Quick Answer
There are a few ways to invite your Facebook page fans and followers to join your Facebook group:
- Post about your group on your Facebook page – Let your fans know in a post that you have a group they can join for more exclusive content, discussions, etc. Include a link to the group.
- Send the group link in a page message – Use Facebook’s page messaging tool to send a message directly to all of your page followers with an invite to join the group.
- Invite page fans individually – Go to your page’s follower list and invite fans to the group individually by sending them a message with the group link.
- Pin a post about the group to the top of your page – Pinning a post about your group to the top of your page keeps the invite visible to visitors.
- Add a link to your group in your page bio – Update your Facebook page bio to include a link inviting fans to join your group.
Making announcements, sending direct invitations, pinning posts, and adding links are all effective ways to get the word out about your group to your current page fans.
Post About Your Group on Your Facebook Page
One of the best ways to invite your existing Facebook page fans to join your Facebook group is to simply create a post about it on your page.
Here are some tips for inviting your page followers to your group with a post:
- Write an attention-grabbing post title – Something like “Join My New Facebook Group!” or “You’re Invited: Come Join My Facebook Group Community!”
- Explain what the group is about – Give fans a good reason to join by talking about the type of content, discussions, and experiences they can expect in the group.
- Highlight benefits – Such as more exclusive access to you, special deals for members, networking opportunities, VIP treatment, etc.
- Use visuals – Include relevant photos, videos, gifs, or graphics that will catch fans’ eyes and convey what your group is about.
- Add a clickable link – The post should include a clickable link or button that makes it easy for fans to navigate directly to your group and join.
- Consider paying to boost the post – Boosting will help more of your page’s followers see the post inviting them to the group in their News Feed.
Once you’ve created a compelling post with a link to your group, post it natively to your Facebook page and consider paying $10-$20 to boost the post to followers who may have otherwise missed it.
Send the Group Link in a Page Message
Another way to get the group in front of your page followers is by utilizing Facebook’s page messaging options. You can send a message containing your group invite directly to all current followers of your page.
Here’s how to send a group invite via page message:
- Go to your Facebook page
- Click “Messages” in the left sidebar
- Click “New Message” at the top
- Select “People who like your Page” from the dropdown menu
- Type a message announcing your new group and inviting fans to join
- Include a clickable link to your Facebook group within the message
- Hit send!
The message will be delivered to all users who currently follow your page. They’ll see it in their Facebook inbox just like a normal message.
Because people don’t check their messages as regularly as their main News Feed, you may want to follow up with a post as well. But the page message is a more direct way to get your group in front of engaged followers.
Invite Page Fans Individually
A more hands-on way to invite your page fans to your Facebook group is to send individual messages to each follower inviting them to join. While this takes more effort, it can feel more personal.
To individually message fans:
- Go to your Facebook page and click “Followers” in the left sidebar
- Click into each follower’s profile
- Click the “Message” button to open a message window
- Type a personalized message inviting them to join your new group and include the group link
- Hit send and repeat for each follower!
You may want to start by individually inviting only your most loyal and engaged followers first. The one-on-one outreach makes them feel special and gives your group an initial boost.
Make sure to keep your message brief and casual – you don’t want to come off as spammy. Something as simple as “Hey [Name]! I just started a new Facebook group for my business that I think you’d really enjoy. I’d love for you to be a part of it: [link]” is perfect.
Pin a Post About the Group to the Top of Your Page
Once you’ve created a post inviting fans to join your Facebook group, pin it to the top of your page so it’s always visible. Here’s how:
- Create your post about the group (as outlined in the first section above)
- Click the three dots in the upper right corner of the post
- Select “Pin to Top of Page” from the dropdown menu
Now when visitors land on your Facebook page, the first thing they’ll see is a post inviting them to join your group – increasing the chances that they click to learn more and sign up.
The pinned post will essentially serve as a permanent announcement and advertisement for your group at the top of your page. Just be sure that the image and text convey what your group is about in an appealing way to catch visitors’ attention right off the bat.
Over time, you can create new posts inviting fans to the group and rotate pinning them to your page to keep the message fresh. But having one pinned at all times will make sure you’re maximizing visibility of your invite.
Add a Link to Your Group in Your Page Bio
Update your Facebook page bio to include a link inviting visitors to join your connected group.
Your page’s bio section is located right under your cover photo and page profile picture. It’s one of the first things people notice when visiting your page, so it’s a great place to promote your group.
To add a link:
- Go to your page’s “About” section
- Edit your bio text
- Add a sentence at the end inviting fans to join your group community and include the clickable group link
For example, you could say “Join my exclusive community group for fans: [link]”.
The bio space is valuable real estate, so keep the group mention brief. But including a quick blurb and link there makes it visible in a prominent location on your page at all times.
Between your pinned post, bio link, direct messaging, and native posts, these tactics will help convert more of your existing Facebook page fans into engaged members of your Facebook group.
Benefits of Inviting Page Followers to Your Group
Here are some of the major benefits that come with inviting your page followers to join your connected Facebook group:
- Increased Engagement – Followers who join your group are likely to become more engaged with your brand overall.
- Deeper Connections – You can forge deeper, more personal connections with fans in a private group setting.
- Targeted Discussions – Have focused discussions around specific topics with a relevant subset of fans.
- Valuable Feedback – Groups make it easy to survey members and get quick feedback.
- New Ideas – Fans often spark new ideas for your business in organic group conversations.
- Improved Loyalty – Group members feel invested in your brand’s success and become brand ambassadors.
In summary, migrating page followers to your group will help strengthen relationships, open new avenues for communication, provide a testing ground for ideas, and ultimately create more loyal brand advocates.
The group atmosphere fosters community, engagement, and conversations you simply can’t have on a general public page. That’s why inviting existing followers to join can be so valuable.
Drawbacks to Avoid When Inviting Page Followers to Your Group
While there are many benefits to inviting page fans into your Facebook group, there are a few potential drawbacks to be aware of:
- Messaging Fatigue – Don’t bombard fans with too many group invites or they’ll tune you out.
- Pushy Sales Pitch – A heavy sales pitch will turn fans off – focus on value and community.
- Too Broad of an Audience – Catering to all page fans may water down your group dynamic.
- Off-Topic Content – Keep posts and discussions focused on your stated group topic.
- Losing Control – More members makes moderation and admin harder.
To avoid these pitfalls, send invite messages sparingly, focus on explaining benefits to members rather than yourself, target your most engaged subset of fans first, keep discussions on-topic, and set clear ground rules.
With the right balance, you can transition page fans into engaged group members that strengthen your connection to your core audience. But be wary of over-promoting or letting your group grow faster than you can comfortably manage.
Facebook Group vs Facebook Page – Key Differences
While inviting page fans into your group can be beneficial, it’s important to understand the distinct differences between managing a Facebook group and a Facebook page:
| Facebook Group | Facebook Page |
|---|---|
| Members must request to join | Anyone can follow without approval needed |
| Admins can restrict posting abilities | All followers can post openly |
| Focus is on members and community | Focus is on broadcasting to followers |
| Conversations are contained | Posts have open comments |
| Better for engagement and feedback | Better for marketing, promotion, conversions |
As this comparison shows, groups facilitate more controlled, intimate discussions while pages allow you to reach a broader audience.
Understanding these differences will help you leverage each platform effectively – using your page to promote your group and drive converts, while tapping your group for deeper connections.
Best Practices When Managing Both a Page and Group
If you decide to use both a Facebook page and group to engage your audience, keep these best practices in mind:
- Have a clear purpose and focus for each platform
- Cross-promote between page and group
- Post consistently in both places
- Give group members perks and exclusive content
- Funnel higher-value discussions into your group
- Monitor analytics to optimize efforts on each platform
- Adjust strategies based on what content performs best where
This balanced approach allows you to maximize the strengths of each platform. Your page acts as a megaphone broadcasting to the masses, while your group facilitates deeper connections with your fans.
Use your page to grow your audience and promote big announcements, offers, events and other content designed to attract attention. Meanwhile, rely on your group for community-building, conversations, feedback and enhancing engagement among current loyal followers.
Conclusion
Transitioning existing Facebook page fans into members of your Facebook group can significantly strengthen engagement and relationships with your core audience.
Strategically leveraging both platforms multiplies your touchpoints and gives fans more ways to connect.
Focus on creating value, delivering member perks, and building community when inviting page followers to join your group. Avoid being pushy or salesy.
With the right balance of promotion across both your page and group, you can enhance your Facebook marketing and enjoy more loyal brand advocates.