As a Facebook business page owner, you are able to create or join groups within Facebook.
Facebook state that creating a group from your business page can allow you to ‘connect with customers and supporters in a more private forum’ and have conversations ‘around a common interest related to your business’.
You can also join other groups as well as creating your own. Joining a group may allow you to access an audience to whom you can add value through sharing expert knowledge, tips or content.
Why would you set up a Facebook Group?
Facebook groups may allow you to interact with your followers and users in a more interactive way than you can through your Facebook page alone. So, there are benefits to setting up a group for both your business and followers, if the group will add value.
Before setting up a group think about:
- The purpose of the group – think about areas such as what the aim of the group is and why it is needed in addition to your Facebook page. For example, are you launching a specific product or have a product that you want to build a community around? Do you want to build a community around a particular topic? Or do you want to share knowledge and build authority for your brand?
- Are you best placed to start your own group, or join existing groups? – Think about whether you have the resources to successfully manage and engage a Facebook group
Some see setting up a group as a way to grow engagement and a way to make up for the loss in organic reach that many brands have been suffering due to changes in the Facebook newsfeed algorithm.
How to choose an admin for your Facebook Group
Admins of your Facebook group have some additional privileges over normal group members. Typically, if you set up a group, you will be an admin. You can then choose to assign the role of admin to other members of your group.
Admins can do things like change the privacy settings of your group, approve member requests, remove posts, or remove/ban members if necessary.
Make sure that people you assign as admins of your group are people that you trust. That they are aware of the goals and rules of your group. That they are clear on what is and isn’t appropriate with your group so that they can carry out their role effectively.
Take a look at these instructions for how you make someone an admin of your group.
Can I set rules for my Facebook group?
If you do set up a Facebook group, then you will likely want to put in place a set of Facebook group rules which determine what type of conduct will and won’t be tolerated within your group. This is something which many group admins do, and Facebook group rules are a commonly accepted practice.
Having a set of Facebook group rules can help you manage any negativity or inappropriate discussion which takes place in the group. As well as managing expectations within your group.
It might be a good idea to inform people what is expected of them within the group. Not simply what they cannot do. Doing it in this way may mean the rules are better received.
Reshare the rules on a relatively regular basis, and make sure they are easily accessed by members of the group. If people do break the rules it may be best to refer them back to your rules before taking any more permanent action such as banning or blocking them.
Take a look at this Facebook post on how to create rules for your Facebook group.
How do you moderate comments and members of a Facebook group?
You can determine the level of privacy which you apply to your Facebook group. There are three different levels. Which you choose will allow you to control who can join/view your group.
- Open groups – these are entirely public, and anyone can search for your group, view the content and request to join your group
- Closed groups – these groups can still be searched for by anyone, and anyone can request to join. But only members of the group can see the content shared within the group
- Secret groups – These types of group cannot be searched for and only members can view the content. Anyone wanting to be a member will have to be added by someone in the group
As well as controlling who can join and view the content in your group, it is also possible to moderate any comments posted in your group. You will most likely want to do this in response to any inappropriate comments or conversation. Admins can temporarily block members or permanently remove members who break your group rules. You can also turn off comments for particular posts, and/or delete posts.
How do you engage Facebook group members?
When you first start your group, it is a good idea to invite members to kick things off – these could be friends, employees or active members of your Facebook page. Getting a good base level of members will make it easier to start conversations and show people what your group is about.
Be sure to start conversations yourself within the group. Or contribute to conversations which are happening naturally to demonstrate you are committed to the group and leading it/sharing your expertise. By asking questions and responding to questions from others you can keep conversations happening. This will be particularly important when you are first starting your group as before you grow your member numbers it is likely that there will be fewer organic conversations and discussions.
Try not to use overt sales tactics or post salesy messages/links on too regular a basis. This can be off putting for members of your group. A group should be more like a community than a sales pitch.
Other tactics to engage group members include:
- Hosting events
- Live Q&A sessions
- Use of Facebook Live
- Quizzes/polls
- Images – infographics, memes etc
- Promoting your group within your other marketing communications such as emails
You can also use your analytics data to help inform the way that you grow and engage your communities.
ACES Marketing are a surrey-based marketing agency who work across the full marketing mix. We can assist with your social media strategy and management and help you get set up for success. Chat to us today for more on how we can help you grow your brand and business.