09 Sep How to Unlock New Opportunities with Facebook Groups Using the Branded Content Tool

Over 1 billion people use Facebook Groups, engaging in more personal or niche communities related to their interests. As Groups continue to grow, Facebook looks to identify ways in which brands can tap into these passionate communities to further drive advocacy and business goals. The platform’s most recent update to these efforts comes in the form of a possible extension to its Branded Content tool, which originally launched in 2017. This tool could soon be available in Facebook Groups, so we’re sharing what you’ll need to know ahead of its launch.

How It Works

With the addition of a branded content tool in Facebook Groups, Group Admins will have the ability to run sponsored posts in partnership with brands or influencers. While sponsored content is already available on the Group Feed, this feature would place partner content directly within the Facebook Group itself, as shown in the image below. This provides partners with much more valuable real estate in getting in front of community members.

Additionally, the branded content tool within Groups provides Admins with a more clear cut process for pushing partner content to their communities. With this tool, the Paid Partnership tag will appear on posts, providing additional transparency to Group members while giving the partner brand access to more detailed insights on how their post resonates with those members.

Opportunities for Brands

By nature, Groups are comprised of members who share focused, common interests and passions. For brands that offer products or services that cater to these interests, the opportunity to get in front of these members is extremely valuable, especially in Groups with a large membership. Partnership content within Groups provides another avenue through which brands can create connections with new fans, and potentially turn those fans into customers.

For example, brands could offer Group members exclusive offers or access to deals before the general public, similar to the example shown above. Brands could also look at extending influencer partnerships into Groups by integrating existing activations into the influencer’s Facebook Group.

As with any paid effort, however, brands should craft a strategic approach to branded content in Facebook Groups. Because of Group members’ aforementioned passions, their response to sales efforts in what’s meant to be a space for community conversation could be mixed. Because of this, brands should closely collaborate with Group Admins to get a firm understanding of who they’ll be advertising to. Consider what the community cares about and what brand attributes you have that meet those interests or needs.

As more information is released by Facebook, be sure to check back here for everything you need to know or subscribe to our newsletter, Social You Should Know, below.

Subscribe to Social You Should Know