As users gravitate to more authentic experiences when interacting with businesses on social media, it may be time to think further than your Facebook Business Page with your marketing strategy. Over 50 million businesses are posting and engaging on Facebook and the fight to be noticed is tougher than ever. The potential to reach your audience organically with your posts is declining and businesses posting 1-2 times a day are only reaching about 2% of their audience. Content marketing strategies are creating valuable connections with the small percentage of the audiences viewing posts, but marketers are still searching for more effective ways to improve their reach.
“The potential to reach your audience organically with your posts is declining and businesses posting 1-2 times a day are only reaching about 2% of their audience.”
Facebook Groups
Facebook users join groups to connect with a community with similar interests. Groups create a space for users to share and converse and most users feel more comfortable engaging in a Facebook group setting than they do on publicly shared posts on their news feeds. A group of users in your target audience with high potential to engage almost sounds too good to be true, right? Many businesses overlook this virtual goldmine of marketing potential, here’s some information to help you get in the game.
Creating a group vs. Joining a Group. Both of these are viable options for a business looking to connect with more users but the rules of engagement for each slightly differ. If you are going to join an existing group focused on an interest that relates to your brand, make sure you concentrate your energy on participating instead of marketing. Remember, you are engaging as a person, not a brand. But, you should include truthful information in your profile about the business you represent. Before you begin to engage, read through the posts to get a feel for the information being shared. You may find some great topic ideas for your content campaigns based on users’ discussions.
If you choose to create a new group, concentrate on the interest, not your brand. Your SEO keywords will come in handy when creating the name and description for your group, so new users will be able to find you easily as they search for new communities. Any interest that opens the door for discussions about the product or service you provide is a great idea for a group, and you can create several groups to expand your potential. The basic rule of thumb is to avoid the hard sell. Every member of the group is in the first stage of the customer funnel, so you want to capture their interest and satisfy their need for information.
“The basic rule of thumb is to avoid the hard sell. Every member of the group is in the first stage of the customer funnel, so you want to capture their interest and satisfy their need for information.”
Interaction. Posting on a Facebook Business Page can feel one-sided as you send posts out to your followers’ newsfeeds and hope for engagement. In groups, however, you have the opportunity to jump right into the discussion. Be personable and maintain a conversational tone. Marketing in Facebook groups can be a slow process so go into this with the intent to stay for the long haul. Establish relationships with the group members by providing information and content they can trust. Don’t be afraid to go off topic just a bit; this will create more dynamic discussions and remind members they are interacting with a human and not a business.
Group Influencers and Brand Ambassadors. Influencers will be easy to spot as you’re interacting with the group. Pay attention to the members who share the most and who’s posts gain the most engagement. These members have the ear of the audience and would be great candidates to become brand ambassadors for your business. Engage with these influencers and slowly introduce information about the solutions you offer. Soon you will have created an organic brand ambassador that already holds the trust of the other members. Influencers and brand ambassadors in Facebook groups take word of mouth marketing to the next level so make it a priority to connect with them.
“Influencers and brand ambassadors in Facebook groups take word of mouth marketing to the next level so make it a priority to connect with them.”
By creating a consistent routine of posting and commenting, you will soon turn your target audience into a community full of a wealth of customer insight. Use Facebook groups to learn the needs of your audience and how to communicate with them on the most effective level. The information you gather through this organic reach effort can aid you in creating more successful paid campaigns and useful content.