Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Changes to Facebook Groups means the network’s forums will become even more valuable to marketers.
With the changes, Facebook now allows marketers to participate in Groups as Pages instead of individuals. That means the company logo will appear in discussions. Readers will understand when comments are the brand’s official response.
Marketing and PR experts call the update a major step that will significantly improve organizations’ ability to interact with audiences. Companies and other organizations will be able to participate in product-related communities, industry-relevant discussions, hobbies and interest-based communities – and comment as the brand. They’re able to offer their input and answer questions about issues in their niche. Organizations that employ social media listening to identify relevant comments and appropriately respond to them gain a competitive advantage.
The Risk of Tactless Promotions
Brands that post overly promotional content risk annoying other Group members and being kicked out of forums for spam, points out Andrew Hutchinson at Social Media Today. Moderators could eject Pages just as then can now kick out individuals. In addition, Facebook may be improving its spam-detecting artificial intelligence.
In addition, brands will be able to administer Groups as Pages and link directly to Groups, adding another direct-connection feature for businesses. At this point, Facebook is still testing the updates and it’s not clear how quickly it will introduce them to everyone.
An Under-Appreciated Product
Facebook calls Groups an under-appreciated product – and an area for potential growth. Users generally don’t comprehend the full potential of forums.
“We could do a better job making sure people understand Groups,” Will Cathcart, Facebook’s vice president of product, told Bloomberg. “As widely used as Groups is, if you think about it through the view of any individual person, I think people have tons of groups in their lives that they don’t actually use. If you think of every team you’re involved in — groups of people at work, social clubs you have — my bet is that for nine out of 10 of them you don’t have a Facebook group.”
Facebook has introduced several improvements to Groups over the past year. It made it easier to share files within groups and introduced features to make it easier to create groups, such as inviting new members via e-mail. It’s also promoting Groups as a workplace collaboration tool and adding tools to post tasks or share meeting notes.
Group administrators can require users to complete an application quiz before admitting them to their forum. That feature will help managers screen spammers and other inappropriate applicants and ultimately save them time and effort when moderating comments.
Bottom Line: New features will improve the ability of brands to manage Facebook Pages, participate in Facebook Groups and interact with customers and other stakeholders on the network. Experts call the updates — part of Facebook’s push to transform Groups into a leading communications channel – a significant step. Brands that continually monitor the forums for opportunities to engage will win a marketing advantage.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
