So… you know those  bustling, happy, lively, big Facebook Groups you’re a little jealous of?

(Yeah, I said it. And your secret’s safe with me!)

The ones where people say “only 20 spots left!” and then suddenly 18 hours later they’re booked up, and all the buyers are writing testimonials on the wall saying “If you’re not in, join us! It’s so worth it!” and meanwhile you’re like… I can’t even get my people to hit the damn LIKE button.

How the heck do they do this?

I hate to break it to you, but it took time.

I mean, yes, you probably heard about somebody on a podcast who started a group, and within 90 days they had 2,000 members, and then 6 days later they broke their first 5 figure month and then two weeks afterward they were singing a duet with Oprah on American Idol, right?

Well, those people are the exception.

And I’m not here to downplay your positive self talk about believing that you could BE that exception and achieve all your dreams (because you CAN and you WILL!), but let’s be real and leave a little bit of room for the truth: Media is media, and people love a great rags to riches story.

FOMO, y'all. It's a real thing.

So, here's your first assignment:

Stop listening to all the podcasts about wildly successful, big Facebook Groups and start paying attention to your own. 

Mistake #1 when it comes to Facebook Groups: Taking off your CEO hat and not stepping up as the leader.

With all the personal development you’re doing, you know how important it is to have a message, a mission, and a timeline for the things that you want to happen.

Unfortunately, many people don’t apply that logic when it comes to building a popular Facebook Group that fills up with your dream clients. We conveniently forget that every piece of our business needs to have a purpose and intention.

We think, “They said to open a Facebook group! Okay, it’s opened!” and then we wonder why no one’s buying our stuff. Or talking. Or even seeing anything, at all.

You are responsible for your life AND your Facebook Group. You need to set the tone and intentions for yourself as well as for your members.

​(And if that seems kind of dramatic — I mean, your LIFE, and then second to that, your Facebook group? — then yeah, it was meant to get your attention.)

If all you've got is “I just want a happy life” then all those specific dreams, plans, and intentions for the next 5 years of your life will probably not happen. You won't impact people the way that you feel called to. You might end up happy with what you've got, but you won't push yourself as hard if you don't have specific intentions and goals to go after.

And as for your Facebook Group:

If all you’ve got is, “I just want a safe place where people can share and feel like a family,” then SURPRISE! 

People will start to share (a.k.a. mope, gripe, whine, and vent) and say “Thank you for letting me share lol okay time for wine” and NOT buy your services.

Period.

And then new people who click on your invitations on promo threads will come in, and see a feed where no one has spoken for 3 months and the last three conversations were people just venting in a “safe space.”

Not a very nice first impression, huh?

How To Fix It: Be intentional. Keep the vision for your members and LEAD them. 

For starters, set a 90 day plan for group activities. Pick ONE to start with.

What’s the big, buzz-worthy benefit to being a member of your amazing group? When is it happening?

Remind them. Then remind them again. And again!

And remember to actually make it happen! Not just a hypothetical, “I'm thinking of having us all do this great thing, in concept.”

Make it REAL. 

Set a date. Make a group event for it. Set some rules. They joined your Facebook group because they need your help, but they don’t know how to ask for it.

You have to be the leader, plan the fun activities, reach out individually and invite people, and show up jazzed and excited for the results you KNOW they’re going to get if they dedicate a certain amount of time to this extremely valuable group you’re running.

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What about Daily Themes?

Bubble Burster: “I have daily themes that are prescheduled into Hootsuite” is an outdated tactic from 2016, before the big 2017 surge of group closures. ​Sorry, but daily threads are a thing of the past. Some of your daily threads are working, and others, if you’re honest, are totally fizzling. Stop relying on an auto-posting service to do your leadership for you.

We need YOU, not Hootsuite!

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Here’s your challenge: ​

Take a solid 15 minutes minimum, TODAY, to write out your dream vision for your Facebook group. 

You’ve done it with your life already — you’ve got the vision boards and mantras a stack of personal development books and a long Audible list to prove it.

But in an ideal world, what would your group look like? 

Would you sign in, see that you’ve been tagged in some posts with people asking for help?

How many times have you been tagged, exactly?

What are they asking for help, with?

How much time do you dedicate to answering every single post thoughtfully, with links to your blog and your livestreams to help them uncover that transformational process that you so deeply hope they’ll experience?

Get SPECIFIC. Just like with your personal development and life planning! 

Remember: Your Facebook group has the potential to change lives.

Don't let the opportunity to answer your life calling slip by, by assuming Facebook Groups “aren't for you.” You can do this.

Bravely answering the call to leadership is an essential requirement for being a successful Facebook Group admin. I’ll be back tomorrow with another must-have.

Spoiler alert: It may make you squirm. Sorry in advance!

Rochelle

P.S. As of right now, there are only a few spots left in the Facebook Group Promotion Strategy Beta Course that starts on Sept 16th. Interested in a 1:1 strategy audit and personalized marketing advice from me? How about six weeks of hand holding, to help you make the right decision on keeping your group, closing your group, or finding new groups to promote your services? Join us! It's only $47 until Friday.