I’ve had it up to here with people telling me they can’t host a Facebook group because they have a small following.
You can’t see me right now, but I am holding my left hand WAY up to my forehead and my eyeballs are bulging.
Since when did we start playing the size game with Facebook groups?
Let me give it to you straight: You do not need a HUGE Facebook group in order to get results.
The “swear on my last Raspberry La Croix” truth is that even a tiny Facebook group can have a big impact on your business.
Don’t take my word for it.
Listen to these infopreneurs who host FREE Facebook groups ranging in size from 196 members to 4,000+.
Caressa Lenae – The Launchers’ Lounge (196 members)
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
The biggest hesitation for me was thinking about the time I had to commit to starting and growing my community. I will admit that looking at groups like yours or Kimra’s Freedom Hackers really made me think, twice…10x before starting. But once I jumped in and started my own conversations (aka talking to myself) my great members felt comfortable to chat back with me.
Why did you start one?
I started The Launchers Lounge specifically to form an intimate relationship with my audience – especially those I knew had followed me since I started this journey and really invested themselves in my content. Plus, I wanted to form an empowering group for those who are just beginning their entrepreneurial path to feel free in sharing their highs and lows and have full support along the way.
How has the group impacted your business?
The Launchers Lounge has been my ‘right-hand’ in my business since I started the group. I can clearly identify their business struggles, tackle them right on the spot and, be a shoulder of support when they need it. And the support doesn’t end at me giving it. They may not know it but, they have truly been there for me when I was having a hard time.
It goes without saying my group has a massive impact in the content I deliver which has lead to clients and members of my mastermind academy.
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
If you can commit to being engaging, sharing your own stories (the good and bad), allowing your members to be as they are, then go for it. Your group can be as great as you allow it to be and it is up to you to create a desirable group that your audience would join and stay active in.
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
I was afraid that no one would join initially! I wasn’t sure as to what would make my group stand out or be different from the others, but I’m glad I went for it!
Why did you start one?
I really wanted to create a close knit community. I know how lonely it can feel to start or run a business and I wanted to create a space where others could come to for support and accountability!
How has the group impacted your business?
My group is still fairly new but I have noticed that my audience has become more willing to interact with me and trust the content I’m sharing. I have to thank the free advice I share in my group for that. My email subscribers have also definitely increased over the past few months!
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
I would tell them to go for it! Don’t focus on the amount of people you have join. Even if you only have 10 people in your group at first, you should be focusing on creating a strong relationship between them and you.
Addi Ganley – Breakthrough Bloggers (325 members)
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
I hesitated to start my own group because I was afraid that it would be a huge time commitment and I was unsure if having a Facebook group was something that my audience would be interested in.
Why did you start one?
I originally started my Facebook group for people who purchased my book. I wanted them to have a place to connect and support one another. I started to realize that it would be beneficial for my entire audience to have access to the group so I decided to open it up for anyone to join.
How has the group impacted your business?
Having my group has helped me to build a relationship with my readers. It has allowed me to build an engaged community by having a direct connection without having to rely on my audience going to my blog or opening an email.
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
For anyone who is hesitant to start their own Facebook group I would tell them to start today otherwise they will regret it. I wish I would have started mine sooner. I did not see the value in having an exclusive place for my audience to connect, but it has really been a great place for me to learn what my audience needs and a wonderful place for my readers to learn from one another.
Erin Flynn – Unstoppable Basecamp (644 members)
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
I didn’t really have any! At all. I saw the need for it, and about 5 minutes later, had it up and running!
Why did you start one?
I saw two designers on Twitter talking about they wished for an online space to talk with other designers privately about the industry. Being a web designer myself, I had felt the same pain in my earlier years in business, and thought that I’d be able to provide a space and gather a community to remedy the problem. So I made a FB group, tweeted the link to the designers, and soon people were streaming in! It honestly all took about 5-10 minutes from seeing the need to making it happen. Not sure if that’s the best route, but it worked for me!
How has the group impacted your business?
I am able to use the group to see what designers are struggling with, and use that knowledge to create blog articles, resources, tools, and courses to help them. It’s an inside-peek into my audience’s brain, but in the best way. I’m able to really meet their needs and create things that will help them!
I don’t promote a lot in my group, but when someone enjoys one of my products they often post about their success with it, which leads to more sales, so that’s pretty nice.
Overall, the best thing is being able to really connect with my audience and help them–whether it be by answering questions in the group, creating a post based around their problems, or creating a paid product. I can see what their needs actually are.
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
Just do it! Dive in and make it happen. Like most things, getting started is the hardest part. It may not be perfect at first, but like most things, you can adjust as your group grows and find what works best for you and them.
Danielle Spurge Swavely – Creative Life, Happy Life (898 members)
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
I thought starting a group would be a lot of work and take a ton of time. I also worried people would use it like a 1-800-dial Danielle, but my group has been SUPER respectful and proactive.
Why did you start one?
I saw strong examples of how well Facebook groups could nurture community and relationships and thought it would be worth a try! I also could see in other groups that the host could be active but still casual and people appreciated that.
I felt it was something that would really benefit my community.
How has the group impacted your business?
My group is still new (less than a month old) but it’s already sparked some great ideas and clarified some things about my audience demographics – both of which will be useful as I develop free and paid content!
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
Don’t be intimidated. My audience was excited to join and yours will be, too. (No matter how small.) It’s really fun to have direct interaction with my group members. You will learn SO MUCH about your audience. It can’t hurt to try it out!
Halley Gray – Internet Domination Club (948 members)
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
Afraid of no one talking/ joining so it’d be a sad sack party. (Totally the opposite happened.)
Why did you start one?
I wanted to create a place free of promos and douchey sales barfing.
How has the group impacted your business?
It gives me the opportunity to hear exactly what my smart, funny, friendly peeps wanna buy from me. It’s basically the perfect way to do subtle market research.Which in turn has generated over six figures worth of service and course sales. (This year alone!)
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
You need one if your bigger goal is to sell courses online. I personally would make sure it ties into your bigger social media strategy.
Leah Kalamakis – The Freelance to Freedom Project (4,311 members)
What were your hesitations before starting your Facebook group?
I had a fairly small audience when I decided to start the group so I was most of all worried if there would be enough people to join and if they would engage. I was also worried it would end up taking a lot of my time to keep active and manage.
Why did you start one?
I got past those worries and started one though because I knew how much being a part of FB groups had benefitted me and I wanted more than anything to provide a sort of community to my audience.
I didn’t just want my business to be a blog and an email list – I wanted to give people a place to come for advice and support.
Freelancing gets lonely, and since we all spend a lot of time on Facebook, what a great way to reduce some of that loneliness and get to interact with people going through the same thing.
How has the group impacted your business?
I think the group has created that sense of community I wanted. I get emails from people saying they spend so much time alone, reading blogs and having a group has been a great support in their growth. Instead of people just thinking of me as the person behind a website, they now see me as a leader of a movement. Also, as people’s inboxes are getting fuller and fuller with newsletters – we’re all reading emails a lot less. So although I’m a big believer in the power of email marketing – it’s great to be able to reach people in difference places to share my message, products and services and most of all be of service to them.
What would you tell someone who is hesitant to start their own group?
If you’re hesitant to start a group – just try! In the beginning it takes some effort and thick skin (when there are not a lot of members or people don’t interact much). But if you push through it and make it your goal to provide value (rather than just another place to market yourself) – I don’t see how it can’t benefit your audience and your business. It simply makes the distance between you and your audience smaller and more personal – and that always leads to more success. And if you end up not liking it, close it down and try something else. You’ve got nothing to lose.