How Interacting in Professional Groups Can Help Your Brand Grow

From the Personal Branding Blog

Facebook groups have been a a long-standing place where people meet, which is good news for brands. Pages have seen a decline in reach since the latest algorithm changes, but still remain a place for promoting your brand with the use of advertising. By engaging in niche groups you can build your fan base and create more visibility.

Is it possible to still have an organic reach on Facebook? The answer is yes, and the influence from groups for your personal brand is a tremendous benefit to that strategy.

When you become active in groups on Facebook you are building relationships for the long term. It’s important to first know how to make this successful for your business without using this tool as a place for direct selling.

Groups and Their Influence on Facebook

Here are several key strategies to a successful networking strategy that will drive more people to your Page:

• Approach a group with its community in mind – Brands should save their sales message for their Page and email marketing campaigns. Engagement is the key to attracting a fan base along with sharing valuable information — eventually members will want to know more about your Fan Page and company.
• Discover what your target market is interested in – As your brand shares information, answers questions, and engages with members you can use this information to gather new content ideas that are specifically geared to your audience.
• Cross promote events – Not only can you share your next event on your Facebook Page, but this can be announced to your fellow group members as long as it offers something of value for them. This could be a free webinar on a topic they are interested in her an offline event where you can personally meet people in your area.
• Share your blog content – An article that is written about the main pain points of your community should also be showcased in your group. What better way to help solve problems than offering free advice? Members will appreciate the information and your website will benefit from more subscribers.

While a Facebook Page is about branded content, images, video, and promotions a group is more about creating meaningful relationships that build a strong community. Over time members will naturally be drawn to your personal brand’s Page, and this can cross over into your other social networks as well.