How To Grow A Facebook Group For Business (2020 Edition)
Are you a Facebook Group Admin? Trying to see how to turn your group into some of your most powerful customer acquisition channels?
This article will discuss the best practices to build a Facebook Business group that actually brings you revenue.
Before we begin, let’s affirm your decision to create a Facebook group! Chances are that you started out with a page for your business or service and have discovered that a Facebook group will offer you better opportunities to connect with your audience. You then opened your group and you can see some metrics but you’re open to get some guidance on what do they mean.
Facebook’s Latest Efforts Empower Private Conversations
After widespread scandal over mishandling user data and other calamities, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced a major priority shift and details his new vision for Facebook. Private conversations is the platform’s main focus, moving forward.
Essentially, privacy, security and meaningful interactions are part of the platform’s new, main focus and act as a complement to existing, more public spaces within Facebook. Facebook communities which value security, authenticity and foster personal connections will reap the greatest rewards.
If you’ve been a Facebook group admin for a while, you have noticed the changes they have recently rolled. The new metrics give group admins a greater insight about their community.
If I have to guess, group admins should expect more features coming up in 2020.
Facebook has switched up its algorithms to make maintaining both a page and a group essential to reaching your desired audience. However, the two have very different functions.
Let’s Briefly Examine The Difference Between Pages And Groups And How They Can Work In Tandem
I like the analogy that Zuckerberg has used, asking us to think of a page like a bustling town square. Most importantly, a page is public and meant to attract a broad (but not necessarily exclusive) audience.
A Facebook page is a great place to showcase content, because it can be accessed by anyone. But that feature cuts both ways. Users can arrive by way of search, they needn’t have liked nor followed the page. And, even if they have taken those steps, Facebook’s algorithms mean that even engaged users may not see new posts from the page.
In contrast, a Facebook group is the digital equivalent of the living room.
That’s where you have private and more in-depth conversations with your audience.
It’s an exclusive space where the moderators decide who can be admitted and what rules members must follow.
Once your carefully selected audience is assembled, group members will interact with each other and even begin creating their own related content. This is what ignites brand awareness and leads to ultimately, business growth.
And that’s why you’re here today! Learning strategies to build a community in the right way.
Ingredients To Grow Your Facebook Business Group
1- Build Trust Within Your Members
If there’s something you need in order to grow your group is trust. Once you earn trust from a community, it will grow organically, from word of mouth.
Raise awareness about your mission. Make sure to be transparent. If you’re building a group with a hidden agenda, it won’t get you too far.
One of the fastest ways to build trust is via collaboration. Make sure that every new group member feels welcomed, accepted, and supported. They will find value and you will start seeing new members, invited by members who trust in the value of your community.
2- Be Consistent
Consistency is key for business owners seeing the ROI from a Facebook Group. If you’re struggling with coming to your group consistently, program campaigns that you can host within the group.
Some of the campaigns you can host:
- Giveaways
- Facebook live- interview other members
- Launch a challenge!
3- Promote Your Facebook Group
Promoting your group is key to get new members. You can promote your group online and offline.
Wait, did we say offline? Yes. You can invite people to join your group when you’re networking! That’s one of the easiest ways to get targeted members joining your community. Don’t be shy to ask!
Online, you can promote your group using your Facebook Busines Page, your personal profile, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. But don’t stop there. Consider sharing your invite in your blog, email signature, and even via SMS.
A pro tip: offer something valuable for those who join!
4- Create A Specific Content Marketing Plan For Facebook Groups
Creating a group that people look forward to engaging takes just one thing: great content. When you give users the kind of content they expect, they keep coming for more.
To succeed, your content needs to be:
- Relevant to your audience
- All about them, not about you
- Content that activates conversations
- New, fresh, never boring
- Pro tip: encourage members to share content (not promotions)
5- Group Rules
Having rules will help you moderate the discussion. If a group member violates the rules, you can remove a post and send them a notification (optional).
- Go to Moderate Group
- Create Rules
- Press “create rule”
- Customize them to fit your audience and promote a respectful environment
6- Assign Badges To Your Group Members
Nobody joins a group to feel excluded. Facebook allows you to recognize your members with badges. Make sure you have this feature on.
To find badges:
- Edit group settings
- Manage badges
7- Group Metrics
Group insights are a great tool to measure the effects of your marketing activities. A very important rule: check the metrics quickly and watch for trends. If you see a post that generated great engagement, do more of that!
Insights are also great to find sponsors and influencers. They can allow you to show the real reach and power of your community. Use them!
Read my article on Social Media Examiner on How To Understand Metrics
8- Ask Pending Member Questions
When you go to group settings, you will see Member Request Settings. The rule here is simple: don’t overuse this feature. Nobody wants to spend minutes completing a long questionnaire.
Limit to 3 questions with short answers. If you have a paid group, this is where you will ask them to validate their purchase or enter a code.
Pro tip: Groups don’t have a report with email addresses, so if you ask for emails, make sure you enter the information.
Hacker tip: A Growth Hacker Extractor extension to extract Facebook and LinkedIn for the sole purpose of generating leads. Leads Extractor is a powerful scraping tool to boost your company or product. The tool extracts first name, last name, company name, company position and profile url from LinkedIn, Facebook groups, Facebook page likes or followers.
9- Welcome New Members
One of the top posts of our group is welcome to new members. I always add a link that helps us promote either a high-value content or an invitation to our event.
I recommend to do a welcome post once a week, so you can accumulate over 25 members or so. The maximum tags allowed on this post is 50, so don’t go over.
10- Your Group Description
Keep it clear and feel free to add your freebies! This is what everyone who wants to join the group will read.
Here’s a template for your group description:
- Welcome
- Who is a great fit for the group
- What’s in there for members
- What do they do once they join
- Important details
Here is the description of my group:
Hi there! Welcome to Professionals & Entrepreneurs of Austin Group. If you are here is because you have a MISSION to expand a purpose-driven business.
If you are a professional, entrepreneur, or owner of a local business in the Austin area, this is a group that you want to have as a favorite.
Please check the announcements! https://www.facebook.com/groups/keepnetworkingweird/announcements/
Save this link – www.NetworkingEventsAustin.com
This is where we post all our events
Housekeeping stuff:
✔️Add the group in your favorites so you don’t miss the chance to connect with someone.
✔️Everyone matters.
✔️Everything matters.
✔️ The more you give, the more you get.
✔️ We have regular meetings: Happy Hour at Hotel Granduca, Strategic Luncheons, and plenty of opportunities to connect and expand your network here!
Will sales happen here? Of course yes. Will they happen by you coming to the group and “paste” your links? Probably not.
People buy you. So they need to like you, trust you and believe in you.
Who am I? I’m Jessica Campos, co-founder of Marketing For Greatness, a recovered attorney, now forensic marketer, passionate about building conversion funnels. www.marketingforgreatness.com
We want to hear how you help others and deliver value to the world. Let’s help each other expand our networks, businesses and make the world a better place along the way:-)
-> My police alert (this post is pinned at the top and every new member must read before posting)
📺📺📺
Before posting, please read
📺📺📺
We get it, you want 📞📸💽🎥🔋💵💡⚖️💎💴 -> all of that! Fame, name, leads, referrals, and more business.
Guess what? The 2,000 individuals here want that too!
How can you succeed?
🚧🚧🚧 Imagine you’re invited to a party. You’re walking in. You start smiling and making some eye contact. Then, silently, you interact with some people.
Do you open the door and scream “Please BUY FROM ME!!!!!”??? 🤯🤯🤯No!
Same here! We are a family. One thing that you should know is that we have been doing events for over a year and we have invited our friends to join the group.
This group wasn’t created to make leads.
This group was the result of a successful series of events and we offered this platform as a directory to follow up and keep the conversations.
By doing that, meaning, meeting people here, we can “speed date” during our live events.
You get it now?
If I were you, here’s how you will do it as a new member!!
💡💡💡💡
Talk to us “hello Tribe” my friend _____ invited me and I’m thankful to be here.”
💡💡💡💡
Use a video – make a difference! Tell us about you- a Hello Post!
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Before asking, give. Read what others post.
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Maybe you want to promote your awesome event. Of course it would make sense to share it with another networking group. But guess what?
This is a community that protects their identity. It’s like you going to the party and then inviting your friend’s friends to do something else with you.
Would you do that???? Probably not! So, talk to us and see if it’s a fit. This is more from the common sense aspect.
For example- if your event is at the same time and date that our event, why would we promote you if we are promoting our event? You get it?
Believe it or not, I’ve seen it here. People have actually organized separated events overlapping our event- at the SAME location. Is that cool? Boooooo! No. 👎
Common sense I guess isn’t enough and that’s why we are writing this!
💡💡💡💡
We have police 👮♀️ so your links won’t get through. Save your time and effort and don’t share massive posts here. I’M SERIOUS. 👮
💡💡💡💡
Make time to connect. Again we are humans.
💡💡💡💡
Do you know how can you accelerate the most and earn trust? 💞Add value to the group! 💞 Invite your business connections here. 💞 Come to our events. 💞Add this group as favorites and once a day come and catch up.
Who the heck am I?
You can find plenty if you google. However, send me a friend request! I’m here! I love connecting for real!
I can’t wait to help you succeeding in any way I can!
Welcome again!
Let’s consider this a restart!!!
Cool?
(Like and comment)
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I totally recommend that you establish clear rules, or else your group will turn into a garage sales group.
Facebook is adding more features to Facebook Groups (like adding your Pixel and ads). Expect another updated post in a few months!
I know this seems like a lot of work. I can simplify a strategy for you (and give you even more hacks)!
If you’re looking for an online marketing strategist who can help you build a strategy to attract ideal clients and grow your business (for real) let’s talk!
Schedule your complimentary forensic marketing session today!
