unique advantages of facebook groups

Pages and groups are both effective for connecting with customers, but in different ways.

While pages and groups are both important aspects of Facebook marketing, they accomplish very different things. A business page is a public-facing profile, similar to the personal one you use when connecting with friends and family. Anyone can visit your page regardless of whether or not they have “liked” it, although page visits are rare these days.

A Facebook Group, on the other hand, is closed circle of participants having an ongoing discussion about a particular topic or interest. When you find a group that focuses on a topic your business knows a lot about, you can help people learn how to solve problems or educate them about how to better use your products or services.

While anyone on Facebook can see your page posts, only members will see your content in group discussions. Understanding how the group allows people to join is important as well – some of them are open to anyone, while others are very selective about who gets in – this determined by the privacy settings of the group.

differences between open and closed groups

There are three privacy settings for groups. Public groups allow anyone to join, and anyone on Facebook can see their content. Open groups encourage membership, while others prefer to limit theirs. These “closed groups” can be found by non-members, but they can only join when another member extends an invitation. Lastly, secret groups can only be seen by current and former members, a common setting used to define loyalty rewards clubs and customer service forums.

How can businesses get customers with Facebook Groups?

People start groups, or join existing ones, because they have an interest or challenge shared with other users. You can use these opportunities to grow your customer base, but they can easily backfire if your brand does not embrace the group culture.

Finding brand enthusiasts – Creating a group of fans of your company can help spread lots of goodwill around Facebook. In this case, it’s okay for your products and services to dominate the discussion. While this may sound like an easy homerun, the reality is these groups require a lot of work if you want to keep people happy and engaged. You have to consistently offer members real value for their loyalty, like company branded gifts, helpful information and other benefits.

Selling products – “For Sale Groups” are communities where you can present products for sale to the group. This is one of the few instances where direct selling is okay.

Creating authority  – You can enhance your company’s authority by helping other members with their challenges. Be very careful about how you go about this. Make sure the help you provide is objective and genuine, without any hint of self-promotion. People quickly get turned off by members who appear to want to help, but really are only thinking of a sale. Pay it forward by being helpful and goodwill will come back to you eventually.

Getting feedback through customer service – You can keep your current customers happy by inviting them to join a “secret” group where your service team can offer exclusive support in a closed forum. In this setting your company can get questions and feedback first hand, collecting valuable information that will help you improve your business down the road.

Facebook Groups is a great resource that’s often missed by companies trying to grow their customer base. They establish a direct line of communication with your customers, helping you learn about their needs while they get to know your company better. It’s almost like participating in a roundtable discussion with your customers. What business owner wouldn’t want to sit in on that?

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