by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28

Community, comradery, and conversation—three c’s that motivate us to join a group, whether it’s in person or online. Through this pandemic, I have never been as grateful for technology and the way it connects us. And the Facebook groups I’m in? Priceless. A way to stay connected. A way to keep in touch with friends. And readers. 

How can we use a private Facebook group to connect with our readers or potential readers? When we make a group “private” instead of “public,” group posts cannot be seen by non-members, giving a bit of seclusion. We can create a private place for members to share about life and receive encouragement. To create new friends for the journey.

If you have never started a group like this, consider these five reasons to begin now. If you already have one, did these reasons motivate you? 

5 Reasons to Start a Facebook Group to Connect with Readers

1. In a group like this, we can make friends with people who have similar interests or trials. 

Who are you trying to reach with your message? Groups form from a common interest or a common struggle. Are you seeking to help moms with young children? Start a group so they can see how many other moms have the same challenges they do. Are you trying to reach women who are hurting? Let them find comradery as they share prayer requests and Bible verses that have helped them. 

Think about your target audience and their greatest concerns. Can you start a private Facebook group to give them a forum? A safe place to discuss life’s challenges and how God helps us through them? 

2. We can ask questions about our go-to topics to start discussions.

I love hearing from other people what they know about God and life with Him. Their insights about His Word stick with me. 

In a Facebook group, share questions that stir up discussion about your favorite topics. Share Bible verses, a little application, and a related question. With each post, ask them to share their experiences, insights, or favorite Bible verses on the topic. 

3. We can share encouragement through memes, videos, and Facebook live videos.

Social media is about building relationships, not necessarily promoting our writing. Part of building friendships is sharing encouragement for everyday life. We’re there for each other. We care. I’ve seen group leaders (called admins on Facebook) share memes, but I’ve also seen group members encourage each other with posts.

Create memes using quotes from your blog posts and books. Capture a snippet of encouragement, and use a program like Canva.com to create an eye-catching meme.

But don’t stop there. I love seeing videos of encouragement. Give a face behind your message. Create short devotional videos, sharing a verse and application for life today. End the video with a question, like you would in a blog post, to generate some discussion.

You can even go live. In the status update box in a group, there’s a little button beckoning us to make a live video. That little red button with the video camera icon. When we use that, we can make a video, talking to our group, and members can comment. So it becomes a type of conversation. If we wanted to share weekly devotions, we could use this button to share “on the spot” and respond to comments in real time. 

4. We can commit to pray for each other.

I’ve seen whole groups started just to share prayer requests. It’s strengthening to know that someone else is praying for us. Members of group often face the same challenges and battles, so as people respond to a prayer need, they also “love on” the person who gave that prayer need.

5. In the group, we can share blog posts tailored for that specific audience.

As we write to encourage our preferred audience, we don’t have to search high and low for them. They’re in our group. We can share from the heart—share about how to trust God, depend on Him, go to Him for help, and find comfort in His presence. We can share that He is enough and His promises never fail. 

We have the awesome opportunity to share the Bible verses and stories that will help our group the most, and share insights God has taught us along life’s journey. 

So what do you think? Did any of these points give you ideas for your current group or make you want to start one? I treasure the friends I’ve made in Facebook groups, and I’m always eager to make new friends. I’ve found that we encourage each other, and when one friend feels down, another is ready to lift them up.

Which of these five reasons to start a group appeal the most to you? Which might you already enjoy in a Facebook group? Tell us in the comments below!

Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. She loves connecting with writers and working alongside them in compilations, such as Feed Your Soul with the Word of God, Collection 1 which is a 2020 Selah Awards finalist. She recently started The Lighthouse Connection, a monthly writers’ newsletter including writing tips, inspiration to write, and news of submission opportunities.

In addition to online magazines, Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, and three blogs on writing. She loves to spend time with family and friends, take acrylic painting classes online, and do yard work in the morning sun. Connect with her at her blog, Winning the Victory, and on Facebook and Twitter.