By Gregg Hollmann, “Party Professional”
As the owner of a multi-system DJ company, it’s important to stay in close communication with my staff of twenty performers. In the past I’ve found that sending group emails was not particularly effective. Because people’s email inboxes were clogged (I receive about 200 of them every day), few of my DJs were responding to or interacting with my email messages.
As a solution, I launched a secret Facebook page earlier this year called “Ambient DJ Service Shop Talk.” The mission statement of the page is “A Secret Group Where We Can Enjoy Unfiltered Shop Talk.” The results from the company Facebook page have been fantastic because participation is extremely high!
Your DJ company can also benefit from a secret Facebook group where ideas and opinions are freely exchanged away from the public at large.
Secret Group Vs. Closed Group
A secret group on Facebook differs from a closed group. The difference is that closed groups can be seen by the public, while secret groups can’t. If you create a closed group, the name of it, its members, and its description can be seen by the public (basically everything but the posts). Having a secret group also insulates you from spammers.
To start a secret group on Facebook: a) click on the Home tab, b) click on “Groups” found on the left-hand column of the page, c) click on the “+Create Group” green tab located on the top right, d) select the “Connect and Share” option, e) enter a name for your group, invite members and be sure to select “Secret Group” under privacy options.
Listed below are some of the ways that my company uses our secret Facebook group:
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To Candidly Share our DJ Experiences. For example, one DJ from our group wanted to vent about a senior citizen who mistreated him at a job. Another had food thrown at him at a tween party. These are the type of stories my company wouldn’t want to share publicly on Facebook. In our group, the more experienced DJs in our group offer advice and encouragement to the newer DJs.
- To Share Song Ideas. I will often ask for song ideas for a theme or genre and within a couple of hours I receive numerous ideas from my staff. We used this technique to very quickly compile a unique Halloween party playlist.
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To Present Job Opportunities. Last minute job leads are common, and posting these opportunities on our secret Facebook page always generates a quick response.
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To Conduct Polls. There is an app on Facebook that allows you to poll group members on any question you wish. As a business owner, I want to be tuned in to the opinions and feelings of my staff.
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To Get to Know Each Other on a More Personal Level. The candid conversations occurring on our private Facebook Page help to draw out the true personalities of the members. In addition, I was surprised to find out that certain members of my staff were extremely knowledgeable in specialized areas like lighting, technology and musical genres.
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To Provide Training Opportunities. I post links to educational podcasts and articles that I feel will be beneficial to the professional development of my staff.
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To Communicate Goals, Expectations, Standards and Other Company Information. As a DJ business owner, it’s important to me that my staff stay informed on the issues I want them to know and act upon.
In summary, if you’d like to communicate with your company’s staff privately on a popular social media platform, and you’re tired of the chaotic and ego-charged conversations that occur in many public DJ groups, then a secret Facebook group may be the perfect solution for you!
