5 Ways to Use Facebook Groups to Grow Your Brand by @hobbesandco

by Clare Drake | Featured Contributor

As most of us know by now, having a Facebook Page is not what it was. If you’re lucky, 10% of people who have liked your page will see a post from you (with some studies reporting that the actual number for organic reach is closer to 2%). So, what can we do about it?

Well, the most obvious and the one Facebook is hoping for, is for you to boost your posts! However there is a much better way to connect with your audience and for free – and that is Facebook Groups!

You may have heard that Facebook Groups are a great way to gain exposure, develop yourself as an expert and get sales, but you’re not sure how to go about it. Let’s have a look at how you can use this powerful tool to grow your brand – whether it’s for your own personal brand or a business you own.

Step 1: Join Relevant Groups

By this I mean – join groups where your ideal audience is and where you can offer real value. Avoid groups that have no ‘rules’ – as these are likely just promotional groups that will have little impact on the growth of your business. Remember the key is to find groups where you can offer value and actually help your people with honest and trustworthy advice.

Step 2: Offer Value

As a follow-on from the previous step, offering value by helping your audience will establish you as someone who knows what they’re talking about. This develops your credibility as an expert – but is also very personal, as it’s very much 1:1 it will help you to build meaningful relationships with people you want to connect with.

Step 3: Start Your Own Facebook Group

By creating a Facebook group that is specific to your niche and purposely attracts your ideal audience will make it easier to connect with the right people and filter out those who aren’t the right fit. Being the host of your own group will obviously develop your expertise, but what you really want to accomplish is to build a community of people who support each other. I am a member of a few Facebook groups that do this incredibly well. The ‘leader’ of the group offers advice, however leaves it up to other members of the group to offer support too. Two groups I am particularly fond of are the groups led by melyssagriffin.com and screwtheninetofive.com.

Step 4: Set Boundaries in your own FB Group

Having touched upon this point in Step 1, make sure that any group you’re part of or set up has clear ‘non promotional’ rules. The best ones – like the two FB groups I pointed out in Step 2, have promotional days which include great threads where you can share wins, ask for collaborations etc, which help promote your business in a non icky way.

Step 5: Build Connections

I’ve saved this step for last as it’s the most important and ties all of it together. The reason Facebook Groups are becoming so popular because of the real connections that are made. I am part of groups where members often meet up IRL (in real life) over coffee and cocktails! Being an entrepreneur can sometimes be lonely and with Facebook groups I can attest to not only gaining new clients, but also real support and friendships from them. Seriously – get researching and find out which groups you can not only offer value to but where you can be supported as well.

Are there any Facebook groups that you love? Let me know in the comments!

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Clare Drake is a brand stylist and website designer for creative entrepreneurs all over the world through her work at Hobbes and Co.

Clare’s passion is to create and develop iconic brands for freelancers, entrepreneurs, small business owners and bloggers that delight their audience. Join the Creative Collective community to get free access to the resource library here.

Clare lives in a small coastal town in the UK with her husband Tom and yellow labrador Hobbes.  When she’s not working she loves to cook, host dinner parties for her friends and family, and drink coffee or wine (depending on what time it is!)

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Clare Drake