Let me start by saying, I’m not going to get heavy into defining a Facebook group, because you all should have learned that last month from Shivani’s post on, There’s a Facebook Group for That. And for those of you that may have missed the post, in a nutshell, there is literally a Facebook group for anything you can think of. We’re all human baby, we have similar needs and interests.
So what I am here to talk about are the amazing corners of the internet that are local Facebook groups. What’s a local Facebook group? Exactly how it sounds, a group on Facebook based on a geographical area. At the core, local groups support people around a certain geographical topic, but the reason they are SUCH treasure troves of information, is through the inherit locality and true colors of the people. Think of it like this, this is like high-school reunion, except every day, every hour, on Facebook.
With that I give you my favorite place on the internet, Wildwood 365 Community. Also, Al (Group Admin and listed as, “Director of Fun”) if you are reading this, please, I love this group so v. much, don’t kick me out for exposing such a beautiful place.
Pretty standard group set-up, but the real action is in the glorious comments, questions, and general concerns about this stretch of South Jersey coastline. Here’s a sampling of what to expect when entering a localized Facebook group:
Day in the Life
The classic, look at me I’m here and having fun post or, hi there’s a hurricane and the sharks have taken the streets. Either way, these are posts that visualize what’s happening to keep the rest of the group “in the know.” We’re all guilty of doing this in our own social feeds, so no shock that this occurs in closed groups. This example shows the perfect “off season” day at Wildwood… Can it get any better?!
Questions and Recommendations
Next up we have the standard questions and asks for recommendations within the area. People are quick to jump on these posts, because of their passionate for the 08260. Note: take a look at the comments 48. FORTY-EIGHT comments on an organic Facebook post. For those of us running social media pages out there, we know that those types of numbers on an organic post are not easy to come by.
Suggestions
Here’s an useful find, and for those of you reading this that are heavily involved in township marketing and/or events, listen up. These group members are doing your job for you. Not only are they cooking up the next event idea, but on top of it, they’re receiving confirmation from other locals who agree. In this example, we have someone who attended a movie screening on the beach and suggesting screening an upcoming Eagles game. Polls are in, and the people of Wildwood agree.
Memes
And if you’re really lucky and find yourself on a committed Facebook group, there’s a chance you’ll stumble upon location-relevant memes. A true treasure. I’ll let this one do the talking for itself…
Event Marketing
On a more serious note, closed groups are also a great place to share upcoming events, parties and/or celebrations, because well, you’re all in the same playground.
Self Promotion
Now I’ve seen a lot in this Wildwood 365 group, but a whole next level event happened over the last few months when NorEasterNick joined the group. Local weather celeb entered the group to share with his passionate fans about the latest local weather. After his big announcement, the group accepted him with open arms…
Now Nick is with us for regular weather updates, so that’s useful. I give Nick kudos for joining the group as a way to get his message in front of a larger, engaged community, that frankly survives on warm weather.
The next time someone under 25 tells you that “Facebook is dead” just shake your head and find the nearest Facebook group to complain about them in. And if complaining isn’t your thing, remember that these groups are for sharing moments, questions, suggestions, memes, events and if you’re lucky, a plug for your own shameless self promotion.
Be good Wildwood.
