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It’s definitely a commitment to get up and running (like anything). And there needs to be a compelling reason/benefit for someone to join the group. (I’d recommend naming the group after the interest or outcome your ideal member is trying to achieve or some sort of name/value that they strongly identify with.)
I’d think about who you’re trying to serve with your group and how the group will tie into your bigger-picture business goals and then reverse-engineer your strategy from there.
For example, when I started The Unconventional RD community, the intention was to build a community for dietitians interested in unconventional income streams (i.e. not working a 9-5).
I did A LOT in the group in the beginning and it was the main place I was present online. I posted daily, sharing things I thought my community would like and find valuable.
This included things like behind the scenes peeks at what I was doing in my biz, income reports, actionable tips, discussion-starter questions, links to trending articles or recent news, my thoughts on timely topics, etc.
I also would pick random people inside the group to highlight as “featured members” of the month and I would share about their unconventional business, link to their website, etc. (Later down the line, I started podcasting and interviewing people like this on my show, but it started by just posting inspirational stories/examples in the group.)
I would also do exclusive offers, host webinars, share affiliate promotions, etc. within the group.
The best thing I did in the beginning to keep the traction and engagement up was to send out weekly roundups to my email list with links to all the hottest discussions in the group. (If you right-click on the time on a FB group post, you can copy the link to that specific post and then link to that post in an email.)
That ensured that every week, people were actively engaging in the FB group, which improved the reach and visibility of the group posts in those people’s feeds. It’s a good amount of work each week but I think it’s worth it.
The specifics about what you would post in your group obviously will vary based on your niche and audience, but the same ideas apply. Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer/reader/client and think about what they would find irresistible. Then try to create that.
The competition for attention online is high, so creating a space that people genuinely seek out and come back to again and again takes effort, but it’s SO worth it if you get it right. (I’ve found that many people, honestly, aren’t consistent enough or don’t actually provide enough value in their groups to keep them going and they fizzle out before they reach critical mass, where the community does a lot of the work for you.)
Also note that you will probably spend a lot of time writing back and forth to people in the group comments, so if that’s NOT the type of interaction that you enjoy, then you might not like running a FB group. But if that sounds fun to you, then it could be a great option!