On 14 August this year, Facebook announced that it is updating its group privacy settings and working even harder than before to moderate potentially damaging that breaks the rules of the platform.
Facebook is renaming its somewhat baffling public, closed, and secret group settings to the marginally more direct public and private settings, with the group creator having the option to make a private group visible or hidden to non-members.
With nearly 2.5 billion active monthly users of which almost half belong to at least one Facebook group, there is no denying that the social media platform is a potential marketing goldmine. While simply creating a Facebook group won’t guarantee you an upsurge in clients, implementing a few basic strategies, such as the following, will help you make the best of your social media presence.
Define the purpose of your Facebook group
The first thing you need to do once you have decided that you are in need of a Facebook group is to define its main goals. This includes asking yourself pivotal questions relating to your niche, your target market, and what the purpose of your interaction will be.
Once you have defined your purpose you can decide on a catchy name for your group. Opt for something catchy that is not ambiguous and ensure that it is well optimized in terms of searches. Choosing a name that is relevant to your niche will also help people find it both on and off Facebook which can prove to be very useful.
Recruit the right members
Efficient social media marketing primarily revolves around building up a fan base, according to Social Media Daily. In order for your Facebook group to be successful, you need to recruit the right amount of quality members. As tempted as you may be to add your entire friend list to your new group – don’t. Never add anyone to a group before first asking their permission.
Instead, opt to post a link to your group on your personal page, your blog, or other social media accounts and allow people to decide for themselves whether they want to join your group or not. You can always try to boost the interest in your group by running a contest or two where joining the group/inviting friends to the group is a prerequisite for winning a prize.
Post-crowd-pleasing content
While gaining new members for your group is undoubtedly important, it is even more imperative to ensure that they remain active participants in your group. The easiest and most effective way to achieve this is by posting interesting, quality content.
The content you post needs to align with the purpose of your group and should be as original as possible. While you obviously want to promote your business, you ultimately don’t want to be too spammy as it may result in people leaving your group. Interact with your group members by answering their questions and thanking them for any input they might offer.
If you are struggling to keep your group updated consider enlisting the help of a professional social media marketer to help reduce your own personal workload.
A quality Facebook group can be of great benefit to a brand. By making the effort to create a group that is both informative and enjoyable you can increase your client base significantly.