How 'Welcome to Springfield' became the city's largest Facebook group, and what comes next

'What began as a pandemic resource has evolved into one of Springfield's largest virtual marketing businesses.

"Welcome to Springfield MO | Connecting YOU to OUR Community" is Springfield's largest community Facebook group with more than 65,000 members. Created as a place to share information about COVID-19 closures, the group continues to offer a space for public discussion, but it also operates as a functioning business.

As a public group, most members can post as often as they want for free, whether that means asking for advice on the best date night restaurant or what nonprofits are best for weekend volunteerism. However, posts made by businesses, business owners or associated employees are monitored, as they are considered advertisement by group owner Greg Bukovatz.

Prior to making a post in the group, a business must complete a business directory submission form on 417businesses.com, a website associated with the Facebook group. Each submission is cross-referenced to make sure the business is legitimate.

"Believe it or not, duct-cleaning businesses ... that is such a highly spammed business niche, and I bet we've had 50 different businesses that have tried to portray themselves as duct-cleaning services and they're nothing more than scam artists," Bukovatz said.

After completing the submission form, a business must choose one of four subscription plans, which determines how often they can post within the group:

• $6 per week for one post per week;

• $50 per month for unlimited posting;

• $500 annually for unlimited posting (includes two free months);

• Free to post once per month.

Member posts (residents and businesses) do not automatically show up in the Facebook group. Each must be individually approved. When a business submits a post for review, a moderator checks an internal spreadsheet made from the business directory submission form to ensure they have been vetted and are paying for a subscription.

Bukovatz said the reason he implemented a paid subscription plan for businesses was to avoid the group becoming an "ad fest."

"We didn't want it to turn into a place where people showed up everyday and they go, 'Oh boy. All I ever see is businesses promoting themselves," Bukovatz said. "We knew it would lose all of its traction and people would just be kind of bored."

Bukovatz said more than a thousand local businesses have completed the group's business directory submission form. He did not specify how many pay for advertising privileges.

Through Facebook Group Insights, which provide analytics to groups with more than 50 members, Bukovatz is able to access information like engagement rates and member demographics. This information is important to businesses who are looking to advertise to a specific market.

Bukovatz said 85-90% of the Welcome to Springfield members are active on a monthly basis, which is a high engagement rate for a group with so many members.

Michelle Nails & Spa, located on Battlefield Road, began advertising in the group a couple of months ago. Owner Steve Tran said a customer told him about the group, encouraging him to share his work.

Tran pays for the $50 a month subscription plan, giving him unlimited access to posting in the group. Although he hasn't noticed a significant increase in business, he said a few customers who have visited the shop mentioned seeing his posts in the group.

Profits made from the subscription plans are used to cover "various expenses" of managing the group, Bukovatz said. These expenses include hosting the 417 Businesses website, marketing the website and group online, and paying a few staff who help manage the group.

"The team members who are paid are not connected to the main moderator group and spend their time doing tasks that are time intensive, but boring and mundane," Bukovatz said. Paid staff work for Bukovatz's marking company, Ninja Bomb Marketing. Tasks include monitoring negative comments on viral posts in the group and vetting business directory submission forms.

Bukovatz said about 10-12 additional administrators and moderators help manage the group on a volunteer basis.

Bridging the gap between the digital and physical

In the new year, folks can expect to see physical, print advertisements for the group. Looking even further down the road, Bukovatz said he hopes to create a quarterly magazine that features the group's best posts, bridging the gap between digital and physical spaces.

"I want the public to be aware that we are working on ways to really make this Facebook Group more than just a Facebook Group," Bukovatz said.

Once upon a time, 'Welcome to Springfield: We're closed'

Robert Gary created the Facebook group, initially named "Welcome to Springfield: We're closed," in March 2020 as a way for residents to chime in about what restaurants were open and closed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and the city-issued stay-at-home order. The group grew quickly, gaining over 47,000 members in the first two weeks of its creation.

Bukovatz took notice of the group's expedited growth and reached out to Gary, asking how he could help.

More:What happens when your Facebook group turns into SGF's biggest COVID-19 community forum?

"Eventually, (Gary) saw his own future in a different light," Bukovatz said. "He wasn't quite sure if he was going to stay here in Springfield, so we started talking about what it would look like to move (the group) over to my ownership so to speak."

At the time, Gary also managed a Springfield business directory. Because Facebook groups cannot be sold from one person to another, Bukovatz purchased the directory from Gary and along with it, obtained ownership of "Welcome to Springfield: We're closed" during the summer of 2020.

The News-Leader reached out to Gary for a comment but was unsuccessful in reaching him.

Bukovatz said he decided to change the group's name because the group's function was evolving. As businesses began to reopen, discussion in the group changed from, "Where can I get toilet paper?" to "What activities are going on this weekend?"

But changing the group's name proved difficult. When a Facebook group surpasses 5,000 members, the name cannot be easily changed by the owner, Bukovatz said. For over a year, Bukovatz filed requests to Facebook asking for a name change before he was finally granted, "Welcome to Springfield MO | Connecting YOU to OUR Community."

Other Facebook groups serve niche communities

While Welcome to Springfield is the largest community Facebook group in the area, it's not the only one nor the oldest.

"You know your from Springfield, MO if you" was created in August 2011 and has a little over 20,000 members. Many of the posts in the group are similar to those in Welcome to Springfield, with members seeking advice about the best restaurants or services. But it also contains a fair number of history-oriented posts and Springfield-related memes.

More specific groups include "Springfield / Greene County Start Local," for discussion about local government, "The Heartbeat of Springfield Missouri," which aims to preserve Springfield history and "I love Springfield MO Food Group," where over 21,000 members share their opinions on the best (and sometimes worst) food in Springfield.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Facebook group evolves from pandemic resource to functioning business