Audience engagement is critical for every creator because it often leads to channel growth. Facebook’s groups feature allows creators to interact with their fans and create a space where fans can interact with each other. Now, Facebook’s making it easier to keep your group members engaged with a new type of group: Fan Groups.
According to Facebook, Fan Groups help keep both creators and their fans connected and encourage channel growth.
“When your fans are spread out across the internet, it can be hard to build a lasting community,” Facebook’s Gaming Twitter account said. “… we’re making it easier to connect and grow your audience.”
How do Facebook Fan Groups differ from regular Facebook groups?
Facebook lets members search posts by hashtags
Every fan has topics they have an interest in. Fan Groups let members search posts by hashtag — allowing them to find topics and discussions relevant to them. It’s a great way to keep people engaged in a group that gets several daily posts. Members can find the posts that are most interesting and relevant to them.
Fan Groups offer ‘Looking for Players’ posts
Fan Groups also make it simpler to find people to play with. Members of Fan Groups can post a ‘Looking for Players’ post that lets other members know you’re looking for people to play with. Posters can set how many people they’re looking for and display how many spots are open. There’s also a waitlist, so if the poster already found enough players, members can join the waitlist to let the poster know if they can fill a vacant spot if it comes up. The post is an intriguing idea and could lead to people forming closer bonds with other community members.
Facebook recommends Fan Groups in relevant places
Facebook said it’s going to start recommending relevant Fan Groups in certain instances. For example, if you watch a gaming stream to the end, you’ll see Fan Groups relevant to the content on stream or to the streamer. Additionally, Facebook will recommend creator Fan Groups after you view their page.
Overall, Fan Groups has the potential to be an effective tool for creators. People will engage with a community if it’s relevant to them. To that end, making it easier to find relevant topics and connect with people with similar interests will increase engagement and grow communities.