Facebook Groups are excellent tools to boost a brand's online positioning and reputation. Do you know how to take advantage of them?
Facebook Groups consist of a group of people who share interests and/or hobbies with each other. They use them to share information, knowledge, entertain themselves and basically to belong to a digital social circle. Members can leave their opinions, links, images and comment on what others have posted on a common topic.
There are three types of groups on Facebook:
Open- Members can join at any time and invite anyone else to join and their content can be indexed in search engines. The group appears in organic searches on Facebook.
Private- We must request access to the group and only members will be able to see what is shared. It also appears in organic searches on Facebook.
Secret- These groups will not appear as a search result or on their members' profiles and can only be joined by invitation, and only members can view the group's information and content.
In the business world, these groups can serve us for different purposes, depending on what you are looking for, but in this case we will talk about what you can do from an Open Group for your business.
Things to consider in your Facebook group:
A digital group, like any association, needs clear rules of communication so that, based on them, people can share a healthy environment that meets the objectives of the group itself.
So the first thing you need to define is:
1. Set a central theme for your Facebook group
Your group needs to be clear about the “topic” that is going to be discussed in it, without this your audience can be lost and people who do not really share the same interests can arrive.
You can have a variety of themes, but all of them revolve around the same theme. Don't get sidetracked too much because you will lose interest in participating with your audience.
2. Set group rules
It is very important that you make the group rules very clear, what can and cannot be published, what topics can be discussed and the communication tones that are expected and/or prohibited.
Make the rules very clear, as there are many people who use groups as a method to promote themselves, without contributing anything to the group, and that can completely ruin your group and the associated strategy.
3. Find other users who can act as administrators
If you are serious about your group, we imagine you expect to have a large audience, which is undoubtedly complicated if you are the only administrator. It is best to contact someone in the group, who is among the most active and dedicated. Send them a private message, and propose the idea that they help you manage the group.
4. Create a content strategy for your group
A content strategy is essential to keep your group alive and that it really contributes to the positioning and reputation of your brand. For example, make a schedule and maintain the quality of the Facebook group and define posting frequency.
Tips for taking advantage of open Facebook Groups
Share information.
The most important thing in a group like this is to position yourself and create a reputation around a certain topic, therefore, you must constantly share relevant information. They can be your blog posts, news, trends and knowledge.
Generate content in which members can collaborate.
If your business has a blog, it is an ideal space for you to share your articles, but always think about how your members can participate.
Respond to everything as soon as possible.
You must make all members feel part of the group, welcome them and invite them to know the rules, encourage them to participate, and when they do, you must be aware that they feel heard, respond to what you know and in case there is something you don’t know, invite others to help you.
Become a counselor.
Another way to attract participants and encourage interest is to give away some of your knowledge and experience and share it with the group, answering questions and anticipating their knowledge needs. Just try to be "neutral" as much as possible.
Maintain contact with members.
Take your time to review the profiles of each member and chat with them on the wall directly or even through the group chat.
Ask for help.
Another way to encourage participation is to “ask for help” with this you are recognizing that your members can also contribute expert knowledge that is relevant to everyone. Let your audience see that you value their opinions.
Ask your audience to comment on specific posts.
When you publish the posts of your own blog, always include a call-to-action for them to participate by giving their opinion and leaving their comments on it. Move your members to comment! There is nothing more fatal than a group where nobody comments and only likes are obtained.
Reward the most active members of your group.
Recognizing the active participation of your users is important, you can give them something, a discount or promotion, or even a unique and special mention, but motivate them.
As you can see, Facebook Groups have many great benefits. If you feel intimidated by starting your own group, try joining some groups of your interest to learn how they work and feel more comfortable with the idea. If you would like to explore this idea even more let us know, we can set up a meeting to discuss further!