Facebook Page owners will soon be able to participate in Groups

Facebook announced Thursday it will soon let Pages participate within Groups. The company also introduced new posting and comment management tools for Group admins.

Pages get more access to Groups. In the coming weeks, Facebook Page accounts will be able to participate on Group Pages — something Page owners have not had not been able to do before now. Peloton, whose Facebook Group has been highlighted as one of the most engaged, standout Groups on the platform, got early access to the feature and said it has helped with engagement.

“Peloton creates Pages for each of their instructors so they can share content in Peloton Groups that have generated strong engagement, allowing them to tap into a broader community and build their brand,” said Jayvee Nava, VP of community for Peloton.

Giving Pages direct access to interact on Group pages is part of Facebook's initiative to bring more brands and advertisers to the Group experience. In July, 2017, Facebook began letting Page owners create Groups connected to their Pages. Last year, it gave a small number of Groups access to the Facebook Pixel, making it possible for brands to monitor their Group content and its impact on traffic and conversions.

Group admins get more control. Facebook is also rolling out new post formatting tools and Group management tools, including a new way to alert members who have violated page rules. Group admins will also be able to filter activity logs by date range and search through membership requests by name.

The company is launching a pilot program aimed at helping Groups and brands work together to expand subscription Groups to more partners and allow relevant Pages to join their communities.

Why you should care. For brands that are already managing a Facebook Group, the latest updates will offer businesses more access to conversations happening within their Facebook communities — and more direct-engagement with their followers. For advertisers not currently running a Facebook Group, the platform may be worth a second look. Many businesses have discovered that Facebook Groups provide an alternative way to connect with their audiences on the platform.

Peloton told Marketing Land last November that membership on its official Facebook Group page has jumped from 1,300 to more than 116,000 members in the past three years. Grown & Flown, an online publication geared toward parents said its Facebook Group has been instrumental for hearing from their readership and understanding what matters to them.