Facebook Groups: The Best-Kept Secret for Boosting Your Business
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Have you ever wondered what does it take to successfully grow your business by using Facebook groups?
It may sound silly, but it’s actually one of the hottest topics among people who want to run a good business and attract an audience! Here’s the chance to learn more on that!
When Facebook appeared, the initial idea was just to connect people. People were thrilled how easily they could get in touch with their friends and relatives all over the world.
As time goes by, the network is growing rapidly, and expanding its purpose. As the statistics say, there are now over 2 billion active users on monthly basis.
Besides connecting with each other, people have been using Facebook for business purposes as well for quite some time. Taking the total number of active users we mentioned, 1 billion of them is a member of some Facebook group. The number is growing at the speed of light!
If curiosity has already started killing you, stay with us! We have prepared an ultimate guide on how do groups work, what’s their secret, how to create a successful group and boost your business, and many more.
It’s very hard to stand out among competition nowadays, and knowing which steps to follow makes the whole process easier and faster.
Read all our tips and tricks and start growing a successful and prospective business!
WHY ARE FACEBOOK GROUPS SO POPULAR?
You can assume why Facebook is so popular, but what’s the secret magic of Facebook groups? Why are they now considered as a powerful tool for growing your business?
Regardless of talking about a Facebook group, or any other group in general, people join them for a unique reason. People like to belong, that’s a common thing.
Being a part of any group means exchanging experiences and opinions with like-minded people. It’s a sort of safe environment where people feel free to discuss various topics in common, exchange ideas, read the freshest news.
Whether it’s for fun or business, the feeling of belonging to a group where you share lots of things in common with other members is a pleasant one.
If we talk in terms of business, you can apply the same rules. Whether you want to start up a new or expand the existing business, don’t underestimate the power of Facebook groups. People will be looking for attractive content and creative ideas, and your group could be just the thing.
HOW TO USE FACEBOOK GROUPS TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
There are several ways in which Facebook groups can be helpful, especially if your business depends on marketing and reaching out a lot of people.
Therefore, you can use these groups to advertise your brand or to present your products. Okay, but how exactly can I use them?
FACEBOOK MARKETING AND TARGETING GROUPS
Have you ever came across so-called Facebook targeting?
Basically, Facebook gathers all of the information, every single like and every single check-in that you ever had. Why is that, you may ask (it is creepy, right?). Well, did it ever cross your mind why are you, all of a sudden, seeing all of those cool watches ads when you literary just joined some group called “Festina Watches members”?
People around the globe are making commercials and ads to run them on Facebook. Once they pick their niche, they can actually target someone with the same interest. For example, if you want to sell the dog leash, there is an option for you to present your dog leash ad to all of the members of Facebook group called “Dog leashes, collars, and much more“.
You can even narrow down targeting with combining “Dog leashes, collars, and much more“ with some other group (for example Corgy lovers). So, if you are selling Corgy leashes it is more likely to sell it to someone who loves Corgies (since he is in the group) and “Dog leashes, collars, and much more“.
That way, it is more likely for you to present your add to someone that actually would like to buy your dog leash.
INFLUENCERS
The second most popular way of advertising your business and using Facebook groups is by literary contacting influencers. Let’s take the same example: you want to sell the dog leash. Okay, now you need to find the group that is big enough to advertise your ads.
Literary contact the group’s founder and ask him/her to run ad for you on his/her page. Of course, the founder won’t do it for free!
And that is yet another way of how you can use your own group (if you have any) – charge others for the advertising.
However, let’s say that you want to run your add to million members group called “Dog leashes, collars, and much more”. Their price will probably go around $100. Out of million members that are interested in collars, leashes, etc. how much will see your add?
Let it be 100 000, and probably will be much more. Out of 100 000, there is a good chance that 100 will buy it. If your dog leash is $10 (for example), your investment is clearly a good one. Even opposite- if no one buys your dog leash, there is a lot of traffic going through your website, store or whatever business you are doing, meaning that these $100 are not in vain.
This is how you can use others’ groups to grow your business. On the other side, there are numerous ways of using your own group to promote your business.
For example, people that joined your “Rolex watches” group have a serious interest in Rolex watches. So, if you promote some Rolex wristbands on your “Rolex watches” group, it’s more likely to sell those rather than promoting puppy toys on “Rolex watches” group. In other words, you can grow your business by targeting people that are more likely to buy the things that they previously liked and showed some interest for.
You are one step ahead- you know exactly what your members like and want, and you can use it wisely to grow your business.
On the other side, you can become an influencer and charge running ads on your group.
THE BEST-KEPT SECRETS FOR BOOSTING BUSINESS USING FACEBOOK GROUPS
Creating a group itself isn’t difficult at all, but creating it the right way requires knowledge and patience. The secret is actually in your idea because if you have a good starting point, you are on the half way to success.
Here are top 5 best-kept secrets for boosting business by using Facebook groups:
- Have an idea – the most important step
- Create a group which will reflect your business idea
- Maintain the group active
- Spread the word of your business group
- Mind the safety of the group
These are more or less the rules which can be applied to any type. If it’s the one made for business purposes, you need to pay extra attention. After all, it’s your business we’re talking about. Only if you follow all these steps and have the last three steps checked and done regularly, you have high chances of boosting your business.
Baby steps first, it’s time to learn how to create a good group that can actually help you grow your business.
How to create a successful Facebook group for boosting your business?
We mentioned the importance of the idea. That’s essential for any business, not just for creating a Facebook group. Before you actually start with any of the below-mentioned steps, make sure you know what you want. These are the tips that will help you create a Facebook group for business purposes with a lot of potentials.
1. Know your niche
Who are the people you are actually trying to reach to? In order to find out who is an ideal member of your group, you can create a profile of an ideal group member. That means you should visualize how a potential member should look like. Of course, we are not talking appearance, but likes and dislikes, interests, hobbies, etc.
In short, all the close and personal information that can be of use when it comes to joining your group. Once you have the profile of your potential member, start looking for such people or set up your group in a way to correspond to the characteristics of a potential member.
After figuring out your niche, it’s time for some technical steps:
- Log in to Fb
- Click the downwards arrow (it’s on the right!)
- Find the “Create Group” option from the drop-down menu
- Name the group
It shouldn’t be neither long nor a short one, but somehow in between. The name should be a specific one, rich in keywords so that people can find you easier.
For example, if there are groups named “English grammar” or “English grammar for beginners”, which do you think has higher chances of success? The second one, of course, because it targets the members specifically. When the name is precise and reflects a high level of commonality, people will find you easier.
Label the group as “Closed”
As for the visibility, there are options to create a public, closed and secret group. The second one has most of the potential. The public is for everyone, a secret is good for communicating with team members, and closed is just what it takes to maintain the balance.
In this option, everyone can find the group, but only the members can see the posts. This option gives the group a sense of exclusiveness and that’s what people want. It’s not the point to gather as many members as you can, but rather a group of like-minded ones.
Add at least one friend for the beginning
You will agree that it’s kinda annoying when, out of nowhere, you start receiving notifications from a random group someone has added you without having you informed? It’s just rude and unprofessional.
Never do that, but ask people first if they are interested in joining your group. That will make them feel special for getting an invitation from you personally. You will get a member who will passionately follow your content and share it with people who might be interested.
Add a description and choose 5 descriptive tags
The description you write has to be engaging. That’s the first thing people see, and you have to catch their attention by giving them what they need. It has to sound catchy and clear. You have to inform people who are the group meant for, what is the purpose and what are the benefits of joining.
Adding a set of rules or a brief guideline is also a good option. Adding links to other group-related content if any is also useful. Tags are some sort of shortcut how people will find your group easier.
Add a photo (mind the license)
An interesting cover photo also adds value to the group. It has to be something that will reflect the purpose and the point of your group. If you choose a photo from Flickr or similar platforms, pay attention to the licenses.
If it is “commercial use allowed” that means that the author of the photography is okay with using the photo for commercial purposes. You also have the option to hire a designer or create a photo by yourself. In many cases, make sure it looks attractive and memorable, and in a way informative.
Go to “Edit Group Settings” and select preferences
There, you choose a group type and location, to make it easier for people to find you. You also have the option to set up questions for pending members. That way both you and the potential member can see whether the group is suitable. Answers are seen only by admins and moderators.
Save all and voila!
As you can see, it takes just these ten simple steps to create a group, at least the basic one which you will upgrade and tailor to your ideas.
After creating your group, there are several things that you need to consider in order to grow it really big:
2. Create content on a daily basis
It’s not always easy to find time and inspiration to say something that will motivate people and keep them interested in your group. But who says it has to be a profound thought every day. You can make a sort of schedule where you will mix fun and useful bits of information.
It can be something related to each day, in a thematic way, something like Motivating Monday, Funny Friday and similar things. If you are out of your own ideas, you can always post an interesting quotation. The whole purpose of creating a content every day is to show members that you are doing your best to keep the group fresh and active.
3. Use the power of live video
In this world of digitalization of everything, people appreciate the existence of an actual and real human being. Connecting with members via live video makes your group more valuable. That way you address to members personally, and that means a lot nowadays. The ideal length should be about 15 to 20 minutes. People will stay concentrated to follow what you prepared and you won’t take a lot of their time.
Prepare the content you will introduce in your live video in advance. And remember- being yourself is what will make your group authentic and outstanding. The more you go live, the better you will be with each video. Even if you make some small mistake, don’t be afraid. Humans make mistakes, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Moreover, the members will appreciate the spontaneity of your video.
4. Keep the group active and engaging
Besides posting your own ideas and thought, motivate people by posting topics to discuss. Respond to the questions your members have asked you. This way people will see that you are actively present and interested in what they are doing. The same as with previous, people will be aware that you actually exist by communicating with them.
Share links to some other pages that are related to your group or share something that you personally find inspiring. By giving your members a part of your own personality, you engage them to be more open and active in the group. By asking people to give you their own opinion on how to make your business better, you show that you are ready to learn from them.
Keep in mind that people are on Facebook for entertainment and inspiration – not to be sold to. Publish things that make you acquainted with you and your company in an inspiring, helpful and entertaining way.
Use Facebook to help your followers and prospects. (Give – without expectation of getting something back.) Help with advices in your area and be polite to people who need help. They might become your customers just because of that!
Use Facebook to run surveys that will give you insight into what your customers need and are interested in. Instead of guessing, you can know – and develop products and services they want (or need, but they do not even know it yet). Furthermore use Facebook’s statistics tool to measure what your followers like – and give them more of it.
5. Spotlight members
By addressing someone directly, people in your group will be sure that you treat them with respect. They will be aware that they are much more than just one more member. There are different ways to spotlight a member. You can point out someone’s good and useful thought so that other members pay more attention to it. You can ask members some questions based on some of the comments they left. By giving people the feeling that you are there for them, you encourage them to trust you and stay with you.
6. Explore other groups your members belong to
This doesn’t mean you have to be a secret agent. Just take some time to see what your members like, which are their interests. That’s how you can get a few more ideas and add more value to your group. Collecting inspirational ideas in this way is not something unfair and illegal, but simply looking for more tips and tricks to create the best possible group. After all, some other people will find inspiration in your group as well. That sounds flattering, right?
So far you have probably seen that it takes a lot of effort to be successful, but no one said this is an overnight success. If you are looking for an instant magic to boost business by using Facebook, this is not the thing for you. But, if you are looking for something that requires an effort but pays off through time, this is what you need.
STEPS TO MAKING YOUR FACEBOOK GROUP VISIBLE?
Now that you know what it takes to create a good and prospective Facebook group, let’s see what are the best ways to promote it! An old rule that “word of mouth“ is the most powerful weapon when it comes to advertising still makes a lot of sense. Nowadays even more, because words are spread in so many ways.
1. Use the Facebook page
You probably realize that groups and pages on Facebook are not the same things. Unlike group which is closed, a page is an open form, where anyone can see that your group exists. So post ads to promote your group completely for free.
If you have published a post that is particularly important, and as you know your followers need to bring you, run some ads to make it more visible. Ads are very useful, and they don’t cost much on Facebook, but can bring you a lot of new members!
2. Use other Facebook groups
As we mentioned, there are over 1 billion groups, and finding the one similar to yours isn’t difficult. However, avoid spamming these groups with your link. You wouldn’t like people doing that on your group, right? So, refrain from that! Each group has its own rules on self-promotion, so make sure you are familiar with them before you leave the link to your own group.
3. Use other social media platforms and forums
People like to interconnect their social media profiles and share the content between them. Facebook, in this case, comes first naturally. But if you have profiles on other social media as well, feel free to mention the group. Drawing attention to it costs nothing, and if done in the right way, it can bring you numerous benefits.
4. Engage the existing members to promote you
Of course, you won’t go with something like “Hey guys, promote my group!“ It’s just pointless. You can do it in a form of some competition, by rewarding people for gathering new members. Perhaps a giveaway is a nice treat.
Moreover, people like to share content for many reasons- self-fulfillment, defining themselves to others, promoting their own likes, revealing something interesting to other people and similar. Use all these as a powerful weapon to engage people to promote your group.
5. Engage influencers to become members of your group
In order to make this step an attempt without failure, make sure the existing content on your page is indeed valuable and informative. Reaching people who are already big names in some niches is not difficult nowadays with so many ways to communicate.
But, if you want an influencer to join your group and promote it, it really has to be something of top quality. It has to be something highly motivating, authentic and interesting. After all, your task is to engage an influencer, and no-one says it’s an easy thing to do!
As you can see, there are many ways to make your group visible, and it’s really hard work waiting for you. But, we shall point out again, if you follow all these steps, the success is guaranteed. Your business will be on the right way. It will take some time, but it will be worth all the time and strength you invested.
SET THE GROUP RULES FOR ITS SAFETY
And the last, but not the least important is safety. Things are even more complicated on the Internet because there are many ways how your content can be endangered. That’s why you need to know some useful tips on taking good care of your group’s safety.
In this article, we mentioned adding guidelines and rules to your group. That way you establish some rules which both you and your members should follow. Be clear on the rules what can and cannot be posted in the group. That means you should warn people of the language they use, which means to avoid offensive words, discrimination and similar.
Some people even warn that posts written in caps lock won’t be accepted because if written in that way, people get the feeling that someone is yelling at them. Also be clear in the rules regarding posting photos and links.
Besides these, pay lots of attention to spams. They are something like the biggest enemies of digital business. You have to check the posts people leave in the group. Moreover, you have to check how and where is your group linked to.
People use so many dirty tricks, particularly those who run the same or similar business to yours. They will do anything to lower your reputation and spam your content. It’s very unfair, so you have to make sure your content is represented at its best.
If you find these things too complicated, you can hire an assistant to help you with it. Of course, for someone starting a business with a limited budget that’s just an extra cost which is not affordable at the time being. But learning all these tricks and tips will boost your own knowledge and experience, so the benefits are numerous. As time goes by, and your business grows, you can hire someone to help you. Until then, you are on your own!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON HAVING A SUCCESSFUL FACEBOOK GROUP FOR BOOSTING YOUR BUSINESS
All in all, you have realized how complex and multilayered is the process of creating a Facebook group which will outstand. But, the best thing of all is that all the steps are understandable and simple. They are based on logic and gathered in this ultimate guide to making it easier for you.
Once again, before any of these steps, make sure you have your idea well planned. Running a successful group is similar to running a successful company. Create a draft and see what are the options and what are the chances for it to succeed. A simple Google search can help you get more ideas what do people look for, so use it to expand what you are planning to establish.
Now that you know all the necessary steps from creating a group to adding all the “ingredients“ to it, wait no more. Make a good plan and start building your own business now!
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