The One Thing Most Local Businesses Overlook on Facebook

As a small business owner, you're likely investing time and energy into social media (and specifically Facebook).  There is a lot to that - captioning content, creating engaging posts, responding to comments, figuring out a social media strategy, etc.  Yet, despite those efforts, your reach and engagement are likely falling short of what you’ve seen in the past. 

So, what's missing?

You're probably not sharing your posts into Facebook groups.

Why Facebook Groups Matter

Facebook groups are powerful because they’re specific. Whether it’s a shared interest, a neighborhood, or a local industry, these groups gather people who are already more likely to care about what you do.

When you post inside a relevant group—or better yet, engage with other people’s posts—you connect directly with people who could be your next customers.

Unlike your business page (where organic reach keeps shrinking), group posts often get way more visibility. Why? Because Facebook prioritizes content from groups people care about. If I’m in a local fishing group, Facebook will push posts from that group to my feed more often.

That means if your business posts something relevant to that group, there’s a good chance a chunk of the group will see it—even if they don’t follow your page.

The Benefits…

1. Increased Visibility: By sharing your content in groups, you tap into a broader audience without relying solely on your page's followers.  I love this because it is increasing brand awareness.  It broadens your net and allows more people that aren’t currently following you to see what you offer. 

2. Enhanced Engagement: Group members are often more active and engaged (because they’re interested in it!), leading to more comments, likes, and shares on your posts.

3. Community Building: Participating/commenting in groups helps your business build authority, builds trust and can bring new business!

The Do’s and Don’t’s…

• Choose Relevant Groups: Make sure the posts you are sharing are relevant to the group you are sharing into.  If you’re posting into a Community Involvement page, don’t post a post with your sales.  For that group, a post showing off your community involvement is more relevant.  If you want to share your sale posts, a “buy/sell” or “support local” group would be more appropriate.    

• Understand Group Rules: Some groups allow local businesses. Others don’t. If a group says “no promotion,” respect that—and move on to one that fits.

• Provide Value: Share content that offers value to group members, such as tips, insights, or exclusive offers, rather than overt sales pitches.

• Engage: Respond to comments, answer questions, and participate in discussions to build value.

Getting Started

1. Join Local Groups:  Search for groups in your area or industry and request to join.  Often times, groups will not allow business pages to join.  In those cases you will have to share into those groups with personal accounts.   

2. Monitor Groups: Track which groups get the most engagement and focus on those.

3. Share Posts: Whenever you share a post, think about which groups it may be relevant to.  Don’t share every post into every group - only share the relevant posts that would be valuable to the group!

Group sharing is one of the simplest (and most overlooked) ways to expand your reach on Facebook—especially for local businesses. You’ve already done the hard work of creating good content. Now, make sure more people see it!