S8E8 | Get inspired with different strategies

“Create a safe and supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing.” 

Sometimes it feels so hard to engage a group, but once you get going it will get easier and easier. 

Think about the people in your group who already know, like, and trust you. They’re bigger fans than the people who might just like your page. They want to know more, and they’re more likely to buy from you when they’re in your community. 

One way to start engaging people in your group is to start having conversations with them. A lot of people start a group to make it about their product or what they’re selling, and don’t bother with conversation. But you don’t want your Facebook group to be commercial after commercial. You want to initiate conversations that will encourage members to share their thoughts, feedback, opinions, and stories. 

An easy way to get conversations going is to ask everyone where they’re from, or to ask about their favorite vacation spot, or favorite food. These are simple questions that are easy for them to answer, and they don’t have to think too much about it. 

Try to make a variety of content formats. Some content can be text, others can be images, or you can do live or prerecorded videos. Switch it up a bit so there’s a variety of ways that people can consume and enjoy your content. 

You also want to make sure you’re sharing valuable content…but what is valuable content? If you don’t know what the people in your group need, it might be the time to put out a poll and ask them. Once you make content based off of those replies, your group becomes a resource for those who need ways to troubleshoot. 

Make sure to encourage contributions from your members. Ask them for their experience, expertise, and ideas. People want to show that they’re smart. Give them that opportunity by asking them questions or by asking them to share a bit about themselves. Create a safe and supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing. And make sure you respond to these contributions to keep the engagement going. 

When you announce an upcoming event in your group, like a challenge, you’re also going to get a boost in engagement, and I’ll talk about that more in the next episode. 

If you’re looking to engage your group, I invite you to come and check out our workshop, How to Wake Up Your Dead Facebook Group.