Set aside time each week to grow your Facebook group. There are a number of ways to do this. Encourage those in the group to invite others who might find it of interest. Look for the top bloggers and media representatives, such as journalists who cover your niche and invite them to join you. Use the Facebook interface, or email them.

 

 

Add friends and new connections strategically, only if you think they are the kind of person who would be truly interested in the group.

 

Keep a spreadsheet of your growth each week. It is easy to keep track when you are first starting out because you will have 1 member only. Over time, however, it is important to track the growth by trying to determine what might be triggering it. It could be a great free giveaway or special discounted offer. You won’t know unless you try to track this.

 

You could add new subscribers to an existing mailing list, but it is usually a good idea to start an all-new list in order to track the conversions from the Facebook group to your email marketing list. Create more than one list, each with a different offer, and also track which one gains the most subscribers.

 

Watch the lists you have joined as well, to see how their numbers night be going up or down. If up, what sort of things are they doing that might account for the boost? Imitate what seems to be successful and track your results.

 

Invite members through other social media sites

Facebook may be the top social media site, but there are other sites with millions of active users, including Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If someone is a member of Facebook, there's a good chance they also spend time on some other socially-oriented sites.

 

Instagram is now owned by Facebook, so it might also be a good site to try.

 

LinkedIn has its own groups. Consider becoming a member of one and participating. In this way, you can build your authority and it will seem logical, not spammy if you choose to invite certain group members to your Facebook group.

 

Here are a few more suggestions on how to grow your group.

 

• Drive memberships via your website or blog. - Make sure everyone knows how to connect with you on Facebook, and via your Facebook group. Tell them the benefits of joining, such as access to your expertise.

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• Discussion boards - Find discussion boards related to your niche. Participate in them and use your Facebook group URL in your signature file.

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• Your email marketing lists - As soon as you have created your group, announce it to your lists. Again, tell them all the benefits they will get if they choose to join.

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• On all your marketing material - Include your website URL and your Facebook group URL. People understand the value of groups and might be more interested in your group than in a regular Facebook page.

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• In all your free giveaways - Brand your free ebooks and e-courses with your Facebook group URL. Encourage people to share the URL so their followers can get this great content, too.

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• Using paid advertising on Facebook - Facebook ads are just about the most cost-effective ads online. They are much more targeted than Google AdWords ads, and less expensive, too. You can turn your best content into an ad, a sponsored post, as it is called, or create an ad of your own from scratch.

 

If you create an ad, you will need an image to go with it that will capture what you are trying to offer. Then write a description and add the URL of your Facebook group. A budget of as little as $5 per day could grow your group really rapidly, leading to more members, traffic, subscribers, and sales.