Why Your Business Needs a Facebook Group
Jun 04, 2024
Article by Mercedes Aspland
Did you know that 1.8 billion people are in Facebook Groups (as of 2020). And that 98% of people say they find they get a sense of belonging from their groups. The extra bonus, engagement is much higher in Facebook Groups than any other area of the platform. With that in mind can your business afford to not have a Facebook Group?
In this post I will show you how a Facebook group can benefit your business. Aiding you by building community, generating leads, and driving growth. Plus it positions you as an industry leader and authority figure. All combining to enhance the know, like, trust factor in you and your business.
The caveat I will put on that is that a Facebook group is not a place to stick your business adverts and hope people buy. It is a place for you to build a community and genuine connections. It is that which will help you drive sales. Read on for all the benefits your business can start getting right away.
1. Build Genuine Connections
A Facebook group is like a closed community where you can discuss things in relative privacy. It is a place where you can bring together people who share a similar interest and connect with them. If you are a business owner then you can bring in people who want your products and get to know them. What do they like, what inspires them.
It is also your opportunity to show who you are in front of people who are potential customers. The more you show up and have real conversations, the more likely your connections become customers. But the great thing about this is they don’t need to. You could make a great friend or a partner to collaborate with. Or you build your reputation so they tell their friends about you.
Whichever way you look at, by having a Facebook group you will find genuine connections. You will find your tribe. When you do this it makes selling your offers so much easier and a natural part of the process.
In my own personal life, I have joined groups for sewing, because I love making clothes for myself and my son. I have then got to know people and bought both fabric and patterns through those groups. I have built up trust with business owners and gone to them before other offers, that might even be cheaper. But through the group I have built a relationship and that increases trust and loyalty.
2. Drive Value-Driven Engagement
Members join because they care about your topic, which encourages more meaningful engagement. This is a must for any business. The more you can get people engaging in content in your group, the longer they are there for. So when you do put an offer out, they are much more likely to buy.
One of the best ways to boost engagement is to ask meaningful questions. It is most effective if they allow members to share about themselves and their lives. They will be much more likely to answer the questions and get involved in your community.
The added bonus is that Facebook loves engagement. So the more you can get in your group the more Facebook will show your posts to members.
3. Create a Supportive Community
If you make your group private, it can encourage much more open discussions. This allows members to share what they are thinking and feeling. This is great for any business and it enhances the sense of a community.This in turn will boost trust for what you do.
Be the one that can help the community, make people feel welcome and safe to share. This will help members to bond with you and see you as a source of support. When you position yourself as the welcoming supportive host it boosts trust and loyalty. So when you share your offers they have so much more impact.
4. Gain Real-Time Feedback
This is a real benefit to any business and help you to decide the direction you want to go in. Once you have built an engaged community you can use it for feedback. If you have more than one idea you can put a poll out and see what people think of your ideas. This can help you decide which is the best option to take.
You can also do other market research in your group, when people join and through discussions. By engaging with your community, you get to know what their preferences are and also what it is they want.
It is also the perfect place to test any new product idea. Let’s imagine you have an idea that you think is great. Put it out to your group to see who takes you up on it. If the reaction is flat, you might need to tweak the messaging. But this is the place you can try things out. Once you perfect it with your audience you know you are good to go and share it with a wider audience.
5. Generate Hot Leads
If you build your group in the right way, people will be asking to join. Even better than that, Facebook will be suggesting your group to ideal clients. When you consider how much ads costs, you are effectively getting free advertising.
Why does Facebook do this for me I hear you ask? Well this is why it is important to build it right. If you are getting good engagement, you are keeping people on Facebook. And what Facebook wants more than anything is to keep people on the platform.
So if your group is doing well, it will suggest it to more people to keep them on the platform. Total bonus. Now you have a place where potential leads are being driven to daily, for free. You are no longer putting in the time to build it and you are not paying to build it but there they are.
This is the best thing about having a Facebook group, but you need to do something with your new members. Like I said above, you need to make them feel part of the community. You need to build trust. But you at least have the first thing done for you.
6. Networking and Collaboration
This is another side benefit of your Facebook group. It is not all about finding customers. If you set your group up right, it is somewhere you want to hang out. That means, the people coming in will be people you want to connect with. If they are other business owners, this opens a lot more doors for you.
Can you find people to collaborate with in your group? You will get referrals as your network knows more about what you do. Ultimately, this is about giving yourself options and opportunities. Plus if people like what you do, they will recommend your group to others, expanding your reach.
It is so easy to overlook the members of your group for networking. But this is possibly the place where you can build the best network online. Use what you have and make sure you are building those connections all the time.
Conclusion
A Facebook Group is your opportunity to build your tribe. To connect with the people that may expand your business either as customers or partners. It is your chance to generate the know, like and trust factor. It is the most effective way to generate revenue for your business.
I tell everyone when building a group this: Build a community you want to be part of, that you would join. This means you will turn up and get involved. It also means it will attract the people who will get you and want to work with you.
If you are on the fence about building a Facebook Group then I say to you do it! All it takes is a little bit of time and is easily the cheapest form of marketing. If you would like support and help to build a successful group then I have something for you. Join the FB Group Growth Hub for $27 per month and learn how to have hot leads on tap.
Learn more in the FB Growth Hub Here!
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