ANSWER:
(1) It increases your network/community, and the amount of people who can get to know you via social media. It enlarges your circle of influence. Those people just might go check out your FB account, and show interest in what you are doing. They might even find your business page via your personal page and start to interact with it.
(2) It gives you a channel to contribute on a larger scale in the social communities…to build relationships with people you never would have met otherwise.
I know! I know! Facebook groups can be overwhelming.
So many of our “friends” add or invite us to Facebook groups every single day…sometimes, multiple times a day. It’s like someone enrolling you in clubs in which you never wanted to be member. Fun times!
Here is what is real…
We do not need to be in every group we are invited to, simply because it’s not an efficient use of our time and energy.
It IS important to build community and participate in online communities strategically and intentionally in order to grow our audience and enlarge our circle…especially if you are building a brand.
With our world being so digital-focused, now more than ever, we have a responsibility to our audience to meet them where they are, and to build relationship with them using the outlets we have at our fingertips. Facebook groups are large groups of people who rally behind one focus…one topic…one concept…with the purpose to educate, connect, inspire, and empower.
Remember in high school and college when there were groups that gathered together around like-interests? There were so many that we could not keep up with them all…nor should we. How did we manage all the interest groups? We joined only 1-3, and then poured all our energy in those few. Think debate club, sports groups, theatre groups, book clubs, drill team, artist groups…pretty much, name a topic, and there was probably a small or large group that met and spent time together surrounding that topic.
Well, let’s shift that into 2020 and social media….that is what Facebook groups are about…common interests groups.
As humans, we are tribal. We love to gather together and chat, collaborate, debate, and learn about things and topics that are of common ideas and interests. It’s what we do…it’s how we thrive. We have built incredibly strong bonds with others who have like-interests in our lives.
Why do you think people GO TO church?
They do it to gather together around one set of beliefs.
Why do you think Meetup.com was so popular?
The same reason…like interests.
Churches are even creating what’s call “Connect Groups” inside their own larger communities, because we are stronger together. We are more likely to connect if we have like-interests.
The saying, “birds of a feather flock together” is not a myth…it’s humanity. We find things we have in common and we gather around that commonality. It makes us feel safe, seen, considered, heard, validated…and it makes us feel like we belong to something larger than ourselves.
We don’t all have to look the same, but it’s in human-nature…and in nature, in general…that we have common ideals, interests, beliefs, etc.
We truly thrive off of community.
That is what Facebook groups are…communities.
If you want to enlarge your community online…join a Facebook group.
If you want to enlarge your influence online…join a Facebook group.
If you want to enlarge your ability to connect online…join a Facebook group.
Don’t just JOIN one….INTERACT regularly in the group.
That is why being a part of too many groups is not effective. You will get overwhelmed with the sheer scale of it, and then you won’t engage with the process at all.
That is counterproductive.
Can you imagine if you joined a debate group in school, and then never showed up…never participated in anything…never talked to anyone…never asked a question…never contributed??? That would be a waste of joining…it would be pointless.
It’s better to join one or 2, and actively participate with your time and resources than it is to “join” 50 and do nothing. The word join literally means to “link, connect, fasten together.” If you click “join” on a group, it means that you want to link, connect, and fasten together with others of like interests. It’s a VERB, not a noun. It’s something we DO…actively.
It will serve you and others well to put all your efforts in one place than to “do” nothing in lots of places.
GROUP PRO TIP: Go into your Group list, and LEAVE all the groups that you have been added to, but no longer find a connection with….even if it means leaving some that your friends started. You must be intentional with the group thing. Get your group list down as small as possible and as considered as possible.
Then, do the following steps.
Join 2-3 FACEBOOK groups within your own personal interest and start interacting in them…post in the group, comment on other’s post, and “like” other’s posts. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS reply back to people when they comment on your post. ALWAYS.
IMPORTANT > Do not sell or promote…simply act native to the group to contribute in a positive way. Build natural relationships. Remember…there are REAL people behind the social media accounts…well, at least, most of the time.
HOW TO…GET STARTED:
- KNOW THYSELF:
Make a list of 12 of your FAVORITE things. Write it down. It can be anything at all. A few of mine are food, travel, books, yellow, coffee, entrepreneurship…etc. Remember…if you like something, others probably do too…common interests. - PICK YOUR INTEREST:
Pick ONE of your favorite things, and then join 2-3 groups surrounding the topic. - DO A GROUP SEARCH:
1. Choose groups with the largest number of members in that category. It will give you a much-more engaged group in which to participate.
2. Be specific with your search. For example…instead of searching “book club,” you might search “entrepreneur book club” or “mindset book club.” It will allow you to get very specific with the type of people in which you connect and engage.
3. You can even search by location…the city or town in which you live, so you can connect with locals. For example…”entrepreneur book club Houston.”
It’s all up to you. - POST IN THE GROUP:
1. Choose a photo in that topic, and then post it in the group. Photos grab people’s attention and will stop them from scrolling if they connect to it and/or it’s unique.
2. Write the caption to create curiosity for people to interact with you.
Include a question or comment in the caption that encourages a call-to-action for them to comment/engage. Post at least once a week in the group. - CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY:
When interacting in a group, for every post you make, click LIKE or LOVE on at least 2 other posts in the group, and comment on at least one other post prior to posting your content. This is a community effort, so be very free to contribute POSITIVELY into the community.
PRO TIP: Do not include hashtags or links in the caption. Group admins usually do not approve posts with hashtags or links.
Here is an example of a post I created for the “Houston Foodie Friends” group:
MOST IMPORTANTLY…
HAVE FUN with it!
Comment below and share which groups you decided to join…and what influenced that choice?
Thank you! Love it.