When I first started my Facebook group years ago I didn’t really know what I was doing or have much of an action plan for strategically using it to build my business.
Needless to say it was a very bumby start that continued on for a number of years.
I knew that many other coaches were building robust groups where the conversation between them and the members was engaging and really exciting. I thought to myself, ‘I should do that too’.
It makes me laugh now at how clueless I really was.
My Facebook group has had three different names, people have come and gone, and I’ve had waves of showing up consistently in a way that supports my members.
It’s been a learning curve that’s for sure but now, after many bumps in my road, I have a group with over five thousand members and my action plan is more strategic and consistent than ever.
If you have a free Facebook group for your health coaching business, you are likely looking for ways to grow it each and every week. Your Facebook group can play a key role in bringing new people into your ecosystem where you can form and nurture connections with those who are interested in your area of expertise.
Your group is often people’s first step in the customer journey with you, so growing it with the right people is important.
STRATEGIES TO GROW YOUR HEALTH & WELLNESS FACEBOOK GROUP
Let’s dive into 4 ways to grow your group with your ideal clients, so you can build a cohesive community that looks to you as the expert.
STRATEGY #1: Social Media
There are several different ways to use social media to invite people to your group, and you can switch these up each week to have some variety.
When you’re promoting your group, be sure to include who it’s for and what’s in it for them. Do you do monthly or weekly live demos, trainings or something else? Be sure to mention that if you do, to give people an enticing reason to join.
Here are 4 ideas to get you started:
- Use Instagram stories and instruct people to click the link in your bio to join your group or include the link right in your story by using one of the story stickers.
- Use your Instagram BIO – or use linktree for multiple links you want to display, including a link to join your group
- Static image posts – You can do this to invite people to a livestream you’re doing in your group, so there is some urgency to join, so they don’t miss out.
- Reels – This can be done to highlight a topic you are covering in your group and a call to action to join to learn more.
Get creative and test different formats to see what works – have fun with it!
STRATEGY #2: Use a follow-up email series
After people opt-in for your free offers, include an invitation to your group in the first email that goes out to your new subscribers. Your new subscriber has just taken a step to learn more from you by signing up for your free resource, so this is a great opportunity for them to connect with you on a deeper level in your group.
STRATEGY #3: Email your subscribers when you are going live in your group – either a training or demo on a topic, a live office hours Q and A or a guest
I’ve tested this and here’s what I have found to work best for me: I send an email 3-4 days before I’m doing my live office hours, I send email #2 1-2 hours before I go live, and then a 3rd email right when I’m going live.
I know people get busy and have other things going on in their lives, so these reminders have made a big difference in the number of people who show up live. At first, I wondered if it was the time or day I chose, but once I added in the reminder right when I was going live, attendance increased.
STRATEGY #4: Put a tab on your website that says “Join my Facebook Group” or “Facebook Group” and link it to your group
This helps people see your group information when they go to your site (just make sure your group opens in a new tab, so visitors can quickly get back to your website). This is a great set-it-and-forget-it strategy that can be working for you behind the scenes, 24/7, so whenever someone goes to your website to read a blog post or check out something you have to offer, they’ll see you have a group. Maybe they aren’t ready to work with you just yet, but by joining your group, they have the chance to get to know more about you and how you may be able to help them.
HOW TO GROW YOUR FACEBOOK GROUP WITH YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS
If you’ve struggled to grow your group this year or are planning to start one soon, you’re going to love what we’ve put together for you in episode 285 of The Wellness Business Podcast.
In this episode, you’ll discover some of our top strategies for growing your group, including:
- How to screen people before you approve them, so you get more of the RIGHT people in your group which means it’s easier to convert them to paying clients
- 4 ways to use social media to grow your group without spending a penny
- The “set it and forget it” growth strategy that runs behind the scenes 24/7
- How to get more people showing up for your livestreams in your group
Tune in to find out how to use the 4 strategies we share for your own group and watch what happens!
Links/Resources mentioned on the show:
Free Checklist: 10 Free Ways to Grow Your Facebook Group
Links to resources:
