Facebook groups are a unique and powerful thing on the internet. Did you know that they’re the only place on Facebook where you won’t see ads? That’s because founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg loves them, and thinks they’re valuable – and you should too!
Creating a Facebook group will have a dramatic effect on your digital marketing. Here are 5 reasons you should manage a Facebook group.
You Control the Culture
A Facebook Group will be comprised people who are in your niche. Meaning they all speak the same lingo, have the same interests, and talk about the same things.
As the group administrator you get to define the purpose and mission of the group. You also get to set the rules. If you think certain things should or should not be allowed or talked about, you get to set those rules. These guidelines will set the tone and expectations for the members and shape the culture.
You also can post about the topics that are important to you and work on steering the conversation in the direction you see fit. If someone hijacks the conversation, leading people astray, you can delete that comment or remove the member. And by continuously posting about specific topics or themes, you can start to change people’s hearts and minds.
By the way, having a group of people in your niche, being directed towards your goals and values, make them ideal customers. These conversations can help you with product creation as well as product sales.
You are Automatically Established as the Authority
As a result of owning a large Facebook group. People will automatically associate you with being the expert. It’s a great way to build a brand and establish yourself as the expert in your field.
Human beings are inclined to associate value with certain features, Robert Cialdini talks about this in his book, “Influence.” One of those features is having a large audience.
In the video below, Ethan Keiser, of the YouTube Channel “Ethan Keiser – Big Brain” built a fake app that made it appear as if he were on Instagram Live with almost 50k people watching his live stream. Upon showing this livestream to people, he was instantly famously. He got to skip lines at full clubs, hangout with people who purchased him drinks, and more.
Why did he get such VIP treatment even though no one knew who he was? Because they saw how many people were watching his livestream, and assumed he was worth knowing.
Have you Heard of the Solomon Asch Group Conformity Experiment?
In this famous experiment conducted by Solomon Asch, people were shown different lengths of lines, and asked to select the two lines that were the same length. An easy task.
Except when all the other members of the experiment selected the wrong line, the test subject would go along with them – selecting what he knew to be wrong to avoid not conforming.
This is a great illustration of group think (it’s also great to show how one person can help others stand up to bullying). But here, I use it to illustrate the fact that when everyone thinks something, others tend to agree. You have a large audience? You must be worth following. When people see your audience, they are more likely to look at your content or also follow.
Build Community
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a consistent place where thousands of your ideal customers are hanging out? And you could talk to them, ask them questions, share your freebies, show off your expertise, and even promote your products. All without having to spend any money on advertising?
That’s exactly what a Facebook group is!
Everyone in your group has identified as belonging to your niche, being on Facebook, and wanting to network and grow in their profession. It’s the perfect audience!
It Helps You Nurture your Audience
Remember we said that part of your digital marketing strategy is to nurture your audience?
Well, a group allows you to do that very well. AND… it lets others help you do this.
As other people create value inside your group, you get the credit for it! Because your group is providing value.
It’s a Great Freebie
Most freebies often come across as spammy when you share them. People are more hesitant these days to give away their email address in exchange for something that’s free. But a Facebook group is a great freebie! It doesn’t feel spammy when you give it to others. And then you still get to show up in front of them regularly with your content and products.
I love to share my Facebook group on my website, in my email sequence, and in all of my TpT products.
Better Reach then Facebook Pages
According to Facebook’s transparency report in 2023, Facebook group posts are more than twice as likely to show up in your feed than posts from Facebook pages that you follow.
Facebook groups get great reach. I usually get better results on posts in my Facebook group than I do when I pay for Facebook ads. Groups are fantastic ways to grow your email list and get traffic to your TpT store, blog, email list, and other platforms.
Facebook prioritizes Facebook groups (as referenced to above).
Facebook Groups are Great for Sales
Sprout Social’s research says that almost half of the people who join a Facebook group do so to interact directly with a brand. Which not only means that they are interested in your content, but they want to be sold to.
Facebook groups allow you to build a community of your ideal customers, help move them through a journey that warms them up to your products, and allows you to form meaningful relationships with your customers.
You Need to Start a Facebook Group
The best time to start a Facebook group is yesterday. The next best time is today!
So start a Facebook group. If you need help on the steps to starting one, you can download my free eBook, “Get More Traffic to your TpT Store” and check out Chapter 4. It has step by step instructions on how to start a Facebook group with screenshots to walk you through the process.
I have one more freebie for you. It’s 39 conversation starters for your Facebook page. Posting these questions will get you great engagement which will help grow your page.
Finally, if you want more help on Organic Facebook Growth and Facebook Groups I have a course called Amplify. It’s included in my membership for TpT Sellers – which includes courses on blogging, email marketing, organic Facebook growth, copywriting, and tons more. Plus a weekly virtual meetup. Click here to learn more about the membership.
