Facebook has always emphasized the importance of Groups as one of its major features. In 2018, Facebook added a subscription model to groups that would allow admins to provide exclusive content to their community while earning an income doing what they love to do.
A subscription group on Facebook lets you share premium content with your subscribers – like tutorials, online courses, live sessions, videos, etc. This content is exclusive to a part of your wider community that is more invested and engaged with your business.
A Facebook subscription group serves your audience who are at the bottom of the funnel. When someone subscribes to your exclusive content, you have to ensure that you are constantly giving them a reason to make next month’s payment.
To understand the journey of your audience through the funnel, let’s take an example. If you were a dance instructor, your top-of-the-funnel group would be a generic one about people who love to dance or practice a particular style, like ballet. The content on this group is more about dance and the connection it has with the people in your group.
The middle of the funnel group would interest people who specifically love the dance form you teach. In this group, you would share videos of choreographies and performances, to get people excited about what you do. It is in this group that you can tease people to join your subscription group.
Your Facebook subscription group is at the bottom of the funnel. It is where you would put up tutorials, take live sessions, share early-bird discounts to your next performance, and more exclusive content that is only available to those who have invested in your business.
How to Start a Facebook Subscription Group for your Business?
To have a subscription group, you must be an admin of an existing Facebook group and comply with Facebook’s Partner Monetization Policies.
The Partner Monetization Policies are the same rules that apply to all content shared on Pages, Groups, and Events on Facebook. It requires you to:
1. Share original and authentic content
2. Follow Facebook’s community standards
3. Monetize only organic engagement
4. Develop an established organic presence for a minimum of 90 days
5. Comply with Facebook’s payment terms.
6. Provide tax and payment information
While you cannot turn an existing group into a subscription group, you can share the link to it and get people to come and join you for exclusive content.
Facebook allows you to choose between subscription plans that work best for you and your members. You can collect subscription fees on the group itself and Facebook will make a payout to your US registered bank account, or you can also use Apple and Google Pay.
Everything for your subscription group can be managed on the Facebook app itself. Whether it is accepting and declining members, managing subscription fees, or gathering analytics, everything is available under one space.
Creating content for Facebook Subscription Groups
The content that you serve on your subscription group has to be exclusive and premium. So it is important that you have clarity on what value you can provide to your subscribers. Understanding the core of your business and how it can benefit your subscribers can help you perfect the theme and content for your subscription group.
For example, if you’re an art school, your subscription channel can provide small certification courses, webinars, exclusive access to lectures, and interaction with mentors.
Creating a content calendar for a long period of time – like 3-6 months will help you chalk out what you have in store for your members. It will also allow you to plan, produce and share the content on your subscription group, making sure you always have something to post.
You should have content ready and some even posted in your group before you launch for subscribers to engage with when they join in. You can also pin a post, which can welcome new joinees, tell them what to expect, and also encourage them to interact in the group.
Remember to constantly engage with your audience by not only sharing value-adding content but also responding to their questions and comments. It is important that you build connections with them – these are people who strongly feel about your business.
Also, paying attention to what kind of content works with your audience will help you create better. Listening to what your audience has to say in the comments section, putting out a survey or poll to get quick feedback will help you understand the needs of your audience better.
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With your content in place, let’s talk about how you can leverage your Facebook group to promote your subscription group.
How to Promote your Subscription Group?
Contrary to what you may feel, the best space to reach out to people and tell them about your subscription group is on your current Facebook group. The audience on your Facebook group knows and trusts you. They have been engaging with you and are most likely to pay for exclusive content.
Create posts and videos that highlight what value you are offering on the subscription group and why is it something they should not miss out on. You can also host a live session where you talk about your subscription group and tease some of the content that will be available to its members. Remember to always be clear about what members will get when they pay for the subscription.
Got an email list? Make sure you send out an email to your list about your new Facebook group and its offerings. You can also create a newsletter or snippet videos to tease the premium content that you will be serving.
You must talk about your Facebook subscription group on your website. You can also add a lead magnet that gives them a sneak peek of the exclusive content or talk about the 3 reasons why they should subscribe to your Facebook group.
You must connect with the top engaging members of your Facebook group and have a conversation about your subscription group. Not only will it further strengthen their connection with you but you can also get critical feedback from them. Also, a top engaging member can become a power partner and help you get more people to subscribe to your subscription group.
Keeping the audience engaged on a Facebook Subscription Group
Unlike a private Facebook group, a Facebook subscription group will have a stipulated validity until the member has to pay a fee again to continue access to your premium content.
It is your duty as a marketer to ensure that you keep adding value to your audience so that they continue to subscribe to your group. Engaging with them in comments and discussions, understanding their need gaps, and helping them overcome it will build a strong relationship between you and your audience.
Use content tools like polls, surveys, quizzes, and questions to keep the conversation going. Don’t forget to get involved in discussions – you will learn a lot about your audience as well as give them the impression that you can be relied upon.
Many members will subscribe to the group for a very specific reason and may not renew their subscription once their work is done. For example, if a user has subscribed to your group for a masterclass webinar series, he may unsubscribe once it is over. It is important to collect the email IDs of all your members so that even if they unsubscribe to your Facebook group, you can reach out to them via email.
Facebook subscription groups are still a new concept and not many businesses have adopted it yet. However, it is a great opportunity for small and medium businesses to provide services and value to their audience while monetizing it. It has also opened up a space for individual creators to do what they love and earn an income from it.
Everything you need to do to start a Facebook subscription group has been laid out. If you believe that your business can add value and that you can create engaging, premium content that can solve problems – a Facebook subscription group is the best way to build deeper connections with your audience.
Want to start with creating a Facebook group for your business? Read this.
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