How Are Facebook Groups Still Proving Green Pastures For Ambitious Marketers?

While Facebook sees about 1.18 billion people logging in each day, it is true that only a fraction of them know how powerful Facebook can be as a marketing tool. An average user checks Facebook about 14 times a day and that gives your post a clear chance to gain organic views on this social networking site. Brands need to invest very little to get noticed on this website.

But at the same time, Facebook is filled with noise. You can find tons of cat videos and branded posts that drown out your voice effectively to dampen your CTR. You will need much more than just clickbait and cute cat pictures to draw the attention of your audience on this particular site.

Here are a few ways to get your visibility boosted without any upfront cost on Facebook.

1. Create a group for your brand

If you already have a group for your brand then you can easily move on to the next step. But if you don’t, read carefully. You will need to log in to your personal Facebook account and click on groups on the left sidebar from your timeline. This will lead you to the main Group page and here, you need to click on the “Create a Group” button on the upper right. Select a “Goal” and then add a name for your group. Then you can proceed to add members and choose your privacy settings. The ideal group for a brand should be a “Closed” one. Next, you can choose a group photo/icon and you can add cover photos, a description, and your website URL to get started.

2. Notify potential members before adding them

The current Facebook settings do not allow members to be invited by your group. Your existing members can only add/invite their friends to your group. When you add someone without asking, usually your post notifications and events keep showing up on their wall and timeline. There is no striking feature that can grab the user’s attention. When updates keep showing up randomly, it becomes extremely easy for your group members to miss them.

We recommend the use of Facebook Messenger and subscription email options to attract the attention of your potential group member before adding them and flooding their walls with inconspicuous messages. Sending messages once in a while keeps the users’ interest piqued and adds a sense of exclusivity to your brand(s).

3. Elaborate on your website features

Most people decide the reliability of a website depending on the content quality and domain details. A local domain is more relied upon than a foreign one and a website with registered, authenticated reviews has more customers than a new one with barely a scratch on the surface.

You can make use of domain age checker tools to check the domain age of your website and competitor websites. You publish your personal findings on your brand/group wall. You can send emails with direct links to reviews and samples of positive reviews to your potential customers.

This is very profitable for brands that are looking to reach out to people interested in a certain product or service. Defining the purpose of your website on your group narrows the chances of false hits and increases the chances of organic views from your target audience.

Here are two very different (and made-up) examples of such groups

1. People for dogs of XYZ (location) – here you are trying to unite people with the same interest for a particular cause. In this group, all dog lovers and dog owners of a particular locality can exchange their views and essential information that will help them take care of their canine friends better. You can post pointers on house training and the general health of dogs on this group to keep the users engaged and active. You can even share the occasional dog product to boost your own sales and services.
2. No to nicotine – this is another group whose target group includes people of various ages who are trying to quit smoking. This is the ideal place to introduce other alternative products like e-cigarettes and no-smoking gums to smokers. You can keep the group active by posting success stories, including posts about how to keep your users motivated during their non-smoking days and sharing your own products that can help their process.

In both cases, the groups are connecting like-minded people on a platform that will allow them to share their stories, views, and advice with fellow users.

4.  Provide quality service

You should remember to give more than you take from these groups. Since these users are the base of your organic views on Facebook, you should provide useful advice and if possible, give them special offers on your products.

This might be a little tricky for a first-time social marketer and the help of an expert, seasoned social marketer is highly recommended. A social marketer will help you determine exactly how much your brand can afford to offer your exclusive customers, now gathered by your social group.

5. Use your groups to conduct market surveys

Facebook groups are authentic and time-tested platforms to conduct market research. You can simply post questionnaires and analyze the outcomes with the help of free, online tools to judge the market reputation of your brand or the effectiveness of the promotional products your brand is currently offering to this user group.

Building a Facebook brand group can be extremely rewarding and successful if you want to create loyal customers. But simply making a group and sitting back won’t be enough. You will need to share stories and start conversations with your group members to make them proactive. Your prime target should be to provide value to your potential customers before you go ahead asking for feedback and reviews for your website and products.