Social media has taken over. With the evolution of the smart phone you can now tweet and check Facebook any time, anywhere and many people do. The social media shift has taken business with it. Businesses are realizing that to not use Facebook as a tool is foolish and they are quickly creating fan pages and groups in an effort to connect with their audience.
There is a problem that as a business owner and creator of a group/fan page you need to be aware of and avoid. Spam. Yes, the same spam that has taken up residence in our inboxes has now moved over to our social media and nobody like it. So how do you stop spam from cluttering up your social attempts to make relationships with your niche? There are 3 things you can start doing now to begin to create a community instead of just another group.
Number 1: Practice good adding etiquette. What do I mean by that? Well with the new platform for Facebook groups you get to add people you think may enjoy/benefit from your group. This can be a little tricky because when a person gets added they immediately get a notification every time something happens within that group. This can be annoying. So how do you avoid this? Send them a message. Politely let them know you added them to your group, you would love it if they would contribute, they can feel free to leave the group and by the way I know your getting annoying notifications-here is how you turn them off.
Number 2: Set up group rules. Don't allow members to spam each other by using your group as a platform. You are not a newspaper, they are not paying you for ad space. Politely set up a list of guidelines and don't be afraid to stick to them and remove posts that violate them.
Number 3: Create an atmosphere of support. When someone gets added to the group, welcome them. If you aren't friends with your group members already, befriend them (with a personal message). Like their posts, read their blogs and be encouraging. Ask questions that foster conversation and remember to be humble and helpful.
Nobody wants to be a part of a Facebook group that is all advertisements. As a business owner, entrepreneur and group admin you need to step up and take charge of your group--the reward will be worth it.
