How to Use Facebook Groups in 2022

One of the key reasons why social media was created and is here to stay is to build and nurture a community.

People need a place to share their thoughts and opinions, as well as engage with one another on topics they care about. Brands are the same way. Facebook groups make it possible to connect users and businesses based on common interests.

Is your company actively using social media to build and nurture communities?

There were over 1.4 billion Facebook group users in 2021, with 10 million groups and counting.

In this post, we'll look at some tips and tactics for using Facebook groups to attract new leads, as well as maintain and develop 'loyal clients'.

Before we get started, let's take a look at the different kinds of communities your brand can create on Facebook.

Public vs. private groups on Facebook

Facebook groups are communities of people who share similar interests that your brand can create.

You have two options for features and constraints to pick from in order to accomplish this:

1. Public Facebook groups

Everyone can join the public groups and participate in the discussions going on there.

Anybody can search and share the group's material. The list of members is also available to the public.

2. Private Facebook groups

Private groups are restricted to members only, based on the criteria established by the group administrators.

They're most commonly utilized when a company wishes to develop an online community for its clients or a private membership club for similar hobbies or special deals.

The content in these online communities is only viewable by the members of the group and is not shareable.

Private Facebook groups are divided into two categories:

Hidden

Only members and invited users have access to this group type.

Visible

People can join visible Facebook private groups by submitting a request and potentially passing a request assessment process.

Why should your brand use Facebook groups?

Let's have a look at the major reasons why you should put time and effort into creating a Facebook group:

Build a community

Facebook groups provide a fantastic opportunity for a brand to build the stage and offer its audience the microphone. When the spotlight shines on those who are truly passionate about your brand's domain, magic happens, and a true online community emerges.

The idea behind such a community is that it is made up of like-minded people who have a strong interest and love for the brand, allowing for insightful discussions and invaluable connections with leads and customers.

Research, access, and improve

Facebook groups may be your company's sandbox for solving problems, getting suggestions for improvement, and even generating product ideas. These online communities are a reflection of your brand's influence and one of the few places where you may get honest feedback.

Direct customer service

Such online communities can be quite useful for customer support, allowing your team to quickly respond to questions from existing customers and resolve concerns.

Follow the social media trend

Facebook groups have been a part of the main platform menu since 2018. They also began to have more organic reach in the newsfeed, as well as user-specific notifications.

During the pandemic, the value of Facebook groups expanded even more, as individuals sought out new ways to communicate online.

“Online communities are thriving. 77% say the most important group they are part of now operates online. COVID-19 has brought out the best in communities. 91% of respondents said they have given some form of support to others through a group or community during the pandemic. 86% have said they received some form of support from others.” ~ Facebook

8 tips for achieving social media success with Facebook groups

Establish goals and get to know your audience

Knowing who your audience is and how they behave on Facebook is the first step toward success with Facebook groups.

Are you trying to reach out to existing consumers, or are you seeking for new leads? What do you think your ideal Facebook audience is looking for?

Try to figure out who your target audience is, and then develop goals based on that information.

You can build a group plan once you've worked out the answers to these questions.

Once your Facebook group starts to grow and develop, make sure you check your plan on a frequent basis.

Mind the community development stage

Every community, including your Facebook group, goes through a maturation process. Make sure you keep an eye on it.

When you first start a new Facebook group, you should concentrate on building a vital yet relevant minimum audience. Then you can concentrate on starting exciting discussions, empowering group members, and fine-tuning your plan as needed.

Think about your lead funnel

It's critical to understand the purpose of this Facebook group in your overall lead funnel.

Do you want to grow your business by attracting new leads or by upselling to existing customers with unique offers?

Knowing which step of the marketing funnel you want to target will aid you in developing fantastic content and strategy for your Facebook group.

Focus on content strategy and engagement

It's time to design a content strategy once you've determined what kind of audience you're after and where they are in your lead funnel.

Here are some pointers on how to put together a killer content strategy:

- Post on a regular basis.

It's critical to maintain the community's rhythm by remaining engaged as a brand. You should have a plan in place, especially when starting a Facebook group, on how to start talks on a regular basis.

- Concentrate on engagement rather than sales.

People join groups because they want to interact with other people and share their knowledge and thoughts.

Create content, like as polls, that encourages members of the group to discuss relevant topics.

Try to stay away from pure sales talks with your group and only give information when there is a unique deal or breaking industry news that is relevant to the community.

- Make exclusive group deals.

Consider making exclusive deals for members of your Facebook group. This is yet another opportunity to entice customers to search for your brand, as well as a means for you to gain revenue.

You may also give your group members a sneak peek at new items and behind-the-scenes stories to make them feel special and encourage them to participate in the discussions.

- Encourage the creation of user-generated content.

The goal of online communities is to encourage members to engage in discussion. So, strive to make your brand more accessible to this and invite them to participate.

Celebrate your group members

Facebook groups allow your brand to grow an online community, and one of the most crucial aspects of that is providing members with an interesting experience.

There are a few things you can do to make them feel special:

Welcome new members

Make sure you send a special welcome greeting to each new member. Encourage them to speak in front of the entire community, allowing them to assimilate more quickly.

Make use of the Facebook group badges

In order to honor your important group members, you can employ a Facebook-automated gamification approach. The social network provides special group labels that, once activated by your group managers, will be applied immediately.

Follow up with the other members of the group

If you join a Facebook group, make sure you participate in the discussions on behalf of your brand.

Whatever the members' posts and comments are, you must schedule time to pay attention to each one of them and respond appropriately.

Promote your group using various marketing methods

Utilize the power of your existing channels to attract new leads or clients to your Facebook group.

There is no way to automate this procedure, although you can think of things like:

- Invite your social media followers to join the group.

- Cross-promote it through all of your marketing platforms, including email, website, etc.

- Use the power of social ads to your advantage.

Moderate the community

Your brand must look after the group and appoint either a team member or an external resource to ensure that everything runs properly.

Here are some of the most important things to remember when moderating Facebook groups:

Make a set of house rules

It's critical that you establish clear ground rules for how the group should operate from the start. This will help you manage the group's expectations and keep an eye out for troublemakers and trolls.

Filter members

Setting up an entry questionnaire allows you to simply pre-select your group members. Select a few questions that can assist you in identifying spammers and inactive members.

Organize group moderation

You still need a moderator, no matter how thorough you are about who you permit into your group. There are a few moderator options to pick from:

• A team member

• An external agency

• One of your brand advocates

Keep in mind that the group moderator's job entails two key responsibilities:

• Conversation starters

• Moderating conversations

That's it!

Begin your brand's journey with Facebook groups now and build lasting connections with new leads and existing clients.