I know you’re in at least one facebook group. But take a quick guess at how many others you’re in… loads I bet. Ones you have sought out, and ones that you’ve been invited to join. You go to them for information or interaction, browse through posts – or even start your own conversation thread. More businesses are using them than ever before, creating communities for their fans and followers to interact and building longer-lasting relationships with their prospects and customers.

With over 10 million active facebook groups reported in 2021, they represent a huge chunk of the digital space. They might not be right for every business, but there’s no doubt in their popularity. Facebook groups are a popular feature on the site, with millions of users joining groups every day. But what about Facebook groups for small businesses? Are they worth the time investment? When it comes to marketing, it’s important to have a plan and a strategy. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be open to new ideas, especially if they have the potential to reach a large audience. Facebook groups can be a great way to build community and connect with potential customers. If you’re strategic about which groups you join and how you participate, Facebook groups can be a valuable addition to your marketing mix.

So should we have our own group for our business? Here’s some positives:

• Easy access – it’s as simple as a click to search and join a community. If your audience is already using the network, adding members to a group is easy. 
• Community – members feel welcome to share their thoughts, offer suggestions and help one another. Groups can offer peer support to its members, and provide feedback opportunities on the business and its service.
• Building a tribe – with a group, you can create a community for like-minded people who share the same interests, hold similar beliefs, or want to obtain similar aims. This could be used to pair a business with the interests of potential and existing customers.
• Exclusivity – with private membership, you can close more doors to protect your content. Members may enjoy knowing that they are part of a particular crowd or community. 
• User generated content – unlike a page, members can post into a group. 
• Access from business pages – some groups allow Pages to join and post, meaning the Page gets more visibility.

Here’s some more points to consider if groups are right for you.

• Activity – groups rely on viewing and posting activity. Whereas Pages offer more options for paid advertising – individual posts can have a temporary boost, events can be promoted, and custom ads to point to links outside of facebook. 
• Moderation – Anyone can post, which means that groups require more moderation than Pages, in most cases. A moderating team needs to grow with the size of the group to keep up with this activity. 
• Resources – groups need work! For members to remain engaged, there needs to be something worthwhile of their attention. The content churn can be daunting to a business who feel they are already short on time.

Facebook groups for small business marketing

Facebook groups offer a unique opportunity for small businesses to connect with potential customers. By creating and maintaining a group, businesses can build a community of engaged users who are interested in the product or service being offered. Additionally, groups provide a valuable marketing platform, allowing businesses to reach a larger audience with targeted content. However, groups also have some downsides. They can be time-consuming to moderate, and it can be difficult to keep group members engaged over the long term. Additionally, some users may view groups as a spammy marketing tool, which can damage the business’s reputation. Overall,facebook groups can be a valuable marketing tool for small businesses, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons before deciding if they’re right for your business.

Can you think of any more pro’s and con’s for running a facebook group?

If you have a group yourself, what made you decide it was worth a punt?