Chances are high that you’re a member of a few Facebook Groups. It could be your local community “for sale” group, or maybe you’re in a group that helps you network with others in your niche. Either way, whatever groups you are in, it’s because of the high-value that comes from the group’s members and leaders.

Building a Facebook Group around your brand or business can be a great way to connect with your customers while putting your social proof front-and-center. Facebook Groups are incredibly popular right now, an that’s, in-part, due to the value that comes from having a community of like-minded individuals.

An engaged and supportive Facebook Group is one way to support your current customers while nurturing leads. Your Facebook Group can do both of those things if you know how to properly build a valuable, engaged community. Setting up a Facebook Group is quite easy, but it’s the cultivation and maintenance of the group that is tricky and takes effort.

First off, Facebook Groups are completely different from Facebook business Pages or profiles. Similar to a member forum, a Facebook Group is where people come to connect, grow, and discuss their common interest or cause.

One of the biggest benefits to building an engaged and spam-free Facebook Group though, is unlocking your social proof and using that power to build a foundation for scalable word-of-mouth.

Below is an infographic that provides an overview of the benefits and steps to building your own engaged Facebook Group, along with, tips and strategies to create a group that provides value to you and your customers.

This post originally appeared on Irfan Ahmad’s blog.

Article Written by Irfan Ahmad of Social Media Today