How to Build a Thriving Community on the World’s Largest Social Media Platform

Facebook is the world’s biggest social media platform. And if you have a community page on the site, then you have limitless potential to grow it into an active meeting place for people who are interested in the same things as you. 

But even though starting an online community on Facebook is an easy process, attracting new members and keeping them interested in the community can be difficult since there will be many competing pages that cover interests similar to yours. 

If you have just started a community and are unsure of the steps to take next, then the following tips will definitely help you in building a thriving community on the world’s biggest social media platform.

Always Publish Relevant, Informative Content

When publishing content to your Facebook community, you have to focus on two core areas – relevance and information. 

Firstly, only publish posts that are completely relevant to the members of your community. For example, if you have started the community with a description which states that it will deal with superhero movies, then you must only publish content in that specific genre. You should also only encourage discussions within the topic.

Just because you saw a meme of a cat that got a million likes, it does not mean you share it with the members. Never do such a thing. Although you might benefit from such a move in the short term, you will dilute the focus of the community by sharing unrelated stuff. 

And other members might stop being active in the community since they are not always getting what they expected – superhero updates.   

“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”

-Leo Burnett

Secondly, always make sure that most of the posts you share within your community have information which the members find valuable, unique and interesting. For example, if your community is focused on topics like home care, then you can share content that helps them rectify air filter problems in the air conditioning. 

The tips that are immediately effective, while remaining unique and not shared a million times before, will be valued. 

The methods you share should be workable enough that the member can implement the tips and correct air filter issues. If your methods do not produce desired results, then too, the members will start losing interest in the community.  

So, as long as the material you share is both relevant and informative, your community is guaranteed to grow.

Use Facebook Live

If you have been avoiding using Facebook Live, then it is time you rethink your decision. Facebook Live is one of the fastest-growing aspects of the platform. And the reason for its growth lies in the fact that people like to see other people live on-screen rather than read their ideas through a post on the community page. 

And in certain subject matters, having a regular Facebook Live session can bring about greater bonding among community members, while also attracting newer users. 

For example, if you have a community page dedicated to the NBA, then you can use Facebook Live to stream your reaction and viewpoints about a game in real-time. And if you are really good at presenting fresh insights into the game in a way that interests the audience, then the members will definitely wait to watch your live reaction to the next game.

Share Member Questions and Suggestions

Try to let the members know that you care about them and value their opinions. A good way to do this will be to answer some of the member questions and discuss suggestions. You can do this through a regular text-based post, but a video post is ideal since your audience will see you and are more likely to connect with what you express. 

For example, if you run a community that focuses on hair care, and someone raises a question as to how hair can be made shinier, then be sure to cover the topic in your next post while mentioning the name of the person who brought it up. 

Similarly, if someone suggests an effective method of removing dandruff from hair, their solution should also be shared with the community. When the members see that their questions and suggestions are being valued, they are more likely to remain active in the community.  

Interviews

Another good way to build a thriving community is by conducting exclusive interviews. The interview need not be with a big shot. Instead, you can conduct a video interview with someone who has achieved some success in the particular field that you are interested in. 

If the interviews are informative and useful to the members, they will continue to actively participate in the community. 

For example, imagine that you have a Facebook community covering, ‘Counter-Strike Global Offensive.’ You can conduct weekly or bi-monthly interviews with people who have jumped in the rankings, inquiring how they did it and discussing tips and tricks that can help other players. 

If your interview makes the members more knowledgeable about the game, then you will definitely succeed in keeping the community active and growing.

Hold Events

If your community page mostly consists of members who are concentrated in specific geographic areas, then you can consider setting up special meet-up events as well. 

For example, if your community is focused on Photoshop Tips, and you are an expert when it comes to the software, then you can conduct special training seminars at a few cities for free or a nominal amount. 

This will bring members together at a physical location and will likely increase their commitment to the community. And if you are solid on the business side, you can even conduct such events at zero cost and turn in a profit by soliciting sponsorship and selling Photoshop add-ons and relevant software as an affiliate.

In addition to the above, there is one more important thing that you have to remember – always treat your members with respect. Just because you own the community does not mean that you go about rejecting differing viewpoints of the members and behave negatively with them.

Work up your leadership skills when you manage a community. People need to know they can trust you and count on you. If you’re respected, what you say and do becomes more valuable. 

Whatever suggestions they provide, accept them if right, and politely reject if not. If you remain fair with the members, then they will see you as a good administrator, which will ensure that the community remains active for a long time.

Final Thoughts

Facebook is a very powerful tool that comprises of a widespread audience. You should be dedicated to creating a community because you want to bond with people not because you want to push your business. If you keep pushing your business, chances are that people won’t stay around long. Build a relationship first, and it will automatically convert into business.