Inbound marketing is about engaging with the right prospect with the right message at the right time. Social media offers the ability to do exactly that, and Facebook is the largest social media channel on the planet!
If you're looking to increase the visibility of your blog or drive targeted traffic to your website, Facebook and Facebook groups are powerful tools to include in your social media arsenal.
There are more than 80 million small and medium-sized businesses pages on Facebook. Where does your company page fit into this?
Making an impression in the vast Facebook community is challenging, which is why you need to use community building tools, like Facebook groups.
What Are Facebook Groups?
via GIPHY
They operate simply as a place for communities of people to join and engage. Groups are often created based on common interests.
Here's everything you need to know about Facebook groups at a quick glance:
There are thousands of niche groups and communities on Facebook covering every possible product, and topic. The ones that really work can bring tremendous benefits, including:
Bottom line: most companies are enjoying the benefits of Facebook engagement. A whopping 96% of businesses use Facebook, and in the B2B world, 54% of B2B marketers say Facebook is their most important platform.
To make the most of your Facebook efforts, you need to join marketing groups and engage with professionals. But with so many groups out there, it's hard to find the ones worth joining.
Being a part of and engaging with other users in a small targeted community like a Facebook group is a great way to gain exposure for your own posts, tools, or products you are looking to promote. Sharing relevant information is the key.
Facebook groups also allow you to build trust and authority for your business and brand.
While there are literally thousands of marketing groups on Facebook, here are some of the best ones to join, arranged by category.
Let's start with the most general topic: digital marketing. The following groups cover every aspect of the digital marketing world, from SEO and analytics to new martech and everything in between:
For those looking to network and find talent or for those just looking to expand their knowledge, the Digital Marketing Hub has it all.
The community is highly engaged. Members share plenty of strategies, tips and products to help you perfect your skills.
Plus, you can spark insightful discussions by asking for recommendations on tools and seek feedback on ideas or find some awesome talent to join your team.
While Digital Marketing Mastermind is a small, private group, it does offer an excellent combination of education, brainstorming, peer accountability, and support to help sharpen your skill set.
As the administrators say in the group's description, "We are NOT a networking group, but a group to share our experiences and grow together as a whole. We are not in competition with each other, but supporters in each other's business ventures."
In other words, come here for some friendly, helpful conversations and for an opportunity to impart your wisdom to others who hit the same obstacles you have in the past.
Plain and simple, Digital Marketing Questions is the perfect group for those who want to learn and network. This public group is a great resource for asking questions, sharing relevant marketing content, and meeting new people in the digital marketing world.
For example, if you're struggling with PPC or your analytics reports, simply ask for some feedback. You can expect some helpful information from this engaged community.
As you can tell by the name of this closed group, Chatbots 101 is all about chatbot training. This group is still fairly new, but it's growing fast.
This is an excellent resource if you're interested in deepening your understanding of one of the most important marketing tools of the future. Stay up to date on the latest chatbot trends and strategies.
From B2B prospecting to email marketing and beyond, Badass Marketers & Founders delivers excellent content for all things digital marketing.
This closed group is well moderated by Josh Fechter and Houston Golden, cofounders of BAMF Media, a well respected agency and founder organization. They share awesome insights so you stay up to date on the best growth hacking strategies.
via GIPHY
SEO changes so rapidly, but fortunately groups like Superstar SEO. This is a great closed group that you can engage with other SEO experts.
The best part is how welcoming the group is. The administrators monitor it well, so every member, no matter their level of expertise, feels valued and understood.
Plus, if you offer SEO services, this group is a great tool. Sometimes, they will highlight offerings from their members.
Unfortunately, many Facebook groups lack quality because the owner and administrators aren't very active. This is where Marketing Solved stands out – owner Kat Sullivan is heavily involved with her community.
Her company, Marketing Solved, provides digital marketing training and resources for business owners and marketers. This Facebook group is an extension of her company, and the community is very active.
Not only is this a great group to network it; you can also ask questions and participate in important digital marketing discussions.
One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is conversion rate optimization (CRO). This is where CXL – Conversion Optimization, Analytics & Growth comes in handy.
This is a tight knit community of CRO experts. So the next time you're faced with challenges associated with analytics, conversion paths, tag management, and anything else related to growth, ask questions to these awesome members.
Fortunately, this group is well moderated, so you're not sifting through spammy links to find high value content and in-depth discussions.
The social media world evolves fast. As a marketer, this can be tough to stay on top of. Fortunately, these groups can help you:
With over 25,000 members, the Social Media Managers community stands out as one of the most well established closed groups available. Like most other marketing groups on Facebook, this one focuses on networking.
But primarily, it's an excellent place where social media professionals come to connect and share war stories, tips, and hacks. Like many communities, they have policies governing posts and content to keep the community spam free and relevant.
When it comes to social media growth hacking, it's hard to find a better Facebook group than Traffic and Copy.
This group is for skilled marketers who want to take their social media marketing to the next level and expand their social media community. It also focuses on how to become a social media consultant, software and apps to increase ROI, and tips for increasing landing page conversion rates.
Writing is a core component of any content marketing strategy. And thanks to groups like Online Copywriters, writers and content creators can continue to learn tips and tricks for writing effective copy, improving SEO, executing email marketing strategies, and creating social media content.
If you create content and are seeking information, or if you are looking for a copywriter, this is a great group to join.
If you're a professional marketer seeking information about advertising, brand management, promotion, and digital marketing, Content Writing, Writers is the perfect public group for you.
Share, engage and contribute with your experience and expertise. Plus, members post job opportunities for content creators regularly in this community.
No matter where you are in your content marketing career, it's important to continually learn. Blogging Boost is a great resource for anyone looking to connect with other bloggers and learn more about all things blogging and social media.
If you create blog content for your company or work as a freelance blogger, you're bound to learn awesome tips and tricks and also stay informed on the latest techniques for effective blogging.
Content creation requires a lot of time and resources. PICASSO Content Marketing is a great group to connect with fellow content creators to discuss general content curation and marketing tips.
Members of the group also share ideas and comments on the following:
Despite this community focusing on specific software programs and frameworks, any content marketer can learn plenty from these members. Most of the discussions include great advice and tips.
Exclusively for copywriters, the Copywriter Club is an awesome community if you want to improve your writing skills. This group is moderated very well, so you don't have to deal with members wanting to spam everyone with links and self-promotion.
You can learn from all kinds of copywriters, including freelancers, and jump in on discussions on every aspect of the copywriting world. These members are looking to share knowledge, collaborate, and support one another.
Plus, members gain access to educational resources, like templates and training materials. Face
These are 15 Facebook groups to get you started engaging online. There are thousands of others to meet any and every interest or need. To find additional groups, simply type relevant search terms, keywords, or industries into the Facebook search bar.
When you visit groups, look at the number of members and see how often members post. With thousands of choices, there are many groups that are either dormant or just an excuse for spammers.
Focus on the frequency and relevance of posts and also check the group's policies to make sure they are educational in nature.
Starting Your Own Facebook Group
Once you've checked out several groups you may decide to start your own. Facebook groups are especially useful to:
Consider your topic and make sure you are clear about any rules and policies. There are several great reasons for incorporating Facebook groups into your marketing strategy or creating a group for your business.
Reasons for starting a Facebook group include the following:
Participating in Facebook groups is an effective way to build a community for your business on social media. Start by visiting the 15 we've listed here to get a good idea of what's possible and how groups can benefit your business.
If you're interested in growing your authority online, consider starting a group of your own. Whichever path you choose, Facebook groups are an effective marketing tool that are worth checking out!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in September 2017. It was updated in November 2018 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.