Building A Following & A Community On Social Media

Here are practical and simple-to-implement tips to building a following & fostering a community on social media through private groups. Do not just rush into starting your private groups as you will want to be strategic about it. Consider the following questions first:

1. Do you actually know who your ideal client is AND what they want?
2. Are you willing to put in the work to build your community?
3. What is the purpose for your group?
4. What benefits will the members of the group have compared to those who are only on your email list?
5. Is it a place just for customers and clients to get extra value from you?

Once you have answered these questions thoroughly (hopefully with a yes), then please do move forward. Our private FB groups add value to your brand provided you utilize it the right way.

Quick Tips For Building A Following 

1. Place social media share buttons on every blog post and not just in your sidebar. This plugin for WordPress can help with that. I am currently using the Monarch Social Sharing plugin by Elegant Themes since I built this site on the Divi Platform. 
2. Periodically promote your other social media channels. 
3. Locate the pages of bigger brands in your niche and find the comments that have gone unanswered. Answer them in a non-selling manner but be sure you are responding as your business page.
4. Cross promote with other business owners in your niche by promoting each other’s social media content.
5. Engaging on just a few social networks will net you more followers over the long haul than trying to be everywhere all the time.
6. Create special posts inside of your private group and send to your email list. This is a great way to re-purpose material. Using your email list is a great way to promote the valuable content you post in your group.
7. Link to your social media channels in your newsletters, email signatures, blog… everywhere.
8. Write blog posts about heated or interesting conversations taking place on your social media accounts.
9. Offer your social media followers exclusive discounts, freebies, or coupon codes.
10. Guest blog on popular sites.
11. Implement giveaways & contests.
12. Know when to post and what to post.
13. Place your group on your business cards
14. If you are doing webinars or teleseminars be sure to mention your group during those presentations and even post a link to it inside the chat box.
15. Have a button or link to your group on your website.
16. Hashtag your group name on your graphics, posts, and in emails.

Maintaining An Online Community

1. Set ground rules when it comes to posting in your group and be firm with those rules. This helps to maintain order and the integrity of the group and your members will come to know your group as being organized. They will be more likely to view your group as a reliable source and not just another group to post offers in.
2. Do not allow people to only post about their business while never offering feedback or insight into conversations. Requiring them to interact without them always trying to sell something is a win-win for everyone. Your group members gain value, they get exposure, and you provide the platform
3. Mention your group in the emails you send to your email list. I.e: At the bottom of your email, you may want to include something that says: ‘if you want extra support growing your online business feel free to join my [Insert Your Group Name].” Not everyone on your email list may know you have a group so you should mention it.
4. Encourage your group members to add their friends for special events.
5. Don’t just use your group to promote the stuff you are selling. Posting your offers frequently makes you look desperate. Trust me, ppl will ask you about your stuff sooner or later so you do not have to force it down their throats.
6. Be sure to keep the group active and do not let it get boring! You can do this by designating each day of the week for a purpose. For instance (as you may know) Mondays in the #YoungWiseandFree group are: Make It Happen Mondays & Motivation Mondays. On these days, members post about what they are doing in their business to take it to the next level and on the next Monday they’ll post things that motivate them. You’ll want to have at least 2 different purposes for each day as they tend to some around quick.

**There are LOTS of ways to build your following and increase your member count for your private group. Join a few groups that consist of your ideal client with both small numbers as well as large numbers and take note of what they do daily.**