WeChat groups are only six pits away from “lively start” to “digital cemetery”. This article uses three years of practical practice to dismantle the minefield that 99% of group leaders will step on, and gives ideas for avoiding pitfalls: finding souls, screening people, controlling scale, and creating mechanisms. After reading for three minutes, decide whether to press “Create Group Chat”.
How many groups have you added to your WeChat account now? Is it too much to count?
Let’s just say that aside from the work group, how many are active in the non-work WeChat group?
How many do you often watch?
How many of you will often speak in it?
However, how many are put into the “folding group message”? (Everyone who understands understands, this is the last dignity of all living beings)
To tell you the truth, since I started writing official accounts, I have successively set up dozens of WeChat groups outside of work in the past three years. There are hundreds of those who join.
These groups are phased (such as short-term activities, training camps, etc.), targeted to a certain type of group of people (typical representatives of family groups, small groups between friends, hobbies, and industry exchanges), tool groups built for a certain purpose (bargaining groups, spelling groups, wool groups, etc.), and activities (reading clubs, lectures, etc.).
Most of these groups are free, and there are a few paid ones, but now it seems that there is not much difference in the operating logic and actions inside.
Although there are so many groups, the group leaders are all sworn at the beginning of the group’s establishment, in full swing and passionate. But the reality is skinny, and there are really not many things that can breathe every day, let alone the content that can leave a little value.
So, why did most of the group eventually fall silent and become digital cemeteries?
I found that in fact, when they were first established, they had already been silently laid in the groundwork. As the saying goes, planning is done before taking action, and everything is done in advance and is not abandoned.
Let’s talk about the “community operation” that I combine from the perspective of a user and the perspective of a group owner.
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I hope to give a little down-to-earth inspiration to all group leaders, group managers, or partners who are thinking about “self-reliance portal” to create a new world.
Even if you are just a professional diver, I hope you can meet a destination worthy of your high-quality “fishing”!
The “governing philosophy” of different group owners is very different, and the styles are even more bizarre: some people treat the group as their own living room and are crazy about themselves, some take it for granted without researching users, and more rely on a passion (Jiao) (Lv) that has nowhere to put it to support it, and it is tiring to watch.
So, let’s first make a simple classification of WeChat groups.
1. Several types of WeChat communities
1. Because of work (have to be added): department group, project group, customer communication group… The power of life and death of this group is not in your hands, and the desire to survive is the biggest driving force.
“Useful” is the core value, and information update is a lifesaver.
2. Because of hobbies (similar interests): fishing group, baking group, game black group, running group, mountain climbing group… A gathering place for true love!
Everyone gets together because of the same “pit”, so naturally there is a topic. The group can learn techniques, post results, and make appointments, and the atmosphere is usually the most relaxed (because no one forces you to come).
Common enthusiasm is the glue, but if the organization is not good, it is easy to become a distribution center for emoticons.
3. Because of growth (seeking change and progress): reading club group, writing camp group, financial learning group, skill check-in group, industry exchange… “Roll” pickled vegetables gathering place!
Everyone comes in with the goal of improving themselves, the sense of value of this type of group is the most important, and the dry content, supervision mechanism, and boss sharing are the soul. Once you feel that you can’t learn something or can’t achieve your goals, the cold field rate is very high (“I can’t roll it up, take my leave!”) ”）。
4. Because of the family (blood suppression): blind date love family, X community owner group, X class parent group… An inescapable sense of responsibility (or gossip).
The amount of information here is huge, from water and power outages to neighbor quarrels. Activity is seriously polarized, and the efficiency of information release is the key.
5. Because of entertainment (picture is fun): emoticon group, melon eating group, fan circle gossip group, talking about the world, complaining about the leader, etc… It’s simply your happy hometown!
Its core is relaxed, interesting and stress-free, without too deep thinking, and sharing happiness and instant complaining are the mainstream. However, the topic switches very quickly, and if you are not careful, you will fall behind a few hundred, and it is easy to swipe the screen, and once there are more than four or five participants, the situation is not easy to control.
6. Because of the goal (walking together): weight loss mutual aid group, early check-in group, XX project tackling group, speech training… These can be said to be the test fields of the spirit of the contract! Everyone has a clear common goal (even if it’s just a 21-day check-in), and the phased, or task-oriented, and goal-oriented is very strong. The life cycle of the group often coincides with the cycle of achieving goals.
The goal is clear and sustainable, and the group is alive; If the goal is vague or ineffective, the group will be Shi.
We will find that any community with a bit of a kind will have at least one “soul”, that is, the common denominator, and all users are running for this “soul”, which is the foundation and starting point of building a group.
But! It’s not enough to find the “soul”, we have to weigh it: Is this “soul” replaceable for the group members? Is it scarce?
For example, in an “Internet industry information exchange group”, the group owner only publishes open class advertisements and articles that can be found everywhere on the Internet, then this “information” is too easy to be replaced by official accounts, Zhihu, and Knowledge Planet, and the scarcity is almost zero. If you add it, it may be just multiple “read”, and it is easy to sink into the sea.
Therefore, when building a group, don’t pat your head, just do what you say when you get emotional. There is no cost to the WeChat group, and there is no price to follow up on the group, but the key is that it will damage your energy and judgment.
Then the next step is value perception.
Because of the value and the operation content in the follow-up group (what dry goods?) What are the activities? What’s the surprise? ) is strongly correlated. The group members only came in and soaked for a while, and they really experienced the “benefits” (learning new things, getting to know the cows, grabbing discounts, and getting in a better mood…). ), and then he would say, “Well, this group is good, we have to keep it.” ”
2. Several types of motivations for building groups
(The little ninety-nine in the heart of our group leader)
The group owner pulls the group, not to be full, usually drives us to press the “create group chat” button, there are mainly several types of ideas:
1. Connection driver: “I want to do something with them!” ”
The core is to find someone to play, communicate with people, and find people to huddle.
It may be that you want to bring readers together, or let offline friends have an online base, or simply want to meet more people with the same hobbies. This motivation naturally carries a bit of social enthusiasm and a need for belonging.
2. Value/influence driven: “What can I give them!” ”
I feel like I have something to share, or I have the ability to organize something to help a group of people. For example, you are a baking master and want to teach beginners; You are a senior in the industry and want to lead the wave; You are Lei Feng, a living person in the community, and you want to organize community activities.
The sense of accomplishment comes from “being needed” and “being recognized”.
3. Business driven: “By the way… Earn some? How much cost to amort? ”
Hope to accumulate users, serve customers, and even monetize. It is common in knowledge payment, product user services, and local service providers (such as yoga studios, gym members).
This kind of group has clearer goals and the highest requirements for the professionalism and sustainability of operations, because once everyone pays, or once you want to take some money from everyone’s pocket, the expectation of “return on value” will increase exponentially! There is also a high probability of being scolded if you mess up.
4. Task-driven: “I want to be vigorous…”
Passive, built to complete tasks or meet specific communication needs. For example, temporary activity groups and travel service groups. It is purposeful and cyclical, and the relationship between group members is usually loose. Build fast and disperse quickly (disband/silence when the mission is completed).
5. Imitation driven: “Oh, XX also has a group?” Then I’ll do one too! ”
Afraid of missing the outlet, watching others do it too, or when someone says, I think it’s right, then fix it? The starting point is relatively vague, and there may only be a vague idea of what to do and how to do it in the group.
This group is most likely to quickly “lie down” after the passion retreats.
It’s important to recognize your motivations! This directly determines how much energy you are willing to spend, how long you can last, and the future direction of the group.
If you want to play purely and those who want to make money, the operation style must be very different.
3. Who are the target users?
(Don’t be greedy, find the right person!) ）
Many people build groups and are prone to the mistake of “everyone wants it”, and as a result, there are all voices in the group, and in the end no one is uncomfortable.
Think about who your “soul” really attracts? Don’t simplify “want to engage in a study group” to “all those who want to learn”.
Think about a more accurate portrait: Is it a newcomer to the workplace who wants to learn introductory Excel? Or do entrepreneurs need efficient management? Or is it a middle-aged mother who learns to do a side hustle? Is it a senior fishing friend exchange technique? Or is it a novice to bring introductory information? Is it a hard-core academic party that studies advanced mathematics? Or do you just want to learn some financial knowledge, capital preservation and appreciation?
The more focused the user characteristics, the easier it is to focus on the topic and the easier it is to adjust the atmosphere.
If you force a novice who has just entered the workplace and a VP with an annual salary of one million into the same “career development group”, there is a high probability that the novice will not dare to speak, and the boss will not have time to watch.
Once the “self-driven ecology” in the group is not established and only depends on the group owner’s hard work to maintain it, then the group will not live long.
So, think about whose pain points your group can best solve? Whose core needs are met? What age group are these people? What is your professional background? What are online habits like? (For example, mothers may be active after their children sleep, and office workers mainly bubble up during lunch breaks and on the way home from work).
The more you know them, the more you can speak to their hearts, and the activities will make them willing to participate.
Of course, the user profiles considered by different groups vary greatly, so I won’t give examples, just put forward a call, hoping that we can have a “low-threshold” screening mechanism for group friends to ensure the probability of subsequent activity.
4. How to set the size of the community?
(Is it really that bigger is better?) ）
Many people think that the bigger the group, the better it is. A large group of 500 people listens to it and is majestic! But the truth is:
Small group (less than 50 people)
Strong acquaintance and high participation. Like a small team, everyone easily remembers each other and gradually becomes familiar with each other. The topic is easy to focus and communicate deeply, making it suitable for groups that require strong interaction and consistent goals (such as project tackling, core interest groups, and high-value paid groups in the early stages).
Middle group (50-200 people)
The resources are richer and the atmosphere is relatively active. It’s the comfort zone for most well-run communities. It can not only ensure a certain breadth of topics, but also maintain a certain sense of order and participation through the guidance of administrators. It is ideal for interest groups, learning groups, and target groups.
Large groups (more than 200 people)
Large amount of information and wide potential connections. It is suitable for publishing information, warming up for large-scale events, and brand promotion.
But the drawbacks are obvious: active group messages are flooded too quickly, the information is noisy, it is easy to deviate into flooding chat or advertising, and the sense of belonging is weak (who are you?). Who @me again? ), the difficulty of management is increased (advertising dogs and trolls may appear at any time).
Therefore, the larger the group, the easier it is to move towards the ending of “diving-oriented, only the administrator issues notices”.
Therefore, let’s think deeply about a question from a different perspective:
Why do we speak in groups (except for social cattle)?
After observing for a long time, I found that non-social cows usually need to meet one or more of the following conditions when speaking:
1. There is an important information release/demand: “Water outage notice!” “I am eager for an XX document template!” “Vote for the date!” “Help!”.
2. Be clear @ or have feedback expectations: You just know the answer to other people’s questions, or the administrator specially welcomes/asks questions.
3. See a strong resonance point: Someone says something or posts a picture/joke that pokes your heart, not +1 is not happy.
4. Low-threshold interaction: such as simple voting, solitaire, grabbing red envelopes, rainbow farts in the boasting group, and emoticon responses.
5. Strong trust and security: feel that the group environment is friendly and do not worry about being ridiculed or despised for saying the wrong thing (this is most difficult to achieve in unfamiliar, large, or “elite gathering” groups).
6. Have clear roles and tasks: For example, if you are a student on duty, administrator, sharing guest, or event organizer, it is your responsibility to speak.
Therefore, if you want to keep the group not deserted, you have to think about how to lower the threshold for speaking and create opportunities and environments for “having to” or “wanting” to speak.
5. Common mistake cases
(Lessons of blood and tears!) ）
Seeing too many groups, including those that I messed up with my own hands (and those who were crazy about stepping on the edge of the pit), I summarized several typical “death poses”:
(1) Unplanned expansion: blindly superimposing themes!
Symptoms: The group owner had a good initial intention and built a “self-improvement group”. It’s good to start talking about reading, and then feel that reading alone is not enough, “Well, add a fitness check-in area!” Do you feel that everyone is still anxious? Let’s share some financial knowledge! Want to liven up the atmosphere? Organize an offline event tomorrow, if you want to participate, register “… As a result, no one responded, and the group chat became a hodgepodge.
Consequences: The group loses its core positioning, and members cannot find the “prescribed actions”. I want to talk about the impatience of reading, and I feel too low to discuss stocks. In the end, users who really want to communicate in depth silently dive or leave the group, and the group becomes a hotbed of meaningless chatter or advertising. The group leader is helpless, why didn’t my enthusiasm work?
The core problem: forget what your “soul” is, you can’t chew too much.
(2) Borderless chat: the topic is infinitely divergent!
Symptoms: The group rules are vague or ineffective. After everyone talks about High, the topic is like a wild horse that runs off the reins, naturally jumping from topic A to BCD, and finally talking about the Pacific Ocean (such as the reading group talking about what they ate at noon, complaining about the leader, and even discussing the shortcomings of parents).
Occasionally it’s okay, but for a long time, the group theme is diluted.
Consequences: Members who are not interested in group topics but are keen to chat about idle days are active, and members who pursue core values are gradually disappointed and silent. The group has become no different from any roadside tea stall, and “no nutrition” and “waste of time” have become reasons for leaving the group.
Core problems: lack of guidance and boundary setting, and failure to identify and limit when it is about to get out of control, and fail to maintain the core value bottom line.
(3) Pay without trust: talk about money and hurt feelings!
Symptoms: The group has just been established for a few days, the atmosphere is not warm, everyone’s faces are not familiar yet, and the group owner/administrator suddenly throws out a paid course, paid activity or distribution link (especially before there is any foreshadowing or value contribution).
Consequences: Trust breaks down instantly! Everyone felt like they were being treated as leeks. At best, it is embarrassing to be cold, and “no one picks up the stubble” is the most euphemistic protest; At worst, they will be directly angry or leave the group on the spot. Follow-up operation is extremely difficult.
The core problem: the social and trading fields are confused, and users want to harvest before they build trust and perceive value. Paid groups must first have free accumulation or proof of value.
(4) No leading appeal: expect the group members to “be self-high”!
Symptoms: After a few days of lively activities at the beginning of the group, the group leader felt that it was done and left it alone. Or throw a topic (such as “What do you think about this?”) “Let’s start practicing XXX in the group every day tomorrow”) Then no one responded, or only spoke sporadically, and quickly sank to the bottom.
Consequences: Slowly the group is lifeless, and occasionally someone asks questions and sinks into the sea. The cold start failed, and everyone’s appeal and call to the group leader were no longer taken seriously, and it was difficult to carry out follow-up activities.
Core problem: Gross underestimation of operating costs and failure to understand the key role of group owners/administrators as “tinders” and “connectors” in the early (or even long-term) stages. “Rule by doing nothing” only applies to mature communities, and the new group must “burn firewood” with heart.
(5) Shake people aimlessly: pull people to make up just to support the field!
Symptoms: In order to quickly reach a certain scale (such as the psychological threshold of making up enough red envelopes for 200 people), or feeling that there are too many people, they indiscriminately attract people into the group on a large scale (especially let group friends pull people). As a result, the people in the group have a variety of backgrounds, do not know each other, and do not know what this group does.
Consequences: The group was confused, “What kind of group is this?” “Who am I? Where am I? It became a common question. The sense of trust and common language foundation are extremely poor, and it is almost impossible to have meaningful interactions except to come in to say hello and grab a red envelope. It’s easy to evolve into dead or chaotic ad groups.
Core problems: The starting point of group building is wrong, the seed user is improperly selected or the introduction mechanism is out of control. It ignores that communities exist based on a sense of identity based on common ground.
(6) No design communication: Do you think I am your roundworm?
Symptoms: Publishing a message, rules, activity, etc., which makes people say they can’t understand it. Either it’s too long to be too lazy to read; Either too short a bunch of questions; Or the cost of consulting is high, and you have to throw me a document for a picture. These formal contents cannot allow group members to obtain the most critical information with the simplest thinking.
Consequences: If you don’t understand, don’t read it, don’t read it in the future, fold, goodbye in the rivers and lakes.
Core problem: Using the simplest words and forms to convey the most critical information is the most important goal of “micro-communication” in community operations.
So, what should be done? (Soul Torture)
Hey, to be honest, it’s hard to say! WeChat community operation, there is really no “sunflower treasure book” that is fresh all over the world, it is a set of fine work.
To sum it up briefly, I think it is these three points:
First: Continuously design and update your own gameplay based on your goals, your group characteristics, the operational actions you design, and the feedback you give to users.
Second: Through the leadership of the group owner, an active mechanism is formed, driving several loyal users, and gradually forming a psychological mapping through a sense of value, so that everyone will think of this group when something happens.
Third: Building a group depends on the group owner, being active depends on the mechanism, and continuing to be active depends on the acquisition of community culture and value.
How to do it, hey, I actually don’t know (be serious, climb along the network cable to thousands of households).
Finally, I would like to give you a question:
How much motivation do you have for a community outside of work (built purely by your passion, your ideals, some kind of drive of yours) to continue to operate for a year or more?
If this source of power is not solid enough (such as just trying to make a fresh picture, imitate it, or want to monetize quickly), then …… Don’t really ask too much of yourself, it’s good to play with fate (don’t blame yourself!). Many groups originally have a natural life cycle).
Otherwise, the passion will recede, and the time, energy and disappointment invested will make you feel very uncomfortable, so – there is another “dead group” in the world, and it has become a member of the “folding group news” in other people’s lists.
And you, adding another valuable failure experience, because it doesn’t seem to bring you any value and gain, but eats away at the trust of strangers.
Written at the end
After talking so much, I especially want to hear your sharing:
Which WeChat group you have been in is particularly well operated? Why did it survive and live well?
What does it do right?
