Buying Out A Facebook Group
Getting a successful Facebook group going takes a lot of hard work, and a lot more time. Sometimes, time we don't always have. And we as agents, always want to get the ball rolling on what we need sooner rather than later. So if you don't have the time to invest in growing a Facebook group, which we'll show you how in later modules, the fastest way to obtain one is to purchase one that is already made. This isn't quite as simple as it seems. Not everyone who owns a group in your local market will want to sell theirs. Especially if they are a local business owner, and are using the group for their own benefit.
Now if you are wondering how much it costs, that will vary significantly. Since ownership of a Facebook group is done through you and the main admin of the group, it will come down to negotiations, and what each party agrees to buy the group for. When you have the funds, and you want to purchase rather than create a niche based one, here is what you should look for:
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GROUP TO BUY:
1. TYPE OF GROUP
If you can find a group admin that is willing to sell, it's best to purchase one that already matches the niche you're going to work in. If you can't find a niche based group, and still want to own one for the sake of publicity, I recommend looking at buy/sell/trade groups, as well as groups dedicated to your city by city name, zip code, neighborhood names, or county name.
2. MEMBER COUNT
Make sure you purchase a group with at least 5,000 members. You don't want to buy a group that doesn't already have a large following base, or it would be a waste of money, and more beneficial to start your own from scratch.
3. ENGAGEMENT
Before you look into purchasing a group, even if it has a large member count, look over the engagement. If every other post is a spammy business post, that page is not going to work in your best interest. Pick a group that has a lot of engagement from members that are beneficial to the interest of the group. So if it's a buy/sell/trade, it needs to have at least 95% of the posts related to it. If it's an animal lovers group, it needs to have 95% of the posts related to it, and so on so forth.
When you purchase a Facebook group, it's between you and the admin, this transaction isn't between Facebook, so be cautious in the sale. It's best to write up a little contract to go with the sale, so there are no issues. Buying an established group isn't going to be a possibility for everyone, but if you do end up buying one, that's great! When you end up owning it, I want you to do the following:
SETTING UP YOUR GROUP
1. Introduce yourself to the group as the new group admin. Write a nice introductory note, as well as a note to look at the new and updated rules.
2. Introduce yourself to the moderators. If there are already established group moderators, and you want to keep them around, send them all a private message introducing yourself and going over new guidelines.
3. Re-write the group rules. Even if you want the original rules to apply, it's best to re-write it, so it's in your own voice.
4. Add a new cover photo. Add a fun, modern cover photo that is relevant to the group, and don't be shy to add a little personal branding on the side. Don't make it about you though, you still want the focus to be about the group's niche.
5. Clean up your group. Go through as many photos, posts as you can and clean up content/posts you no longer want to see as part of your group.
In order to have a successful group, be sure to continue in holding up the group's value. Meaning, don't start spamming your group on a daily basis for business, and completely navigating away from what made it successful in the first place. Have some branding (small amount) in the cover photo, details about you and reaching out to you towards the end of the group rules, and add a small blurb about yourself and a website/Facebook link at the end of the pinned post. You want to minimize advertising in your own group to about once a week, 2 times max, and that's if the content is fun.
There may be a loss in some members with the group admin transition because of loyalty, so don't end up losing more by making the group all about you. You want it to continue to be about your community, and contribute to it in a way that ends up rewarding you with clients. Now, if you can't purchase a group, I'm going to show you in the following modules how to create one on your own successfully, and will show you why it's important to have a niche based one. So if you haven't found your niche yet, be sure to do so as soon as possible!