There’s been a lot of talk about Facebook lately and the major changes being made in their newsfeed. Not only is Facebook showing less content from business pages, but they are also facing a decline in usage for the first time in a decade. The latest Edison study reported, “the portion of Americans reporting that they currently ever use the service has declined from 67% to 62% among Americans 12+.”
So you mean to tell us that Facebook is showing our content to fewer people AND now 5% less American’s aren’t using Facebook as much anymore? Precisely!
The good news is, it’s not the end of the [marketing] world. We just have to remain authentic and crack up on creative ways to engage our customers and potentials on Facebook. There are plenty of other tactics you can use to reach your audience other than the standard content formula. You know: Copy + Link + Photo/Video = your standard Facebook post.
Facebook Groups have grown increasingly popular over the years. From mental health support groups to mom’s buying and selling, to networking professionals, there’s a group for practically every industry. The key to navigating these groups is to think of it as a networking tool, rather than a sales tool. The latter will prompt most group admins to give you the boot.
Here are 3 ways you can use Facebook Groups to your brand’s benefit:
Educate
People join groups looking for answers to questions all the time. And the fact that they’re talking to strangers they may never interact within the real world helps them to be more candid and forthcoming with their questions. It’s a good thing you’re the expert. Browse through the group posts and share some insight on a question that catches your eye. You don’t have to respond to every post, but answering 3-5 questions every week will definitely get your name out there.
Inspire
These questions can often inspire a blog post for your website, or even a video idea for you to discuss via FB Live. If you don’t have time to answer certain questions but have some great information to share, write a blog post about it later. And even if you decide to send a response, you can return to the post still let them know that they inspired you to expound more on that topic. Remember to link to your blog post for everyone to see.
Discuss
Sure, you have plenty of knowledge to share in the group, but there’s a lot you can learn from them too. Remember, these are your ideal customers. So why not ask them what their wants and needs are. Groups are a great social-listening tool for you to hear feedback from people who may be interested in your product or service. Occasionally ask customer service questions, find out how certain aspects of your industry can be improved. Just be sure to keep questions general and post them in moderation. This isn’t something you should post every week or you may sound too ‘sales-y’
Before posting, read the admin rules and be careful not to blatantly marketing your business or you could run the risk of admin removing you from the group.
Looking for more Facebook advice? Learn 3 effective ways you can get your audience more engaged.
