As Facebook continues to emphasize group engagement, The Social Network is also looking to create more opportunities for businesses within these highly engaged communities.

And while you can already run ads in the Groups feed, Facebook’s looking to add another potential revenue pathway specifically for group admins, with new brand partnership posts built into the groups experience direct.

As you can see in this image, the new sponsored posts within groups are an extension of Facebook’s existing Branded Content tools, and will include a similar ‘Paid Partnership’ tag to signify funded posts.

As explained by Facebook: 

“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”.

The option could be a welcome addition for group admins, who will now have a clear process for partnering with brands, and essentially selling them on their group’s reach. Facebook already provides paid subscription options for some groups, another way to see admins get paid for the time they spend building their communities, and sponsored content will add even more opportunity – while also giving brands a direct line into engaged, focused audiences.  

And that could be very valuable – over a billion Facebook users regularly engage within groups, while Facebook says that almost half of those participate in what it calls ‘very meaningful’ groups, or communities that become key to their overall online interactions. That means that there are a lot of people on Facebook engaging over very specific topics within these enclosed spaces – and reaching them with related offers (as in the example above) or promotions could be a great way to boost brand awareness, and direct sales.

You then also get the flow-on benefit of further sharing and discussion as a result, with group members that take you up on your offer ideally posting about their experience afterward. That could be a very valuable promotional tool – and while admins will need to tread carefully in order to maintain the trust of their group, and not overdo their sponsored promotions, it does seem ripe with opportunity, and mutual benefit, when the fit is right.

The option will only be made available for public groups with over 1,000 members, and your group will need to adhere to Facebook’s Monetization Eligibility Standards – which essentially say that you can’t break the platform rules and you need to be located in an eligible country.

It could definitely be an option worth considering – you can check your group’s eligibility and get more info on the process here.

It could be a valuable addition to your Facebook marketing strategy.