One of the issues we discussed at length when the Social Mediums first started working at the GC was how to embody our programs on Facebook. At the time, Facebook was working to suspend “fake” people. Some of us wanted the social interaction that was only available to a person–there is something meaningful in, say, the GC Music Program “liking” the photo of a music student’s most recent recital. Then, there was some consternation deciding to have a “group” vs. a “page.” This change looks like it opens up some of the possibilities we’d missed out on originally. I’m interested in how this changes the way our programs can engage with current and prospective students, as well as faculty and visiting scholars. — Paul, English Social Media Fellow.
Facebook Will Now Allow Pages to Join Facebook Groups
Here’s a small Facebook update that’ll no doubt be of interest to social media marketers – Facebook is now allowing some Pages to join Facebook groups, and comment and interact within them as a business Page.
We asked Facebook about the update, and a spokesperson provided SMT with the following explanation:
“We’ve heard from people that engaging with public figures, non-profits, publishers, and businesses in a more intimate setting can be meaningful. We previously launched the ability for Pages to start Facebook Groups so that they can engage with their communities. We are now testing the ability for Pages to join existing Facebook Groups as well.”
The new option was spotted by Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith (and shared by Matt Navarra), and it could be another way for businesses to offset some of their losses in Facebook reach as a result of platform’s algorithm shifts.
Being able to interact in groups as your business Page may provide an alternate means to generate exposure, and to build brand awareness within relevant Facebook communities. As of right now, the ‘Allow Pages to request to join as group members’ is active by default, so unless a group admin has chosen not to let Pages join, Pages included in the test pool should be able to join most groups.
That could enable you to get involved in relevant communities, and reinforce your brand expertize, helping to make your business a more recognizable source within your respective field.
As noted by Facebook, it first started moving towards letting Pages engage in groups last year when it was announced that Pages would be able to interact within their own group/s as their Page presence. This could now see that same capacity extended to all groups (at the admin’s discretion), which is part of the company’s broader push to make groups a bigger part of the Facebook experience.
It’s not a game-changing function, and it won’t bring back all the referral traffic you’ve likely lost as a result of the platform’s distribution changes. But it’s another interesting consideration for Facebook marketers, and another option to help generate more attention for your business.
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Source: Facebook Will Now Allow Pages to Join Facebook Groups – From Social Media Today
