Ever since the Facebook apocalypse, marketers have found themselves shifting their brand’s strategy to build facebook groups. They see the value and engagement happening in this area of Facebook and they want in on the action.
Although, many marketers have been left scratching their heads because while they know that groups are a great asset they have no idea how to position it or what type of group to create.
Being seen is also a real concern for almost every brand out there. They are either doubling down with talking all about themselves (which no one cares about) or they are searching and searching for what to do to make their page engaging enough for them to find Facebook’s favor.
But I have the secret.
Facebook groups are exactly where you can get your engagement.
If your Facebook page is your front lawn, then Facebook Groups are inside your house where the VIP party is being held.
Just like the red velvet ropes keep you out, you will have to be “admitted” into a Facebook group. It is great for the group owners to ask for some information about the member, their desires, affiliations or challenges they currently face. All of this will help you gain great insight to what your members want to hear about.
Once inside, if done right, it can be value bomb after value bomb in a group of people with all the same interests as you.
Just picture unicorns and rainbows everywhere because, if it is a good group, that is exactly what it will feel like.
What Makes A Great Facebook Group?
Just like any great party, there are certain elements that we must have to make it a hit. Facebook groups are no different:
Safety
The people in the group need to feel that they can share in a safe environment. They need to be able to ask questions, give replies, feel like their responses are validated without any negative feedback. If they don’t feel like they are safe to ask questions, voice their opinions, share their experience, the participation and engagement will not happen and the whole reason for having a Facebook group (to create engagement) will be lost.
Belonging
Knowing that everyone in the group shares a common bond through something is powerful. We all want to belong. The commonality that helps make everyone feel like they belong could be that they have bought the same product like Todd Herman’s 90 Day Group, or a bunch of Dads of special need children like Angus Nelson has? Maybe they are people who want to learn about how to use Chat Bots in their business like Kelly teaches, or a group of people all learning to get healthy by working out and eating clean together.
There are really endless possibilities.
Participation in the Group
Groups that have lots of people participating and not just the same people all the time often are very successful. No one wants to hear from the same person all the time and many different points of view create a diverse community. It allows for a think tank where people can really brainstorm. The more opinions, ideas, or solutions to a problem… the more appeal and value the group will have for everyone! The Impact Elite group does an incredible job of this with many voices from their company leading the way and many different people in the group posting questions and answering who don’t work for the company.
Leadership
Great leadership that is transparent, candid, and shows that they care by showing up on a regular basis can be powerful. There needs to be fresh posts that help lead the conversation and that reply to group members posts.
A great way to accomplish this is by recording regular facebook lives and keep in mind that they don’t always have to be polished. Sometimes the best ones are when you have a towel on your head, no makeup or still in your PJs.
If you are a bigger company inviting in the higher ups in your company to come on candidly to speak about a topic can really help the group form and bond together. Instead of typing a reply to posters questions, it is very effective to record a video reply message and post that in the comments. There is a lot that one can do to show great leadership.
Expectations
Setting expectations of what type of value one can receive by being a member of the group is important. Some groups like Impact Elite have weekly videos with different themes that you know are always going to be relevant and interesting. They have over 3,300 members in their group and it is the most welcoming and engaging group. They have done a really good job.
Others might bring weekly challenges to their members like Chris Strub does in SocialwithStrub. Together, the entire group is all working on the same goal, some going outside their comfort zone, while others find their strength to face the challenge by watching other members of the group doing it. Chris only started his Facebook group at the beginning of July 2018 and he already has 110 highly engaged members!
Great facebook groups aren’t determined by the size but the participation. Size doesn’t always matter with Facebook groups but the participation and engagement do,
Show Up On The Facebook Newsfeed
The more engagement that your group has, the more Facebook will show it in that cluttered newsfeed and mark it as important to show to members. In fact, because Facebook Groups typically have a lot more engagement than pages, it becomes the “cool” place to be. With members responding to each other and posts getting comments that go 50 comments deep with people tagging and replying to one another it is no wonder many businesses are changing their strategy to embrace and grow their own Facebook group around their business. Have you incorporated Facebook groups in your business yet?
If you want a vibrant speaker that can motivate, inspire and entertain your attendees, Book Bella to speak at your next conference or contact her at bella@jumpconsulting.net.
