5 tips to create engaging groups on ND Social
ND Social was created with two goals in mind—connection and community. We are proud to offer an inclusive place for nurses in all stages of their careers. But just as nurses work across so many different roles and capacities, their interests vary considerably, too. For that reason, we offer a group feature on ND Social—a chance for anyone interested to create their own little niche space to interact with their fellow nurses over any topic they please.
If you’ve created a group—awesome! But you may be finding yourself struggling with how to get your group up and running. Social media engagement can be challenging—both to initiate and to maintain. The good news is that there are several proven strategies you can employ in order to get your group up and at ‘em!
1. Authenticity + vulnerability = meaningful engagement
People connect in the valleys of life. As nurses we have an empathy compass built-in, so engaging authentically is something we do from muscle memory. Use your ability to dip below surface chatter to your group’s advantage! Don’t be afraid to “go there” on tender topics. Yes, you may have to be the first to share, but the more personal and vulnerable you allow yourself to be, the more people will reflect that back to you, and each other. And they’ll keep coming back for more.
2. Conversation: the power of “with” vs “to”
Social groups are created so that people have a place to go where others just “get” them. But the magic of groups happens when many voices come together. In other words, don’t just talk to your group, talk with them. Here you must break out your stellar rapport-building nurse skills: think open-ended questions, encouraging members to tell you more, and positively acknowledging those who do speak up by responding to them meaningfully and quickly. As the group’s creator, you set the tone for how the group supports one another. In the beginning, that will require some heavy lifting on your part, but in time, others should follow suit and allow you to back away from the time commitment this requires somewhat.
3. Make the ask
People love to be helpful, and nurses especially so. If you aren’t seeing the level of engagement on your group that you’d like, don’t be afraid to ask your fledgling community for their help! By asking the group directly for their opinions, suggestions for topics, or simply to make posts about what interests them, you provide your group with concrete ways to participate. This strategy plants the seeds to facilitate a flow of budding conversations to happen. Sometimes it really is as simple as asking for what you want.
4. Be a matchmaker
Crafting an engaging group that has a certain feel to it can take a bit of finesse. Think of it almost like dating! “Flirt” with your members; ask questions about them, look for things you can compliment them on, and point out what you admire. Use their name in conversation—even when typed, “hearing” one’s name is inherently attractive! Just make sure you go about using “tactics” like these authentically! (No one wants smoke blown up their ass(ets), and nurses have an especially perceptive BS detector.)
Once you’ve gotten to know your group members a bit more, it’s time to put on your matchmaker hat. Think of those with similar experiences and stories—really anything they have in common or that you think they would be interested to learn about one another works here—and make the introductions! It might be awkward at first (what world of dating isn’t?) but people will be touched that a) you remember these small details about them and b) you thought of them outside of your direct interactions together.
5. Contests, polls, surveys
Again, people looooooove to share their opinions and personal experiences! Utilizing contests, polls and surveys just capitalizes on this characteristic in a structured way. Let’s say you’ve created a group for ICU nurses. Try holding a contest for the grossest vent story—that’s one topic nurses always have a lot to chime in on. The winner needn't actually win anything besides bragging rights, and everyone will have fun sharing their gloopy, gloppy stories! You can also create surveys asking about favorite nursing-gear brands, or polls about what self-care rituals people like to engage in. Don’t overthink it—just cast a wide net and you’ll soon see what excites your particular group of nurses!
We hope these tips give you some fresh inspiration and motivation to step up your group game! Although it can be time-consuming to get a social media group up and running, it pays off once you see your members interacting with one another without needing you to run interference. Remember, people joined your group for a reason—it’s up to you to give them a reason to stay!