When you started to grow your Facebook Group you had a vision. You imagined a community of likeminded people, you pictured lively discussion, a supportive and positive atmosphere and of course, crowds of excited people clamouring to join!

Instead, after the first flurry of members, your group feels more like an echo chamber with one solo voice being the only one to be heard... yours.

So what can a poor struggling group owner do to get the dream back? To start seeing a steady flow of new members coming through the doors everyday?

Pour yourself a glass of something yummy and then get comfy because I'm about to lay it allll out for you (and give you 31 FREE posts you can use to boost your engagement while you're at it!)

If you're only going to read one of these strategies, then make it this one - because without clarity, none of the others will work.

You need to be absolutely clear about WHO your group is for

and...

You need to be absolutely clear about WHAT they will get from it.

Oh, and the more specific you can get about those things, the faster you'll grow your group.

My group, Fully Booked Mums could have been a group to help all business owners grow their business. After all, the topics I discuss are relevant to all service businesses.

But it isn't for everyone. It's specifically for mums - and in particular, mums with service based businesses who want to hit consistent 5k months.

I discuss business related topics, but from the angle of a mum in business, with a focus on the specific challenges that we face. We talk about how to juggle your business and your family, we talk about creating marketing plans that allow mums to really focus in the time they have to work on their biz and we cover getting rid of the overwhelm which cripples so many mum business owners.

Yes, this means that I won't attract all business owners - but it also means that my group will be SO much more valuable to my actual ideal clients because everything is tailored to their needs.

If you're not SUPER clear on who your group is for and why they should join, then spend some time jotting down some ideas until you feel that clarity is there.

I promise you, without it, your group will continue to struggle no matter what you do.

Ok, that's enough thinking for one day, am I right?

On to some more practical tactics that you can start putting into practice right now....

There are a few prime locations on your website where you can promote your Facebook Group:

Why not create a separate tab for your group on your main menu. You can see I've done this on my own website...

Most websites have a sidebar which can also be used to promote your group (among other things!)  Look, you can see mine over there  →

Talk about prime location! Your home page is a great place to really shout about your Facebook Group! Yep, I do it too... take a look...

Hopefully, you're producing some regular free content to build your audience. It might be a blog, a podcast or perhaps a video series...

Either way, your website is the perfect home for that content - and the content itself is the perfect place to promote your Facebook Group.

After all, if someone loves your stuff, it's only natural that they'll want to hang out with you some more, right?  For an example of how I promote my group in my content, you need look no further than this very post.... it's LITTERED with references and shout outs to my group.  And to be clear, if you haven't joined yet and you're a mum with a service based business, then you really should! 

So you know that content we were just talking about? Well why not create some of that for someone else - and reach a whole new audience? ?

By guest blogging or appearing on other people's podcasts or videos you can provide value for your ideal clients AND give your group a shout out at the same time.

This is probably the quickest and easiest strategy to implement right now and start seeing results.

You'll already know this tactic and you may even have tried it - but the key is to stick to it consistently. Set aside 30 minutes each day to seek out your ideal clients in other Facebook Groups, LinkedIn Groups and Forums (or in fact anywhere else you can find them online or offline!) Then get chatting. Answer their questions, give them support, share your own story - and when you've built a relationship with someone, invite them to your group!

Proceed with Caution!

This is the one strategy that can be done SO BADLY WRONG.  You've seen it, I'm sure. Those overly obvious promotional posts that try to disguise themselves as 'helpful' or 'inspirational'.

They're old news. We all see them for what they are - and they don't work.

Be genuine.

Actually talk to people 

And please don't push your group on people where it's not allowed, not appropriate or not helpful.

Other than that - get out there! Meet new people, make new friends and grab  yourself some new group members while you're at it.

Got an email list?

Great! Then you have another perfect opportunity to promote your Facebook Group.  Here's how:

If someone has just subscribed to your list, then that's the perfect time to tell them about the other ways they can connect with you... ie. your group!

Sometimes people need more than one push before they jump in - so give them a regular reminder in your newsletter! Perhaps give a weekly run down on what's been going on in your group so people can get a flavour for what it's like...

Why not add a quick Facebook Group promotion to your signature so that it goes out in EVERY email you send?

If you've got an email list, then chances are that you're using lead magnets to grow that list. And each time someone signs up, you'll be redirecting them to a 'thank you' page which confirms their subscription... sound familiar?

Well, those pages are a much under-used opportunity to talk to your audience ... and tell them about your Facebook Group!

Sign up for my 31 Engagement Boosting Facebook Posts and you'll see what I mean...

Oh go one then, I'll give you a sneak peak...here's a snippet from my 'thank you page' when someone signs up for the FB Posts above...

Facebook wants to make it as easy as possible for you to cross-promote your business page and your group so they've created some handy little features to help you!

Yep, you can actually invite the people on your page to head over to visit your group by choosing this option in your settings... 

If lead magnets can work to grow your email list, then the same tactic can surely work to grow your group, right?

One of the best 'group magnets' I've found is to run a Challenge from my group. I love doing these because they grow my list AND my group! Win, win!

Don't forget to grab yourself a copy of my 31 Engagement Boosting Facebook Group posts so you can not only grow group, but a thriving community too...