The Changing Nature of Facebook Groups

Facebook has introduced a new feature that will now allow sponsored posts in groups. This move comes after the rise in popularity of Facebook groups & the growing engagement they have to offer, with more than 1 billion users regularly engaging in groups.

Here at Wilderness, we’ve been talking a lot about the benefits of groups & the best ways to utilise these fan-first conversations as a brand.

“Facebook has built monetization tools across different surfaces to help individuals and organizations generate reliable revenue that’s sustainable over time, and we’re excited to launch a set of tools that will enable communities, specifically, for the first time, to meaningfully monetize their engaged group audience by partnering with brands to create ‘branded’ posts”.

A common challenge when approaching groups as a branded account is tapping into these communities without disrupting the flow of the page. These groups are made for real fans & are often considered a private space, because of this, ads can sometimes feel out of place when integrated on a group’s feed. This meant prior to this feature adjusting the brand approach when engaging with groups to avoid unwanted advertising. This will now give brands the transparency to harness authentic engagement.

With this new feature, it will add to existing monetisation tools. This update feels like one that can benefit all as it’s a great opportunity for brands to be trustworthy & give group admins the control, making them feel more involved in the sponsored content shared.

So what are the conditions?

1. Admins of public Facebook Groups with more than 1,000 members will be able to use the new sponsored post options.

2. Facebook Groups also have to adhere to the Monetization Eligibility Standards of the platform.

3. The group has to be located in an eligible region.

Lastly, this means there’s also an opportunity for potential admin revenue, likely to encourage more use of groups in order to sell group reach via partnerships. It’s a great way to meet both a group and brand interests and it’s definitely something we will be trying here at Wilderness agency!

Safiya Pomell – Senior Strategist