BrightonSEO talk: How to get Facebook Groups Working for Your Business

Posted on by Marie Page

Marie Page at BrightonSEO 2019

This is a pre-recorded video of the talk I gave at BrightonSEO.

How to get Facebook Groups working for your business


 

Facebook is a bit rubbish nowadays isn’t it?
All those privacy scandals.
A news feed full of ads no one wants to see.
And it’s seen as a bit crap both for users and for businesses.

Organic reach is falling.
Average reach is currently around 7% but some Pages see it much lower than that.

Engagement is also falling.
The median engagement rate for Page posts is just 0.09%. By comparison, on Instagram it is 1.6%.

So what is Facebook doing to address it’s apparent death?

And what does that mean for businesses in relation to Facebook Groups?

Slide deck

 

Examples of Facebook Groups working for businesses:

The following Groups are all featured in the talk:

  • HBO’s TV show “Big Little Lies” – the first big “brand” to use Facebook groups
  • Thrive Market, an online grocery retailer selling organic and all-natural products, has a secret Facebook Group where subscription members can share feedback on new products and swap recipes.
  • Veganuary (a charity). The role of the Admins and Moderators is that of community manager rather than having to create or respond to content. In this group the 35,000 members answer each others’ questions, provide support and even curate new content.
  • Instant Pot – packed with advice on using your Instant Pot both from Instant Pot themselves and an army of dedicated fans
  • PostThis from the Washington Post – allows reporters to connect with the newspaper’s most dedicated readers
  • Manchester Evening News has a Group which appears to have been created in part to bypass the limitations of the algorithm for pages
  • Manchester Evening News host 9 different group including one for fans of Coronation street
  • Kajabi is an online content platform for entrepreneurs. – 14,000 members and a great place to go for tech support and ideas. The Kajabi team are also using the Group to understand more about difficulties customers have with their system as well as provide a place for peer technical support
  • Gap has a Group for a men’s athletic brand called Hill City. The purpose of the program is for the brand to gather direct feedback from people wearing its clothing, which it then incorporates into design and development processes. Wear testers bounce ideas off each other and Gap sees the Group as a place to break some of the usual convention that exists around the Gap portfolio
  • Grown and Flown is a website for parents of children aged 15-25. They sell a range of products suited to that age group. The Group has a life of its own, with parents leading the conversations, which in turn informs them about the content that will work on their website.
    Engagement is huge. One post by a parent received more than 2,000 comments.
  • Peloton (bike brand) community managers lead conversations about favorite instructors, biking gear, and fitness goals with plenty of user generated content too. Peloton hosts it’s group as a forum for Peloton members to connect and also get updates on new Peloton features and announcements. Peloton’s Group has been highlighted by Facebook as one of the most engaged, standout Groups among consumer brands.

 

 

Marie Page

About Marie Page

Marie Page is one of the UK’s leading Facebook marketing experts. She is a founding partner of digital marketing consultancy The Digiterati and the Digiterati Academy e-learning portal for marketers and entrepreneurs. Her book (and companion online course) 'Winning at Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget' is an Amazon bestseller. Marie's work on the Facebook News Feed algorithm was featured in The Huffington Post. A recognised thought leader on social media, Marie is often approached by journalists for comment in articles such as this Telegraph article. She was also interviewed for ITV's Tonight show on Facebook privacy issues in relation to advertising. Marie is a regular guest on digital marketing blogs and podcasts including Social Media Examiner and Smart Insights. In 2018 she is speaking at Brighton SEO, Europe's biggest search and marketing conference. Marie is also author of two Smart Insights books: 'Smarter Guide to Facebook Marketing', now in its fourth edition, and 'Facebook Ads Guide', both edited by Dr Dave Chaffey. As well as her work with Digiterati, Marie is also a part-time yoga teacher.

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