2018 has (so far) been a big year for talking about Facebook groups. It’s been a VERY hot topic. I’ve done client sessions where we have talked about how to close down long-standing groups, how to create new groups, and how to get the engagement happening in groups that aren’t doing so well.

Every now and then I feel a little annoyed that there’s lots of talk out there about FB pages being dead, and that you need a group to get anywhere with Facebook. In my opinion, that is absolutely not true. My biz page is a happy little community, buzzing with engagement and interactions between me and my followers, and between the followers themselves, too. Whilst I do have a FB group, if I wasn’t in a biz that focuses on FB marketing, I wouldn’t need one.
There’s PLENTY of groups out there, and you probably don’t need to add another one. There are a lot of Facebook group types, but in this article I’m specifically talking about FB groups for female entrepreneurs. You know the ones, theme days, hashtags, once a week you can promote your stuff. There’s so many of them popping up left, right, and centre. I’d like to think I’m pretty good at managing my time on Facebook but the sheer volume of groups makes even MY eye twitch.

I am an advocate for using groups for your paid programs as a platform for your members to connect, and other groups for other purposes. But do we really need another group to add to the growing list? I think not.

Here’s 16 reasons not to start another Facebook group for female entrepreneurs:

1. Facebook group overwhelm is a REAL thing
2. There’s more than enough groups out there already
3. FB group management takes a LOT of time and energy
4. You do not need to have you own group to become a leader in your field
5. Setting up a group is easy, MAINTAINING it takes time, energy and a lot of effort
6. Getting a group to flourish, and have others posting without you prompting them takes time
7. Your friends and biz connections might feel obliged to contribute to your group, and this can add to their overwhelm. I only recommend showing up in 3 groups for marketing purposes, is your group worth it for THEM?
8. Just because there isn’t a group that focuses on YOUR thing, doesn’t mean there isn’t already an established group where you can lead the conversation around your thing
9. Group for entrepreneurial women with hashtags and theme days are a dime a dozen
10. Business owners are busy, why would someone choose invest their energy in a group of 200 over a group of 2,000 and reach fewer people?
11. Running a group is NOT a solution to a shitty FB biz page
12. Starting a group will not fix poor reach on your page, because your page will get even LESS love and attention when you’re establishing a group
13. Too many people want to shut their groups down but feel guilty, so keep on pushing, which adds to their stress and overwhelm
14. An entrepreneurial group is NOT about you, it’s about providing a space for everyone to contribute
15. You group should not just be you talking about your stuff
16. MOST groups are created to fill a gap in THAT person’s biz (that could usually be filled with their FB page), but creates overwhelm for everyone

Leave it to the experts. Go and make the most out of an established group, and save yourself the time, energy and effort of curating your own. It’s a LOT easier. Trust me. And of this article has got you thinking that perhaps your group is more effort than it’s worth, it’s TOTALLY ok to close it down. Mitle Southey recently closed her Facebook group, and she did it beautifully – with grace and honour.

If after ALL this, you still want to create your own, that’s ok. Be aware of what’s involved, and be prepared!