The amount of traffic that Facebook groups can send to your blogs is staggering and if you have been avoiding these in your content promotion strategies, you are going to regret it sooner or later! I mean I have had days when I have had over 3000 hits from FB groups alone! That kind of number is pretty hard to ignore, right?
But unlike simply posting on your Facebook page, there’s a little more finesse involved when you are sharing your content on groups. Since my knowledge is largely from the food blogging arena, I’m going to talk more about using Facebook groups for promoting your food blogs’ content, but some of this information can be applied in other blogging niches too.
Read the rules and respect it
This is the one thing you MUST do with any group that you are part of. Read the rules. And apply those rules. If a group has explicitly said to add a recipe along with a picture, do that. If a group has rules stating you must include your blog post as a link in the comment and not on the main post itself, so that. It’s simple really. But a LOOOOOOT of people ignore this.
And not only could you get banned from groups for disrespecting their rules, you are also not building a great reputation on those groups.
On one of the most popular groups on food, cooking and related subjects, Chef At Large’s Admin, Rhea Mitra Dalal admits that rule breaking is one of her pet peeves.
“Rules are the foundation of any group, whether it’s an online forum or offline. The very existence of rules is to set a framework and to create an environment conducive to positive and fruitful interaction. So for me adherence to rules is something every member in any community must treat as their duty.On most online forums, especially on Fb, however, we find that the Admins of groups have to repeatedly remind members of the existence of rules and the need to follow them. This is unfortunate, but it is the reality.”
Don’t Spam with Self Promotion
If there is one thing that you need to apply everywhere in life it is, balance. The same applies here. While most groups are okay with a certain amount of self promotion, remember it’s a group at the end of the day.
It wouldn’t bode well to be the sole speaker at a group discussion, right?
Similarly participate in the group. Engage with posts other than your own, so you are giving back as much as you are getting. This will enhance your interactions within the group and more people will recognise you, and at the end of the day, it is social media. So being social is sort of the unspoken rules. And you could end up discovering some great content and great bloggers this way.
This is what I try to do before posting on a group. I scroll through it, comment on posts I find interesting and make sure I have learnt something from that group. Of course, sometimes you are in a hurry and want to do the ‘job’ because this is very much a part of your content marketing strategy, but take the effort at least once in a while.
Make Your Content Interesting and Evoke a Discussion
Remember some of the groups that you may be posting on will have over 2000 posts per day. So what can make your posts stand out? keeping it interesting of course.
Talk about something unique, take a gorgeous picture or even ask a question.
Engage with your Post
It’s not simply about posting your content and then playing ignore. People will often comment to praise the dish, ask a question or even tell you that they have made your dish.
These are golden opportunities to talk directly with your readers and establish a relationship with them.
So don’t waste it. Interact with the people. the very fact that they have taken the time to leave a comment is a moment of absolute triumph.
Be Polite and Respectful at all times
Lets, face it, there are going to be instances where your post may evoke a reaction that you are not thrilled about. But instead of getting agitated and annoyed, ignore the nasty comments and under no circumstance retaliate in anger. Of course, you can be polite and deal with the situation and offer a valid argument, but don’t descent into mudslinging which is sometimes seen on these groups.
There you have it. the first few things to keep in mind while posting on Facebook Groups. A lot of these are self explanatory and pretty darn obvious. But sadly, even the obvious is often ignored.
Do this diligently and I promise you, the results will be spectacular!
