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Want to know how to use Facebook groups for marketing to grow your blog traffic?
Are you thinking about starting a Facebook group for your business? Are you struggling to get more eyes on your blog? Trying to grow your audience and make new relationships? Did you know that starting a Facebook group can not only help you build blogging relationships, but it can also help you to grow your business.
One of the first things that I did when I started my blog was to create a Facebook group geared towards helping other women bloggers grow their blogs together. Blogging is such a community-driven business and having a dedicated group, with like-minded entrepreneurs like you, can push your blog into a new level.
Why should you start using Facebook groups for marketing your blog?
I often get asked if it is worth the time and effort to run a group. I can understand why someone would ask. I have seen lots of groups that require a lot of moderation. But, if the direction of your group is clearly identified and you set it up correctly, the benefits can be tremendous. So, if you aren’t using a Facebook group to grow your blog and your business, I highly recommend that you start asap.
In this post, I will share some ideas for getting your group set up, how to get new members, some ideas for content to post in your group and also how you can use it to build your business, create new valuable blog-worthy content and get more eyes on your blog.
First, Decide What Kind of Group it is Going to Be
There are all kinds of groups on Facebook. Some are centered on support, some are about teaching and some are focused on helping to grow and share their businesses.
The important thing is that you decide who your audience is early on so that you can focus your content on helping them with their struggles.
In the beginning, my group, Blogging Babes Collective was solely about support and learning to blog together. But soon after, I had requests from the group to add threads for sharing their blog content. This had a tremendous impact on the amount of engagement and new members and was definitely worth the addition of share threads.
Once you have decided what the direction of your group will be, it is a good idea to write out what your goals and focus are for your group in the short and long term. You should also decide who you are gearing the group towards- who is your audience. Doing that process will help keep the group’s goals in mind along the journey.
How to Create a Group on Facebook to Help Promote your Business
Creating a Facebook group is super easy. Just click on the “Create” button on the top toolbar and then click on “Group”. Facebook will walk you through a few questions about your group and you can even set up your header and group description. Make sure to use keywords in your group description to help connect your group with the right audience. Think about what you might search for to find a group like yours.
Facebook has also just announced during an annual conference that it will be focusing on groups with it’s a new design. They have made groups and connections their forefront, which can help people more readily connect on group platforms based on their likes. So using the right keywords in your description can help facebook connect your group with new members on a regular basis.
Post Relevant and Engaging Content in Your Group
Depending on the kind of group you are creating, you will want to be sharing content on a regular basis to make sure that your members know that they should be checking back for more.
Regular and relevant content will help to show your members that you are serious about what you do and that you are their go-to when they have a question about something. Some things that you can post are:
- inspiring messages
- tips and techniques
- valuable resources
- share threads (if you are in a blogging niche)
- shout outs
- live videos
- polls
- thought-provoking questions
- posts that can help your audience (especially your own!)
How to Market Your Facebook Group to Attract New Members
Marketing your group can be tricky sometimes. If you are in other groups that are similar to yours, you may come off as slimy if you are pitching your own group with the same idea behind it. If you are sharing in a group, make sure that the group rules allow it and follow any additional instructions about promotions.
Outside of promoting in other groups try these additional ways to market your group:
- Create a catchy pin that links directly back to your group
- Write a post about being involved in a Facebook group for growth and collaboration and provide a link to join
- Create a graphic and post in your sidebar with a direct link to your Facebook group
- Create a Facebook ad that is tailored and directed to your audience
- Create a button from a live video on your business page while talking about your group (start live on a desktop only, click on groups icon, select your linked group and the button will appear automatically in your live video)
- Link your Facebook business page to your Facebook group and make your link button set up to go directly to your Facebook group
How to Keep Your Facebook Group Members Engaged
It’s one thing to create a group, but it’s entirely another to keep your group engaged and growing in the direction you intended it to.
I absolutely love an engaged group. When I come back to a group and there is lots of interaction and information, I will pin it to my top groups so that I make sure never to miss updated information.
One of the best ways to keep your group engaged is to lead the group. Most groups won’t lead themselves, so providing prompts and resources that are valuable are key.
Make sure they have a reason to return so they view the group as an invaluable resource. Create recurring themed posts that they can count on to bring their questions or find answers and engage your community with daily threads, live video, and thought-provoking questions.
I personally try to comment or answer every question that is posted in my group- or chime in on a thread. I don’t have to know all the answers but I can generally take the time to link to another post or resource if I don’t have the answer.
The idea isn’t to know everything, it’s to be a helpful resource.
How to Use Facebook Group Insights to Grow Your Group
One of my favorite things is using Facebook group insights to see growth details, see when your group members are engaging and also see who are the top post and comment contributors in your group.
You can find Group Insights in the sidebar on a desktop or under under the admin tools by clicking on the badge icon on the top right of a mobile device.
This is a great way to offer recognition for helping your group to grow and will encourage your group members to participate more often. Use it to create shout out posts for contributing members or highlight something valuable they have done in the group.
Giving back to my community on a regular basis is super important and goes a long way in creating long-lasting relationships.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Blog Using Your Group
Using Facebook groups for marketing can have a crazy impact on your blog traffic. As the members in your group grow to trust you and you build those all important relationships, your content that you can share to your group will become part of their resources that they can count on to help them.
As an administrator, your job is to provide value to your members. This is not something I take lightly. My group was intended to first provide value and community to my fellow Blogging Babes and second to grow my own blog. One naturally followed the other. This must also be your intention, or the system will see through that.
I am dedicated to helping every single blogger on my group who reaches out for help, even if I have to refer them to someone who better knows the answers. And because of that, I have- better yet, WE have created an amazing and supportive community that has also allowed my own blog to grow.
My members’ needs are at the forefront of every post I create for my group.
How Your Facebook Group Can Help You With Blog Content
What I had not considered after starting my Facebook group was how it could help me with my blog content. Being in a group full of members who are all looking for advice on growing their blog is like my own personal market research platform.
When I see questions about the same topics over and over, I add those to my content calendar as a draft item and know that finishing that post will add value to my audience. And this doesn’t just help out a blogger who blogs about blogging.
Say you have a blog about sewing athletic apparel (I used to do this lol), and you create a Facebook group all about sewing tips and techniques. You keep seeing the same comments and questions about what is the best serger to buy for getting started. BINGO!
Now, all you have to do is some research, add your own personal experiences, maybe even sign up as an affiliate to offer a link to purchase and all along, you’ve created value for your reader and given them an answer to their questions.
It’s what blogging is all about. Creating solutions for your readers.
PRO TIP: Facebook groups are a great way to find these questions (even if they aren’t your group!) Watch for recurring questions and topics in the niche groups you belong to. If you see the same question or struggle a couple of time, chances are, there are others that want to know the answer as well. That is a great topic to write about!
Tips for Creating Your Own Successful Facebook Group
Here are some simple tips to help grow and nurture your own Facebook group!
Create membership questions – Membership questions can help you quickly filter out spam requests by using filters for those who answered your questions to be accepted quickly. You can also use it as an opportunity to provide a link to the group rules.
Personally welcome all new members – I have personally tried to welcome each and every member of my group each week. It’s something that I hope to continue to do for a long time (even when we lots of new members). At almost 1000, I am still overwhelmed by the new members we have and value each and every one of them and want them to know that right from the start.
Have some rules – Some rules suck. But group rules are a must and they make sure that everyone knows what the expectations are and what happens if they are broke. I’m not talking about being a group Nazi, just about setting some guidelines. In BBC, belittling, haters and rude comments are not tolerated and the group member will be removed. This sets an environment that is caring and positive, which is the whole aim.
Create a strong community culture – Fostering a strong and supportive community is the most important thing in making a group effective. If your members feel valued, they will return and even refer others to your group as well. Show up every day and engage with the members who are there and looking for value.
Use the built-in scheduler – The Facebook group post scheduler is free and easy to use. This is especially handy if you work full time. You want to get as many eyes on your posts at the best time, which you can easily find in your Group Insights.
Add other moderators to help – Once you get too big to manage the group yourself, you may want to ask one of your high interacting group members to help you moderate it.
Personally approve all posts – every group does this differently and if blogging is your full-time job, you may be able to catch all the spam and garbage. As this is my side-hustle, I would prefer to make sure that the posts that are being seen by my members won’t hurt the group and so I personally approve each post. Sometimes the posts are benign in nature and I will ask the member to make adjustments and repost, which is easy enough to do.
Use the mentorship program (if available) – Some groups have access to mentorship programs where members can sign up to be a mentor and members can sign up to be paired with a mentor. This might be a great resource for new members trying to navigate the group for the first time.
Quickly handle conflicts – Conflicts can be tricky to deal with but they should be handled so that they don’t affect the overall feel of the group. Try to comment from a neutral standpoint or message each of the members regarding their comments to see if it can be resolved. At the end of the day, if a resolution cannot seem to be achieved, your job is to protect the integrity of the group and you may be better off removing them.
Hi Sasha,
Starting a group is on my “to do”list but it seems like it takes a bit of work and currently blogging is my side hustle as well. About how much time do you spend per day managing your group?
Honestly, I only spend about 15 minutes day. Using an automaton tool is key for me thi be able to manage it all.
Good to know, thanks!
What automation tool do you use?
Hi Sheila! I use CoSchedule – it’s a phenomenal tool for growing your blog traffic and staying consistent with social media posting. I have a great review on CoSchedule’s features here https://everydayshessparkling.com/coschedule-review/
Hey Sasha, it’s nice stumbling on this topic on your blog. )
So, I have heard and I agree that traffic is the life blood of every successful blog on the internet today.
However, I feel just going on groups or creating a group simply to drive traffic to your blog might not really work or even make sense.
First of all, it’s very time consuming and stressful.
Second of all, the admin of such groups might kick you out if they felt your content is spammy and trying to take people away from their group to your blog.
While creating your own group might just make sense, it takes a lot of time, efforts, energy, and even MONEY to grow a Facebook that is active and highly engaging.
But if all things turned out fine, it might be a great way to gain extra traffic to your blog or offers.
I own a Facebook group where I share important themes, plugins, and self-help and blogging eBooks. And I also share one or two advice every now and then on this group.
Thanks for sharing extensively on this subject matter, Sasha. Kudos!
Do have a lovely day ahead.
Sam.
Hi Sam! Thank you for your feedback. Although my group was a bit to set up in the beginning, by using automated messages, I don’t have to spend a whole lot of time in the group and it has been so valuable! I’m not sure what you mean by costing money though. What would you spend money on in a group? Hope you have an amazing day!
Hey Shasha!
Yeah, I simply mean you have to spend money on some ads to get people to visit and join your group.
Simply telling your friends or other people to join might not quite cut it.
By the way ma’am, for automation, which tool do you use; Hootsuite?
Hi Sam! Gotcha! I didn’t spend any money on ads but I know there are lots that do. I use and love CoSchedule for scheduling all my blog posts, and social media campaigns. It makes my life sooo much easier!
Hi Sasha!
Such a great post! Useful and thoughtful tips, based on your own experiences, so it’s all very real. Thanks for giving me the link, it’s exactly the information I was looking for. I’m already a subscriber on your blog, but I didn’t know about your group… I think I will have to join it! Which brings me to a question… when I post on my group, do I post as my business page? I really want to keep my personal account out of my business world as much as possible. And when I join other people’s groups (like yours!) do I have to join as myself, or can I join as my business page? And if joining as a business page is possible, how would that work?
Hi Rebecca! I’m so happy this post helped you! Definitely check out the group… It’s been an incredible addition to my blogging life. Each group has an option to allow people to join as a business page and post that way. My group is set up like that but not all are. If you come across a group that allows business pages to join and post, when you click join, it will ask you if you want to join as yourself or as your page. Easy-peasy! But, like I said, not all groups are set up the same and it’s a fairly new feature. Hope that helps! See you in the group!
Thank you for sharing these golden nuggets with us! I definitely need to create a group and when I do, I already have this post saved.
You are so welcome, Gloria! I’m so glad I could give you some inspiration to starting your own Facebook group! I’m actually running a Masterclass series in the Blogger’s Glitterati VIP Hub this weekend on it.. It’s such a great way to understand and grow your audience!
Hi Sasha,
Thank you so much for all this great info. This is something I’ve been considering for a while but it’s felt overwhelming and I wasn’t sure where to begin or how I was going to find anyone to join. This is like a well laid out roadmap and I appreciate it tons. Thank you!!
Melissa Vogt
Thank you, Melissa! I’m so glad that I could help you get started on your journey! I’m actually doing a more in-depth Masterclass series on creating an engaged Facebook group to grow your business in the Blogger’s Glitterati VIP Hub this weekend. Let me know if you’re interested and I will drop you a link! 🙂
Totally agree that leading a Facebook group can have tremendous benefit to your blog! Mine is also for bloggers, and it’s so great to connect with other bloggers and help each other grow and flourish. Love being part of your Facebook group! It’s one of my new favorites!
Thank you, Cara! I absolutely love all the connections I have made with every new blogger I meet. So excited to have you as a member as well 🙂
Hey Sasha, this is all great advice! I have been following your blog since I started mine last summer and you were a key inspiration and helpful guide to setting mine up. Thank you so much for providing the way to use Facebook group to increase traffic. I will definitely work on it.
Thank you for being such a great fan! I am truly humbled and inspired by your comment. 🙂 Looking forward to seeing your Facebook group startup!
That is a great post Sasha! You always have been a great help since I started my blog. And I must say joining your group is one of the best decision I have ever make in my blogging journey. It’s helping me a lot to reach Audience in my niche too. I am thinking of starting a group soon. Though it’s lots of work but it seems it’s worth it. I appreciate your helping nature and sharing all good things with us. Thank you so much!
Awe!! Thank you Nilakshi! ? That is so sweet of you to say! I’m so glad that you are enjoying Blogging Babes Collective – it is definitely one of my proudest accomplishments to date. I love everyone in the group and how you all come together to make it such a great space. Hope you have an amazing day!
Hi Sasha! I enjoy your posts and have learned a lot! Thank you for that! I’m wondering if a group board would benefit me, a food blogger. I already have a Facebook “page” for my blog, but how would a “group board” bring traffic to my blog and what’s the difference between the two? Thanks Sasha!
Thanks, Anne! I think a group board could definitely benefit anyone depending on what you want it to look like and what your goals are for it. As a group for others interested in food, it would be great to have the members share some of their favorite recipes for things and you could put out daily posts on specific recipes (quick and easy, gluten free etc.) You could also think about starting a group for food bloggers to share their content and tips on growing a food blog. When your audience trusts you, you can easily make suggestions and post your stuff and they will naturally want to check it out. Does that help?
Sasha, you are always so helpful and I have a question that is making me crazy!
I feel like there is no engagement on a FB business page, so is a group what I should focus on instead? I literally feel invisible with my FB business page.
Hi Jessica! Thank you so much – I’m glad that you get value from my content 🙂 A page is great for business purposes and you really need one to run things like ads, but a group will definitely help you to grow your audience and the know, like and trust factor. Groups are amazing when you have value in mind for your target audience! Hope that helps.