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What You Must Do To Prevent Members Leaving Right Away
A little something to set the scene…
A while ago we booked a spa break at a very exclusive retreat.
I mean this place was gorgeous and very upper crust, and everyone there was doing their best to make it look like this was the kind of thing that they did every day of the week.
There was beautiful marble everywhere in the reception foyer and you know it’s an exclusive place when the receptionist needs a personality transplant 
.
Anyway, we were a little early so we decided to grab a coffee in the lounge area until our room was ready.
As we walked into the lounge area though it felt like the whole bustling room fell silent (I’m sure it wasn’t really like that, but that’s what it felt like!).
We were the only people there not dressed in the resorts white robes and slippers and we stood out like a sore thumb.
Needless to say we felt totally awkward as we hurried our coffees down and couldn’t wait to get out of there.
I’ll be honest we were a little peeved that nobody had given us the heads up that most people in that area of the spa get changed first.
We would have really appreciated a little guidance on what to expect.
And so to your Facebook group…
It’s exactly the same when new members show up inside your Facebook group.
If they’re made to feel uncomfortable because they don’t know what to expect or what they’re allowed to do then they’re going to be looking for the exit as soon as possible.
This means that all of your effort to attract this person to your group will have been for nothing.
So what can you do about it?
Well the first thing we need to do is create an announcement post to let members know the lay of the land.
If you want to see an example of ours CLICK HERE:
They need to know what to expect from the group, what’s allowed and, most importantly, what they’re going to get from being there.
If the initial user experience is a good one then people will come back over and over again.
If not then they won’t, it’s that simple.
How to do it.
*Tip* – This will be much easier on a desktop machine than a mobile device.
Create a post the way you usually would, and publish the post .
Then go back to the post and click on the three little dots in the upper right hand corner.
Select the ‘make announcement’ feature and you’re all set.
Now this post will show up as your announcement post and everyone who comes to your group can see it.
What you should have there.
It’s unreasonable to pull someone up for breaking the rules if you don’t tell them what the rules of the group are.
For example, are you going to allow members to self promote?
Are you going to allow them to go live inside your group?
Do you have set working hours when people can reach you?
Then you need to have these terms clearly laid out so people know what you expect of them as members.
Do you have any free giveaways that you could link to here in order to grow your email list?
Do you have any links to offers that your members may appreciate?
If so, this can be a great place to put them because it’s easy to steer your members back to.
The #1 thing we want to avoid.
If you’ve ever been made to feel stupid (I know I have!) or been embarrassed in front of others then you know how you’d do pretty much anything to get out of that situation.
Imagine if getting out of such a situation was as simple as a mouse click.
Would you do it?
I know I would.
The last thing we want to do is to make our members feel like they’re boing berated or made to look stupid because they did something that you don’t allow and you called them out on it.
ESPECIALLY if you weren’t clear on the rules.
Even if you were, it’s all about how you handle the situation.
If you come across a first time offender, gently steer them back to the rules and explain why you don’t allow certain activities inside your group.
Yes, it’s your group and we would never advise letting people flout the rules repeatedly, but remember that new members need direction and guidance.
Before long they’ll feel totally comfortable inside your community and some will even help keep an eye on the group for you as admins.
Did you find this article helpful?
Let me know in the comments section below.
Steve Harradine
I help home business owners and online experts build their Facebook tribe, dial in their message and automate their sales process using organic methods so they never have to beg people to buy.
With online false claims and under-delivery of promised results becoming the norm for many right now, I believe that honest, relationship based business promotion is the way forward for anyone looking to build an online brand.
I’ve worked with thousands of business owners to help them ‘find their voice’ to clarify their message, as well as show them how to make offers in the most natural and efficient way.
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2 thoughts on “What you must do to prevent members leaving right away”
Wow. This is the first info I have ever seen that explains all the whys of doing this and your real life analogy about the spa makes it crystal clear!! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it Fiona 🙂