It’s a private party, and now you’re invited!
Facebook recently added a feature that enables pages to join groups.
Groups are designed for people to share their common interests and express their opinions. They can be public (in which case anyone can join), may require administrator approval, or be by invitation only.
From sports teams and recipe sharing, to product launches, mentoring, networking and ‘exclusive’ memberships, groups are a great way of engaging with a select few (or few thousand, depending on the aim of your group).
You name it, there’s a Facebook Group for it.
Have an unusually spelt name and get frustrated having to spell it all the time? There’s a Group for that – ‘People Who Always Have to Spell Their Names for Other People’. Are you a gnome sympathiser? There’s a Group for that too – ‘Garden Gnome Liberation Front’. Or, you can show your support for this poor chap – ‘If 1m people join, girlfriend will let me turn our house into a pirate ship’.
But, I digress.
The point is Facebook Groups are a great way to communicate with a niche audience.
Up until now, only individuals could join groups. Unless you were commenting within your own group, created by you, you could not comment as your brand.
The change gives businesses and organisations the potential to tap into communities and communicate with them in a much more personal way.
By joining group discussions, you can raise the profile of your business. It’s an opportunity for people to get to know you. And by ‘you’, I mean your brand.
The tone of voice you use and the quality of the information you share can say a lot about who you are as a business.
But, like attending a party, there is an etiquette to it.
There’s nothing worse than going to a party and having someone give you a sales pitch.
Or to be landed in the corner having your ear chewed off by an opinionated bore.
The same goes for Facebook Groups. Don’t be ‘that’ person. Especially if you are commenting as a Page.
Blatantly peddling your wares is not going to win you any friends, or customers.
Group admins have the power to remove or block members at any time. Contributing to discussions in a constructive and helpful manner will earn you a place as a valued member of the group. This will build trust in you, and your brand. And that is what is going to get people across the line.
And while you’re at it, start your own Group and invite people to the ‘party’.
