How many Facebook Groups do you belong to? 1, 2, 2000?
Today, more than 500 million people use Facebook Groups monthly, with thousands of groups being created every day. Did you know that a single Facebook user can join up to 6000 groups? However, while managing a Facebook Page has become as essential as air for most businesses, not many brands understand and use the wealth of marketing opportunities provided by another powerful Facebook tool…GROUPS.
Are you struggling to generate engagement and reach due to recent Facebook’s algorithm changes? Seeking to foster a stronger sense of community around your brand? Or looking for a way to increase customer satisfaction and sales with word-of-mouth recommendations? You are in the right place to learn how to get there.
Every business has their secret weapon to bring in new customers, mine is Facebook Groups! Facebook Groups are all about providing an easy way to segment customers, create communities around specific products, provide a
In this Coaching Blog, I am going to show you how you too can utilize Facebook Groups to grow your business.
However, I want to start off with a quick word on the difference between a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group.
Facebook Group vs. Facebook Page
Groups are communities. They can nicely compliment your Facebook Page, however, they will never substitute it. A Facebook Page is like presenting your business card to the customers while a Facebook Group is more like having a coffee with them. Groups work like discussion forums, they allow members to actively generate group content, ask questions, post about events, follow conversations, share photo, links and much more. Facebook groups provide a sense of exclusivity and intimacy, hence, the relation you build with your audience through a group is much more personal and potentially long-lasting.
Now let’s dive into the good stuff.
Step 1: Utilizing Facebook Groups for Marketing
Build Your Community
The basics of Facebook marketing start with building a community. A group should be about its members and how they contribute to your business. However, networking is equally important for your group members. They should make connections and discuss your offerings. I find it easier to communicate with people through my Facebook Group than it is via email. I feel that having the group creates a more personal connection between my brand and my clients and gives me an added level of support.
Create a Competitive Market Place
The real reason behind Facebook Groups being so powerful is its capability to market your products and services overnight. Post your products and make your fans go crazy to buy them. However, do not spam them with unnecessary clutters.
Discuss current events and offerings
Facebook is the right platform to discuss the latest happenings of businesses. And Groups are great places to keep up with current events and updates in your industry. If you’re conducting any business event, welcome your group to participate and ask for suggestions if required. Let them brainstorm ideas, share resources, answer questions and create strong relationships with one another. After all, satisfied customers promote brands on Facebook more than any other social network.
Value your customers
Reward your customers within the group and make them feel special. Post their pictures on Facebook and let your community know about your ‘Happy customers’. Choral your loyal customers and keep them motivated to talk about your brand. Use the group to follow up with your clients and solve their queries. Another smart approach is to encourage your group members to help you reach your goals.
Establish Authority
A Facebook Group is not to promote your
Test Content
When in doubt, test it. While the primary purpose of your group is to generate discussion among your target market, you can also use it to test new content ideas before they reach a wider playing field. If your new concept gets
Step 2: Utilizing Facebook Groups for Customer Engagement
Construct a Customer Support Hub
Use closed Facebook Group to deliver support to customers in need of any help. Eventually, it also becomes a central place to receive feedback on what is and what isn’t working for your business. The whole idea is to generate an open dialogue between you and your customers by giving them a specific location to ask questions. Group members who have already made a purchase are more likely to engage with your
The closed group forum allows your customers to get direct access to you.
Group updates send notifications to members
Facebook pages and personal posts rely completely on the Newsfeed algorithm for organic exposure. Facebook Groups send users a notification whenever someone posts to the Group, thus driving traffic to each post.
Get Real Customer Insight
How can you successfully create a product or service that satisfies your customer’s needs without knowing what their needs really are? Ask, don’t guess. Facebook Groups provide a direct line of communication with your customers and target audience, so take advantage of this valuable insight and ask for feedback!
In Conclusion:
No other medium is as good as Facebook Groups in highlighting your offerings and making your customers fall in love with your brand. Offer them varieties of products and the best deals to encourage conversations around each of these individual offerings. As people tend to be more personally connected to conversations in Facebook Groups, group members are more likely to see your updates.
Bonus Tip: Take advantage of the Facebook Groups App! It allows you to easily share, chat and keep up with your Facebook Groups. The app also simplifies the process of discovering new groups, joining the new groups and viewing all the notifications.
