I did it myself for a long time until I did this
My Facebook group on cool serial numbers now has 22,288 members.
I'm glad they're members, and seeing what people post is always a pleasant part of my day.
Unfortunately, I missed a key opportunity to ask most of them why they joined.
As the group grew, I got pickier who joined.
Starting out I had a basic set of rules that I wanted people to follow to keep things friendly and orderly.
As more members came in, I added to, and clarified, the rules. Eventually I took the group private (it started out as a public group).
Some time later, I made it a requirement that new members agree to the group rules. I used to message prospective members back if they didn't accept the rules, but now I don't even do that. In fact, I have an automatic rule that declines their request after an hour if they don't agree to the rules.
Admitting people to the group is where the opportunity lies.
It was only a few months ago that we started asking more questions of prospective members when they asked to join.
This is what we asked before:
- Will you remember to make sure that when you submit a photo to post that you submit it Horizontally?
The choices were “Yes” and “Ohhhh Horizontally…. Yes, OK I will!” (There wasn't a “No” option. It was already part of the rules that we make them agree to, but emphasizing this one goes a long way for our sanity.)
We ask two more questions now.
First, I ask this question now to get a gauge of skill level / experience:
- My experience / level of interest with currency is:
- I am just starting / curious
- I've collected for a while / know a thing or two
- I've collected for a long time / knowledgeable
- I am a currency dealer
- I own the BEP
(No one has given the last choice yet. It's a joke choice anyway, haha!)
The other question is open-ended but occasionally very insightful.
The second new question we ask is this one:
- Why do you want to join Cool Serial? Please be specific.
I don't require an answer to this question yet, but often people will give a decent answer. Typical responses are:
- I'm here to learn about fancy serial numbers
- I have some bills to show off
- I want to know what my bill is worth
- I like looking through my bills
- I'm hoping to get my questions answered
- I have some bills I want to sell
Somewhat recently, I got a very interesting response to this question, and it was one I didn't expect.
The new member spoke of OCD. They spoke about it in a way that suggested this was the real deal and not at all the same thing as being anal or meticulous out of habit.
The person likes numbers, and the currency collecting makes the OCD feel more normal, in a way.
Huh. Didn't see that one coming. It's edifying that the group may become a healthy way to cope with something they can't change.
And I likely never would have found that out if I hadn't asked the question!
Facebook gives you three questions. Use them!
There was no good reason for me not to use all three questions for as long as I did.
There will never be a better time to get information about your members than when they're asking to join. The fact that the moderation team can approve or decline their membership is reason to give a good answer. Having been on the receiving end, I make sure I answer all of the questions completely and honestly if it's a group I want to join!
One important note: If you want to keep track of the responses to these questions, you need to write them down when you approve their request. The responses disappear immediately and are inaccessible after approving the member. I wish Facebook would give access to the responses after the member has been accepted, but they don't.
Some good questions to ask:
- How experienced they are with the topic of the group
- What they expect to learn or get out of the group
- How they heard about the group
- Would they like to sign up for a newsletter (bold!)
Get some insights from your members when they're eager to join!
You have one opportunity to do this. Be sure to take it!
Thanks for reading!
Join 300+ savvy people who receive my Solid Cash Tips newsletter for regular insights on side hustling and saving money, with a generous portion of productivity, habit-building and working smarter! Oh … and there's a free ebook in it for you!
header photo by Sarah Kilian