Gain Readers with Groups

In this article, Linda talks about how to gain readers by building groups in both FaceBook and in FriendFeed. You don't need to be an extrovert to lead a group, as many times the readers will build that group for you. In the process, you will develop a 'community' that could become loyal followers as well.

FriendFeed Group Success

How do you measure your FaceBook group's success? Is it by the number of group members, or is it by the quality of discussion, no matter how large the group?

The answer depends upon your idea of success. For example, there are quite a few graphic design groups at FaceBook that you can join or watch to see how they build their success. When you type "Graphic Design" into the FaceBook search box, you will come to this page under the "Groups" tab:

The list above is categorized by the number of group members, so if you want to be on the front page of the FaceBook search for graphic design groups, you'll need more than 491 members as shown by the bottom group on that list (to be fair, the last group on this list's page only has 147 members).

How do you get that many members? Here are a few tips:

1. First, when you create your group, make sure you select a title, category and description that is fits your brand. This exercise will help people know who you are and will entice strangers to join your group. Be as transparent as possible – list contact information, a Web site, location, etc. Also, allow anyone to post to your group's Wall, as this appeals to people who want to share their work as well (you do have the ability as administrator to remove members if needed).

2. Don't forget to customize your group. Go to the "Customize" section and click on "Show this group on the Networks page and in search results."

3. Invite existing FaceBook friends and acquaintances. Don't hesitate on this one, as they may invite their friends, too. In fact, several of your friends could become evangelists for your group, and this is a great way to harness viral energy for your group.

4. Invite friends who aren't on FaceBook. Facebook Groups provides the ability to import and send group invitations to your contacts from Outlook, Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail.

5. Advertise your new group through press releases and blogs. Create a link to your group on your blog that remains permanent and above the fold with a link to that group. Remember that people outside FaceBook can see that group, but they must join FaceBook to join your group.

6. Like your blog, you'll need to keep your group's content fresh. And, if your group membership is active, you'll need to check in to monitor activities.

7. Finally, begin to create real relationships with your group members. This is where it pays to start small, as you can spend time learning more about your group members before the membership grows. A friend once said, "With 60 followers, you have community. With 6,000 followers, you're broadcasting."

Other ways to measure the success of your FaceBook page, according to Web Analytics World is through analysing your group members:

·         New members who join per day/week/month.

·         Ratio of new members to people who left the group.

·         Ratio of members who are your Facebook friends vs. not.

·         Engagement: Activity on Wall Posts and Discussion Boards.

·         Members who also accepted invitations to join your events.

·         Links posted in your group back to your blog/website should have parameters appended to them so that they can be segmented in your analytics separately.

You can create up to 200 groups in FaceBook, but my suggestion is to start with one and learn the ropes before you engage in another group development project.

Finally, before you create a group, check the other groups at Facebook (and at FriendFeed) to make sure that you're not replicating an already successful group.