A Facebook Group is easy to make, costs you nothing, and has tremendous advantages.
Where else on the many different social media platforms can you find a group of your ideal customers actively engaged in conversation and sharing ideas and resources with each other? Very few places, and none larger than Facebook Groups, which is the largest and most successful of all the social media platforms.
Groups are Facebook’s baby that it loves and protects. Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly discussed his affinity for them, even stating that he would not allow Ads inside Facebook Groups. Meta even ran commercials on network television promoting groups. (Think about how crazy that is for a moment, they paid to advertise a part of their platform that has no monetization for the company! That’s how much they love them.)
This commercial ran during the 2020 Superbowl Commercial and included celebrity appearances from Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone, so you know it wasn’t cheap.
Better Reach
Facebook Groups have better reach than Facebook pages. Often, Facebook will promote groups, helping you grow your group without spending money.
Here’s Facebook’s Transparency Report for the third quarter 2023. Note that Groups are one of the highest performing post types, meaning they show up in your Facebook Feed (the scroll) more than most any other kind. Unconnected (meaning recommended content) has now surpassed Groups, as Facebook announced it would at the beginning of 2023, and posts from friends are still the most common. Note that Business Page doesn’t even appear on the graph as its own category.
People Join them More Reticently
Often, when we try to give someone a freebie, it’s met with resistance. Especially if it requires an email address. But people love Facebook Groups. When you share them with someone, you generally get a much more favorable reaction.
People are already on Facebook, all the time. Hootsuite says that 1.8 Billion people visit their Facebook groups every month. Which is likely why they’re so happy when you share a good group with someone. They’re already hanging out on Facebook in groups, it’d be nice to find the right one to be in.
Easy Way to Build a Community and Establish Yourself as the Expert
Because Facebook promotes Groups, and they’re easy to share, and people are less resistant to joining them, they are an easy way to build a community of your ideal customers. And because you are the owner of that community, you are instantly seen as the authority.
By showing up regularly, and providing value, people will be even more likely to see you as the expert in this niche.
Brand Awareness
It’s hard to stand out online. There are millions of voices all shouting for our attention. By having a community, where people regularly congregate, and showing up consistently, you will build the brand awareness you long for.
And because Facebook shows group posts almost as much as any other type of post, you have a better chance of showing up in your customer’s feed. When you do so consistently, you will build up that brand awareness that makes your viewers more likely to become your customers.
Great Way to Connect with Your Audience
Because Groups allow the members to post, share, and dialogue, lots of great things can happen inside your group. You can get to know each other, share ideas, influence thinking, and provide tremendous value.
Great Place for Feedback
I love to ask my group questions and learn from them. I get ideas for my business, things like what to post or what products and resources are needed. I can do research by asking questions and getting feedback.
Your Group is not just a place that benefits your viewers, it also is of great value to you.
It’s Facebook’s Baby
Facebook is the best, largest, best-performing, and most profitable of all the social media networks. So it’s safe to say it’s a good place to be promoting your business, and it should last longer than the others.
And of all the things on Facebook, it loves Groups. As already mentioned, they ran commercials for it (including one for the Super Bowl) and they have insulated it from businesses being able to advertise on it. Besides that, Facebook promotes groups organically, meaning you can grow with Facebook’s help without spending money.
Facebook is also constantly updating its platform. Recently, they created a way for you to run paid Facebook ads for your group. So they are still invested in helping us have great groups online.
If you were to invest your time, money, talents, and money in online marketing, a great ROI is going to be Facebook Groups.
How to Start Your Facebook Group
If you want help starting and growing your Facebook group, you can check out my online course on Organic Facebook Reach. I also have some free resources on growing your Facebook page that you are welcome to download.
You can also read these posts:
- Why you Need to be on Facebook
- How often you Should Post on Facebook
- Why you Need a Facebook Group
- Why Facebook is the Best Social Media Platform for TpT Sellers
- Top Performing Posts of 2023