How Facebook Groups for Business Can Help Marketers Thrive

With all the new changes to the News Feed, organic reach has become almost non-existent on Facebook. It’s harder and harder to get the engagement you want unless you diversify your approach. Facebook Ads are an easy way to get engagement if you have the budget for it, but if you like the organic approach; we have an “engagement loophole” that ensures you can keep the engagement going despite the shifts in the news feed.

I’m sure Facebook Groups for Business are nothing new to you but have you taken full advantage of them? If you haven’t taken the dive into Facebook Groups, here are a few things you should know:

Collaboration is key

Traditional Facebook pages are sometimes considered a one-way broadcasting platform.  Facebook Groups, on the other hand, are used for open and equal discussion. They provide a more collaborative experience, allowing everyone in the group to participate.

You might think “oh, this will never work for me”… think again!

Facebook groups may not be ad-centric, but it gives you more of a chance to get to know and engage with your group. The members of your group have definite interests and topics they are discussing, which can give you incredible insight into what is relevant to them. This is a great way to engage and connect especially if your engagement levels are falling.

For example, one of our Health and Wellness clients wasn’t getting high engagement on their business page, so we suggested creating a Facebook Group around wellness tips. Their clients loved it! Members share recipes, workout ideas, inspirational quotes, and comments to encourage other members of the group. Start thinking of an area where you could collaborate with your clients – odds are, they’ll have something to say.

You have the power

You can decide on the type of group you would like to create, which gives you the power to gather information on whatever nook you are interested in learning more about. They are many reasons you might want to start a specific group such as:

• Product launches where you can gain interest and thoughts of potential customers
• Promoting an upcoming event and chatting with attendees
• Gathering feedback on an existing offer
• Getting people and excited about your cause

You can decide on what works for your company – you have endless possibilities of engagement.

Tip: You can decide whether or not you want your group set to private – open only to invited members – or public – open to everyone, so make sure you think about this before you begin.

Think about other groups as resources

Occasionally, you will find a Facebook Group that already exists within the niche you want to target. You can join as many of these as you wish – simply put in a request to join. Within these groups, you will find they already have an established audience, which means you can tap into that built-in audience without having to source them yourself.

To engage or not to engage?

As we said before, this is all about engaging with people – but you want to have the right kind of engagement. Just like you create quality content for your pages, you want to post good content for your groups, not blatant advertising. You should be taking part in discussions, answering questions, and gaining their trust – this will help start a buzz for your brand.

Tip: One benefit of using Facebook groups for Business is that new posts appear in more areas than just the News Feed like user notifications.

Is this the answer for you?

Now, we are not giving you a one-stop-shop miracle for all your marketing needs – simply some insight into a very compelling opportunity. Ultimately, these tips are a way to combat Facebook’s News Feed changes in meaningful ways.

Think about this: Groups are free and don’t take much time to set up. There is no risk in giving it a try to see if they work for you – explore your options, create your own, and increase your engagement!