day, and other members will inevitably want their successes to be recognized after seeing that first ‘hero’ post.
Don’t be afraid to take a less brand-centric approach, either. In fact, things like challenges, scavenger hunts, and sending out prizes can be incredibly useful tools. People love prizes, people love winning, and people will love that you’re giving them the opportunity to fulfill these desires. You could make the challenge or scavenger hunt brand-centric, or the prizes brand-centric, or both could be completely unrelated. Again, this sounds counterintuitive, but it makes sense when you think again about the unique setting a Facebook Group creates.
Central to all your thinking, planning, and work that goes toward engaging your audience, should be the fact that Facebook Groups create a community. They should create a safe space where not only your brand can flourish, but also your Group members. Don’t be afraid to step away from the sales-centered view that you may employ in many situations. Think about the people behind the screens and not only what they want to see, but how they want to feel in your Facebook Group.