1. Just get going

You won’t start growing a Facebook community and learning what works and what doesn’t until you actually dip your toe in the water and get going.

2. Find a topic people care about

Yes, you’re trying to create a group to help your business. But make it all about you and you won’t have success in attracting people. Choose a hot or enduring topic or theme relevant to your industry, and you’ll have a much better chance at attracting and sustaining a community. Some examples: the Marketing 2.0 group the Bordeaux Colloquium focus on sustainability, the American Association for the Advancement of Science,

3. Be careful (i.e., be smart)

Don’t “spam” your Facebook group. By joining your group members have indicated their interest in connecting. Don’t turn them off by overwhelming them with self-interested messages.

4. Rewards help

Encourage participation by making special offers; e.g., discounts on your products or services for members of the Facebook group.

5. Create connection points

Enable and encourage personal connections between members by finding out and highlighting what individuals in the group are doing, working on, investing their time and energy in.

6. Create outreach programs

Reach out to other groups both on and off Facebook, to create and deepen affinity relationships with others.

7. Give the community a heartbeat

Invite interesting players in your industry to regularly scheduled events such as conference calls and webinars. Or create a contests, competitions, and surveys that involve members and drive participation.

8. Identify, appoint, and nurture ambassadors

Keep an eye out for particularly engaged members and then enlist their help in building and supporting the group. Appoint them as administrators, give them greater standing, and empower them to make decisions and promote the community.

9. Your name matters

What you call your group is important – choose a name, and by extension a topic and theme that people want to identify with and you’ll propel your growth by an order of magnitude. Think hard about your industry or category and try to key off a hot topic or emerging trend.

10. Watch what others are doing

There are some well-documented cases of companies successfully using Facebook groups. Among them: WorkLight Serena Software, Ernst & Young, and Towers Perrin. Study what they and others are doing and try out new ideas.