When you start a group, you want it to be highly engaging. The more engagement that takes place, the more likely the members are to answer your calls to action, and the more likely they are to engage. Engagement breeds more engagement.
1. Conduct a Survey – Surveys that invite discussion as well as ask for answers are wonderful ways to boost discussions in a group. You can post a survey, write a blurb about the survey, then in the comment section start the first comment by stating something you feel you learned or they can learn from the survey. This will help them feel comfortable joining in the discussion.
2. Do a Poll – A poll that has a few questions but asks your audience to answer and then comment below about why they feel the way they do, is a great way to get a discussion going. It’s important for your group members to understand that you like vigorous discussion but not name calling or poor debating practices.
3. Have a Contest – A fun way to get the group going is to have a contest. If you have customers in the group, have a contest asking them to post something about why they love your products or services, and tell them to post it on YouTube. Tell them to share it in the group so you know they posted it, and let them know that whoever gets the most likes on YouTube will get a prize.
4. Ask Open-Ended Questions – When you post questions to the group, make them open-ended questions unless it’s a poll. That way, you can start a discussion. Ask the question and comment on the question yourself with your own answer, or say that you’ll tell them what you think later. Invite people to answer questions with video, images, or text.
5. Ask People to “Go Live” – If you’re on Facebook with your group, or on a platform which allows people to “go live” and talk to others, invite your members to go live. You can prompt this exchange with a topic. For example, some groups invite others to teach something to the group.
6. Have Live Events – In addition to letting others go live, have your own live events in groups. Even if it’s a live event you’re attending or presenting in person, go live in the group so that those who can’t go can still participate in some way with you.
7. Post Relevant Yet Diverse Content – You want to post content often, at least daily (if not more often), using a lot of types of content that are relevant to your audience. It’s okay to share another person’s content as well as your own. A good mixture will get people talking.
8. Get Some Volunteers – When your group becomes large enough, attract some group leaders and volunteers to help with the group. You can give them some free products or other beanies to get them to participate. If you have a private coaching group, you can also challenge them to come to the group to teach something or start a discussion.
9. Share Free Downloadable Content – Not only can you cross-promote your email list this way, but you can also make the group something people brag about to others. Add “gated” content to your group that they need to put in an email address to download.
10. Create Rules of Engagement – Regardless of the platform of the group, it’s a good idea to create group rules that include rules of engagement. That way, everyone understands how you want discussions to take place in your group. You can train people on proper debate methods as well as the right way to act in your group that will help them in others.
When you create a highly engaging group, the sky is the limit in terms of how much it’ll pay off for you. Plus, it’ll pay off for your members too, and it feels great to offer something that is so valuable to your audience.
Tired of getting no response on social media? Let’s schedule a whiteboard session so I can help!
