Online Communities - A New Business Opportunity

If you are a Facebook user, you have probably noticed the new Groups tab on the Facebook app. A Facebook group is a place on Facebook that connects people with the same interest. Unlike Facebook wall where people chat (or argue..) about anything, and Facebook business pages where organizations promote their businesses, Facebook groups bring people together to post and chat about a particular topic of interest. And a few weeks ago, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced an overhaul of its main mobile app which has now a new emphasis on Groups.

As Facebook Groups membership grows and more groups launch, companies are seeing more private online communities as a new opportunity to reach their target audience.

In this blog, we discuss why Facebook is making this big leap, the kind of opportunities this might open up for companies as well as what it means to manage and moderate online communities.

Why is Facebook focusing on groups all the sudden?

Over the last couple of years, a new demand for privacy-focused communication platforms has emerged. With a growing concern over security breaches and privacy on social media, people now increasingly prefer to connect on more privacy-focused communication platforms over open platforms. According to Mark Zuckerberg, “privacy gives people the freedom to be themselves and connect more naturally”. So it comes to no surprise that Facebook has turned its attention to groups which they recognized as the fastest growing area of online communication. And with over 400 million people using Facebook Groups, this is clearly an opportunity businesses are taking a hard look at.

At Online Moderation, we have seen the evolution of private online communities to social networks. The issue of privacy is actually not that new. In the past, online communities allowed community members to choose an avatar and unique username to help protect the user’s identity. This was especially important in communities around health, wellness, politics and the like. Today, Facebook does not recommend people use false identities and so users use their real names. With the concerns over privacy with Facebook over the years, many people are either leaving Facebook in favor of more private communities or seeking out and/or creating private groups with Facebook itself.

Facebook Groups has been around for years, so what is changing?

With Facebook moving towards a more private platform, it is making Groups a bigger part of the overall Facebook user experience. Among other new features, Facebook now

Highlights groups people have joined
Shows personalized activity feed across all the groups in a separate tab
Recommends groups to users based on their interests
Makes discovering groups easier
Allows for sharing content directly to groups from the share button on the main news feed

How companies can leverage Facebook Groups and other online communities

As Facebook Groups and other private online communities grow, companies are seeing this as a new opportunity to reach their target audience. It’s well known that Facebook business pages have taken a serious hit over the years, losing engagement with organic posts. Facebook users are seeking out more relevant experiences on Facebook, rather than random ads and other items showing up in their feed. Although Facebook groups are not new, many marketers have yet to take full advantage of the feature.

So if your company does not have a Facebook group yet, you may want to consider starting one (or joining an existing one). Think about a relevant group that serves your customers and target customers well. The beauty of Facebook Groups is that they are more focused on open and collaborative discussions (whereas a Facebook Business page is more of a one-way communication tool).

To get the most out of your Facebook Groups, our social media experts have the following tips for you:

Build a relationship. People feel more comfortable to open up and share their thoughts and concerns in a private group. And by answering their questions, you will be perceived as an expert and go-to person in the future.
Engage with your Facebook Group. Having a group is an amazing way to share company news, poll your customers and do market research, and find out about new trends within your customer base that you may not have known about.
Promote your Facebook Group on your business website. Getting your customers to connect and engage with you in a real way not only helps you stay in touch, it shows them that you care about communicating with them.

Managing private Online Communities

If you started your own Facebook group or other online community, you may want to consider hiring someone to manage and moderate it in order to get the greatest benefit. Some conversations may not be healthy or productive, so a community manager may have to resolve conflicts and/or remove unconstructive or private content.

Remember, however, when a company creates a community, the members are there by choice and receptive to the company’s promotions and attention. This creates a strong opportunity for engagement with the customer. This community manager can develop the community by participating in discussions, find new customers and listen to current customers. For example, the group manager can:

Answer group members questions and therefore come across as an expert and go-to person going forward
Address customer complaints and resolve issues in real-time
Share events or promotions within the group
Engage customers to find new product and feature ideas
Discover common passions to guide your marketing strategy
Uncover insights that can improve your business and help you achieve your goals

Groups are a great way for customers to share their experiences and connect with each other around your brand. So bring your customers and potential customers a valuable community and they’ll stick around.

If you want to learn more about online customer service, read our complete best practices guide here.

Final Thoughts

Managing and moderating an online community, such as a Facebook Group, is important because engagement and the TLC of your community of customers is vital to your business. But this also requires the time and expertise to realize that benefit. We can help you engage your customers and potential customers, moderate the content and provide real time customer support. Contact us for more information on moderating and engaging your community. Our moderation team at Online Moderation offers 24/7 moderation and social customer service of social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, among others.