Do you want to grow your engagement?Do you want to increase traffic?Do you want to find loyal readers?Do you want to be inspired?Do you want to feel rewarded and empowered as a blogger?
If you've answered a resounding 'yes' to the above then head over to Facebook. Yes, the social platform that many think already dead. Facebook Groups are the new Twitter chats, social clubs, afternoon teas with friends and evening lectures all in one. They are damn powerful and despite some scarecrows saying they are a bit of a cheat sheet to blogging (black hat SEO & all), I have found them to be nothing short of bloody amazing. (Okay, they do have flaws but then what doesn't these days!)
WHAT IS A FACEBOOK GROUP?
Facebook Group is an interactive page on Facebook based on a common, usually niche subject which you 'join' (usually approved by an admin or creator of the group. It's a fairly tightly controlled environment with set rules (by the admin) however they are highly interactive and often updated multiple times a day. The ones I'd like to talk about today are the ones for bloggers & creatives.
WHY ARE FACEBOOK GROUPS SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO PROMOTE YOUR BLOG?
📝 Like-minded community
Call them creatives, entrepreneurs, bloggers, freelancers - they are the kind of bunch that you will find in these groups. They are like-minded souls who love a colour-coordinated Insta feed and are just as frustrated with the recent algorithm updates as you are. They are there to help each other, to provide constructive criticism and to learn. They are the kind of people that will read your blog post from the first letter to the very last. They are loyal, dedicated and always happy to help.
📝 A 24/7 blog helpline
Apart from the content these people create & share they have the mighty ability to help you with just about anything. From advice on hosting platform to glitches in your blog template and a lack of inspiration. You can drop in for an emergency 'I fucked this up' kind of advice or have a cuppa and chat about your favourite Pins for hours. Or perhaps you just want a feedback on your Instagram or blog? Looking for a blog designer? A proofreader? Someone to redesign your blog logo? These are the people who will do it. And if they can't do it they'll find someone who will. And if you'd like someone to collaborate with or write a guest post for you then this is the best place to put the question forward.
📝 Different focus groups
Find a FB group that fits your needs. There's one for everything. You can join one that focuses on blog commenting - this means that you essentially exchange blog comments with a bunch of other people in the same niche (who are more than likely to become your new loyal dedicated readers). Or you can join one for Instagram - where people exchange likes and comments on their Insta photos (I believe the really small closed groups are called pods because they are quite intense in terms of reciprocation within strict time - these are also the ones that I feel are the most controversial because the engagement can often be more forced). Or you can join a girl boss one where women support other femtrepreneurs. The ones I love the most are the ones where people simply exchange ideas, inspiration and feedback!
📝 Paid opportunities
Some of these groups also allow brands & agencies to advertise their opportunities on their walls and you can apply by filing in a Google survey, commenting or DMing the person who posted.
📝 Making new friends
Apart from getting your blog out there, learning new things, gaining new readers & engagement you will also make a lot of new friends! Some of the loveliest people I've met though blogging recently are from these groups.
📝 Sharing successes
You can share your milestones and even little wins and everyone's genuinely happy for you! They will also help you get out of that rut if you're in one. All those people around you in that group are buzzing! They are filled up to their ears with fresh content ideas, inspiration and all things positive.
Call them creatives, entrepreneurs, bloggers, freelancers - they are the kind of bunch that you will find in these groups. They are like-minded souls who love a colour-coordinated Insta feed and are just as frustrated with the recent algorithm updates as you are. They are there to help each other, to provide constructive criticism and to learn. They are the kind of people that will read your blog post from the first letter to the very last. They are loyal, dedicated and always happy to help.
📝 A 24/7 blog helpline
Apart from the content these people create & share they have the mighty ability to help you with just about anything. From advice on hosting platform to glitches in your blog template and a lack of inspiration. You can drop in for an emergency 'I fucked this up' kind of advice or have a cuppa and chat about your favourite Pins for hours. Or perhaps you just want a feedback on your Instagram or blog? Looking for a blog designer? A proofreader? Someone to redesign your blog logo? These are the people who will do it. And if they can't do it they'll find someone who will. And if you'd like someone to collaborate with or write a guest post for you then this is the best place to put the question forward.
📝 Different focus groups
Find a FB group that fits your needs. There's one for everything. You can join one that focuses on blog commenting - this means that you essentially exchange blog comments with a bunch of other people in the same niche (who are more than likely to become your new loyal dedicated readers). Or you can join one for Instagram - where people exchange likes and comments on their Insta photos (I believe the really small closed groups are called pods because they are quite intense in terms of reciprocation within strict time - these are also the ones that I feel are the most controversial because the engagement can often be more forced). Or you can join a girl boss one where women support other femtrepreneurs. The ones I love the most are the ones where people simply exchange ideas, inspiration and feedback!
📝 Paid opportunities
Some of these groups also allow brands & agencies to advertise their opportunities on their walls and you can apply by filing in a Google survey, commenting or DMing the person who posted.
📝 Making new friends
Apart from getting your blog out there, learning new things, gaining new readers & engagement you will also make a lot of new friends! Some of the loveliest people I've met though blogging recently are from these groups.
📝 Sharing successes
You can share your milestones and even little wins and everyone's genuinely happy for you! They will also help you get out of that rut if you're in one. All those people around you in that group are buzzing! They are filled up to their ears with fresh content ideas, inspiration and all things positive.
IF FACEBOOK GROUPS ARE THAT AMAZING, WHY ISN'T EVERYONE PART OF ONE (or 423423123 of them)?
🚩The immediate overwhelmThere's a lot of FB groups - each is slightly different, but majority of them are updated multiple times a day. Some of them have new posts coming in literally every couple of seconds. It can become too much too quickly if you don't take control of notifications and 'let go' - because you can't possibly read everything.
🚩 The faux success
Those who don't believe in FB groups can judge you for achieving a faux success - kind of like follow for follow type of judgement. I strongly disagree with this because I believe that the effort you put into engagement and support is miles apart from what you put into a one-click f4f. It also depends on what group you decide to be part of - if it's a pod and it's your only source of engagement then yes, you are playing with fire. If you need an advice, a boost or simply fancy a whole lot of new reading whilst not losing your 'outside-of-a-FB-group' identity then it's a brilliant way of getting involved with the community!
🚩 Accepting criticism
People in FB groups are sometimes brutally honest. So when you ask them how you should improve your flawless Instagram don't expect 100% of these people to fall on their arses in amazement. They will tell you that you are doing this or that wrong, you're missing this or that hashtag, your colour scheme is off... but - they will never be mean about it and all they will do is try to help you.
🚩 What you put in is what you get out: This is probably the biggest turn off for some. Unless you put a lot of work in it, you ain't gonna see nothing back. People join these groups to support each other, they are not waiting for you to come sailing in on your white yacht & sweep everyone off their feet. FACT.
WHICH FACEBOOK GROUPS SHOULD I JOIN?
There are many, MANY FB groups our there that you will want to join - I warn you now though don't join more than 5 and then regularly interact with maybe 1 or 2. Otherwise it will become stressful, time-consuming and just utter pants. Here are a few of the groups I love the most:
🎫 Blogstart (join here)
Oh why hello - this is a group that I've created where bloggers (only) support each other. It's tiny (over 80 damn amazing bloggers now, hurray!) but mighty! We exchange comments, tips & tricks, ideas, feedback, guest posting opportunities and more!
🎫 Birmingham Bloggers UK (join here) or UK Blogger Opportunities (join here)
If you're looking for paid or review opportunities or local networking then these groups are perfect for you.
🎫 Bloggers Get Social (join here)
A group focussing on engagement - blog comments, Instagram comments/likes, Facebook comments, Pinterest re-Pins and many more! They are incredibly active and you will need a decent amount of spare time and dedication to be able to keep up!
🎫 Instagram Marketing Mastermind (join here)
If you want to learn more about Instagram, its algorithms or get an Insta sense check from an incredible amount of creatives this groups is the one for you - Alex Tooby is nothing short of an Instagram genius if you ask me.
🎫 Blog BFFs (join here)
Run by Zoe Linda, this groups is full of inspiration, creativity and resources. People come here for advice, feedback and to collaborate & to learn.
🎫 Online Business BFFs (join here)
Probably one of the largest groups out there run by Melyssa Griffin - you will find this group is full of creatives and online business owners who share a lot of their business insights on a daily basis! I find you will also get the highest response to your questions/struggles in this one.
You can also learn more about FB groups in this post by Olivia from Wild and Free Wanderer.
Note: That drawing in the photo is my brother's, isn't he just ridiculously talented?!
I hope you've found this helpful and if you have then please share it with your blogging friends - sharing is caring and all that!
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