by Chichi Eruchalu
Last year I made the decision that 2016 was the year to leave my 9-5 and go full time. As part of my growth strategy I decided to focus on building my own community and attracting people into it. This way I could quickly build rapport and move them through my funnel as they got to know and engage with me better.
In this article I share with you 5 tips to help grow your Facebook group.
Tip 1 | Focus
I got clear on the focus of my group, who it was for and how I was going to deliver value.
A lot of people start Facebook groups without realizing how much work is involved in running and maintaining a group, especially in the early days and often start and then give up.
Until you reach critical mass of around 500-600 members, a lot of the conversation and engagement in the group will be you. Which can be a little discouraging but as long as you commit to being consistent, this will pay off.
Tip 2 | Brand Awareness Campaign
I used Facebook live to create a brand awareness campaign and regularly produced videos. One of which went viral and to date has had over 150k views. My audience knows what to expect from me, they know, for example, that they are going to see me live at least once a week in the group. When an image I’ve posted comes up on their feed they recognize it as mine because I always use my brand colors and particular templates.
It is important to know your audience, know how they want to hear from you and what about and how you want to talk to them. Then stick with that. On social media your voice is your brand.
Tip 3| Have a clear call to action why you should join
Every time I put something out there I am clear about what I want the outcome to be. What is the objective of this piece of content. This meant that I was able to always have a clear CTA and place to drive my audience – the Facebook community.
Every post I put out there gave a valid reason and value as to why they should and could join the community. Every platform was a driver towards the community. This is where I knew I was going to make the bigger sales and how I was going to build my trust factor and value proposition.
Tip 4 | Deliver Value Consistently
Once inside the group I had daily themes, a weekly q&a and I made sure to over deliver in value. Consistency with times is key and being realistic with when you can be present within the group so that you don’t set yourself up to fail.
Whether you have 10 people in your group or 1000 you should always deliver the best possible value and be consistent with it. This way people know what to expect and when. Making it easier for them to engage.
Tip 5 | Connect with your audience
When you understand your target audience and you have started to be consistent, then connecting with them becomes much easier. The early days are the hardest, as it’s mostly you putting yourself out there in the group and adding value. However once the numbers grow so does engagement and people become more confident about connecting with you and with each other.
I put questions out there and called people out to be more visible on my live videos, so it became more personal. People want to get to know you and trust you so you’ve got to help them do that.
Always ask yourself, what is in it for them, how is my group different to what is already out there. Share valuable content, share yourself and allow people to connect with the human(s) behind the brand.
My C.E.O. Mastery Community for Female Entrepreneurs is now at 2700+ and growing, it’s the place where I engage with my audience and create new leads every day.
How are you building your online community and why?
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Chichi Eruchalu is a Business Strategist, Speaker and Coach for entrepreneurial women ready to step up and stand out in their business and life. She helps you confidently overcome your fears around being seen online so that you can get noticed and known by the people that matter – your ideal clients.
Together she develops strategies to establish you as an authority in your niche, connect you with the people who need to hear from you and helps you show up with intention, making consistency your new best friend so that you can hit your income goals month after month.
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