Get The Most Out Of Social Media Groups for Your Business
The new way to reach your target audience on social media is through building authentic relationships. Groups are a good place to start because the people there share a common goal, and can help each other in a much more enjoyable, organic, and rewarding way.
In order to have more influence, your business needs to be active and engaged within these types of communities inside your niche.
In a focused social media group, you can:
- Share helpful content with those who are interested
- Solve pressing problems
- Fill in the gaps where the competition is lacking
- Provide tips and videos
- Update people on what is going on in your industry
- Provide useful feedback
It’s important to follow all of the rules in each group:
- Make yourself aware of conventions, tips, do’s and don’ts – both specific to certain groups, and in general
- Commit to being part of, and building your group community
- Stay active and engaged at least three times a week
In an online group, you don’t have the luxury of observing people’s body language, hearing nuance in their tones of voice, or watching facial expressions the way you would in an offline, physical-location group. Do your research and check out the profile photos of users, the content that they share, what their online habits are, and how they communicate.
If you are a member of a social networking group, you may never actually meet fellow members in person. But it’s a good rule of thumb to assume that you might be invited to an event in the future.
If your business is just starting out, know ahead of time how you would like your brand to be perceived. It’s important to be consistent with your messaging and meet the expectations of your community in an authentic way.
Be true to your image or persona, and relevant to the group focus. In online groups, you need to pay attention to the impression you are creating – particularly if the focus is business-oriented.
Before you can benefit from groups, however, you have to find or create one. Here’s how:
1 – Categories and Similar Interests
Do your research in order to find groups by category and interest as it relates to your target market. Communities that have a broad scope may not effectively build interested followers for your business.
It’s important to pay attention to groups that have the least amount of spam and are active each day with at least 500 or more members.
2 – Start Your Own Group After Joining Others
After being active in several groups, you may want to kick start your own community. Observe the techniques of others similar to your brand and choose keywords that help you stand out from the rest. Following this type of universal “best practice” can help make your new group be more successful and attract new members.
There are specific guidelines for your particular social network, whether this is on Facebook or LinkedIn. Make sure you let potential members know where they can find your guidelines, how to turn off emails, and of course how to join or leave the group.
3 – Connect Personally With Each Member
Once you have established your own community there are a few “best practices” to follow:
- Every new member should be welcomed and acknowledged
- Commit to contributing and adding value
- Promote your services or products on your Facebook Page or website only
- Stay on topic, and manage posts to ensure that they do the same
- Answer questions or enlist the help of others to do so
- Listen courteously and respond to discussions
- Acknowledge any post that someone has put time and thought into
Social media groups are a great way to form new connections, build more brand awareness, and provide more information on what your business expertise is. Do your best to make your group a rich community, and you will soon find yourself well rewarded.
You may also want to read: Get More Exposure for Your Business with Online Groups
Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_viewapart‘ / 123RF Stock Photo
Susan Gilbert
Latest posts by Susan Gilbert (see all)
- 12 SEO, Digital Marketing Automation, and Live Chat and Chatbot Tools - January 24, 2023
- 12 Time-Saving Blogging, Newsletter Creation, and SaaS Tools - November 29, 2022
- 12 Customer Communication, Instagram Brand Reach, and AI Marketing Plan Tools - October 25, 2022
