 There are over 70 million pages on Facebook and something we've known for a while is that the organic reach of these pages is in decline. One way publishers and authors try to get around this is through Facebook ads. But these can be costly and best suited to support a new book launch or to re-market your back catalogue. So what options do authors have? Facebook groups! Seriously, the Facebook group I’ve set up has been amazing. Check out these insights below, the group just grows and grows every day (you get an initial flurry of members at the start then 1 or 2 a day).  It's no surprise. Groups have grown in popularity for businesses since Facebook announced in January 2017 that changes to its algorithms mean that posts from friends, family and groups will now be prioritised in people’s news feeds. No wonder we’re getting less engagement with our author pages on Facebook, which are now way down on the list for Facebook unless you advertise. The fact is, groups complement your author page and help to build a community of loyal fans. A combination of a Facebook page as your attractor to drive people to find you, coupled with a Facebook group to boost engagement, can be a powerful thing. Especially as your group can be directly linked to from your Facebook Page. Interested in setting one up? Creating a Facebook Group is simple and straightforward. But it pays to have a think about what you want from your group and how you will manage it first. Creating your Facebook group Start by clicking on Group in the Create section at the bottom of Facebook and entering the details in the pop up. Think of a name for your group, checking it’s not being used already by searching for it on Facebook. I went for a reader-friendly name which would make people feel welcome. At this early state, you can either add friends or invite people. Adding friends will automatically make them members of the group. By inviting them you are giving them the option to accept. Next select the privacy setting you want for the group. I recommend going for closed so members feel ‘privileged’ to be part of the group. Now it's time to start building your group page…  Adding Detail That’s it, your group is set up! But don’t worry, it isn’t live yet. Now you need to add some detail to make your group attractive and help people understand the value of joining your group. Go to your group and click on the More option and select Edit group settings from the dropdown. This will give you a number of areas to complete, including selecting your group type. Pick the option that best matches what you are trying to achieve with the group. I chose ‘Club’. Now it’s time to write the description. You can have up to 3000 characters so make it yours. Add links to other areas such as your websites or Twitter accounts. Here is the description for The Reading Snug, my own Facebook Group which I share with the amazing Kelly Rimmer and Kerry Fisher.  You can then add up to 5 tags to help people find the group (as long as you haven’t set the privacy to Secret). Think about what your readers will be looking for. Facebook Groups can be linked to your pages, you can create a vanity url for your group and even change the theme colour to suit your branding. You can also add apps such as Buffer and Canva to help streamline posting. The web and email address section allows you to create a custom url and also an email address to make is easy for people to find you.  You will also be presented with a range of options too for getting new members to the group.  When you are selecting the options, think about how you would like the group to work. Too many limitations or restrictions on how people can post may increase your workload and put your readers off. I didn't go for pre-moderation on posts. My view is if any potential members look 'spammy', I won't let them in. And regular checking of posts means anything inappropriate can be quickly deleted. Your members will be great at alerting you to things too. I do however recommend posing a set of questions (under 'Ask questions' in Membership requests) to perspective members so you can get a better idea of their intentions. Here are mine: Hey, thanks for requesting to join The Reading Snug! This group is for enthusiastic readers! So a few questions: First, what's the last book you read? Have you read any of Tracy, Kelly or Kerry's books and if so, which ones? Are you an author? We don't mind having author members as long as you promise to engage as a reader, not an author! Adding a cover photo At the top of your group page you will see the area where you can add your cover photo – simply click on upload photo. It is a good idea to have this image ready. Facebook cover photo sizes do change and do display differently on mobile device compared to desktop. The recommended size is 1640px x 859px or 1.91:1 ratio. As you can see from the template below there is an area that needs to be considered for mobile devices but should not include any important messaging that may be lost when viewed on desktop.  Once you have added your cover photo be sure to check how it displays both on desktop and also on mobile. Adding and Inviting people to join your group You can now start spreading the word about your group. On a basic level, you can start by adding or inviting people you know would be interested. Click in the box below ADD MEMBERS (under your cover photo). Enter the names of your friends to add them to the group. You can also use email addresses to invite people, such as fans from your mailing lists, to join the group. Once you have invited everyone you have contact details for remember you can always hit the share button to add it to your wall or share it to another group.  Linking your group to your Facebook page is a great way to grow your audience, it makes it easier for fans to find you, your fans have a community where they can interact with each other, and you can like and comment as your page in your Facebook Group.
To link your group to you page go to your page and select Groups. If this option is not available click on Settings, Edit Page and scroll down through the tabs and click Add a tab. From the menu select Groups. You will be given a pop-up window will appear and you can select what groups you would like to link to your page. Now just click Link and Link Page and you are all set! Let me know how you get on!
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