Mark Zuckerberg once said, “In addition to building better products, a more open world will also encourage businesses to engage with their customers directly and authentically. More than four million businesses have Pages on Facebook that they use to have a dialogue with their customers. We expect this trend to grow as well”.
Today, public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with people we care about, making Facebook less about people and more about businesses. After a negative feedback from the community, Facebook has changed its goal to helping you have more meaningful social interactions instead of helping you find relevant content.
So, put bluntly: the golden days of Facebook Pages for publishers and brands are over.
What does that mean for businesses? Well, read on to find out.
With recent changes to Newsfeed, more and more brands are using Groups to get content in front of the eyes of their viewers. Brands with groups are seeing huge returns on their efforts and here are the 5 reasons why:
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Facebook Recently Started Punishing Pages
Facebook publicly stated that the Pages will be become less important to users and the postings of friends on the Newsfeed are going to take the spotlight instead.
This Facebook Newsfeed change is taking away the Pages days from publishers and brands.
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Group Posts or Page Posts?
Well, groups are filling the gap in reach and impressions left by Pages and Facebook is giving some sort of intentional advantage to Groups by for example, putting Group content on top of people’s newsfeeds. In a nutshell: Groups give posts an algorithm boost.
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New Features Are Being Added To Groups
Alongside having the ability to pin posts to Groups and the availability of new analytical tools, Facebook made it possible for Pages to post to groups which in fact helps you keep your brand image consistent. And it can help you link them together with a call-to-action to keep your audience connected.
- Groups encourage conversation
Some people hesitate posting their opinion or opening a discussion publicly on your Facebook page, so opening a Group for them enables the sharing of opinions freely (only members can see) and they can even interact with your page by posting calls for opinions, discussion topics, and surveys.
- Groups help you truly identify your audience
There are 3 types of Facebook groups:
- Private: Known to the public but require admin approval to join
- Public: Anyone can freely join
- Secret: Require an invitation
Having a private group lets you know your customers by, for example, having all prospective members answer questions of your choice, this way you would know who to better curate content, and even your products.
These points show Facebook’s commitment to growing Facebook Groups. Utilize them to make the most out of your Group and expand your reach. Need help? Give us a call!