Facebook has been encouraging users to join ‘meaningful groups’ in recent years, and the power of community has been illustrated throughout the pandemic.
In fact, over 400 million people are in one Facebook community or another. From a brand’s perspective, these groups gather all your most dedicated fans in one convenient place.
As we covered in a previous blog piece, groups such as Scrub Hub bring together like-minded people for a common cause or interest.
We take a look at some of our favourite Facebook communities.
1. Borough Market
London’s Borough Market has long been a hub for the local community, and this has been replicated online through their Facebook group.
Recognising that the pandemic has severely limited offline interactions, the Borough Market Community aims to “keep us all connected, sharing and talking, whilst we may not be able to in person’.
The 3000+ members share and discuss their latest culinary creations:
Whilst Borough Market themselves host #BoroughTalks, Zoom calls featuring professional chefs, giving fans the chance to get cooking tips in a more personal manner:
As we discussed last week, Facebook will soon allow creators to charge for access to live-streams. Expect to see more high-quality content in this style.
2. Dogspotting
Facebook communities don’t have to revolve around a particular location like Borough Market.
Animals have always been wildly popular on social media.
Dogs in particular have seen a monumental increase in popularity (sorry cats), as illustrated by FB groups such as Dogspotting.
With a whopping 1.7 million members, Dogspotting isn’t just a place to view cute dog photos – it’s become a de-facto sport, with its own rules and regulations.
In their own words, Dogspotting is:
- A sport and lifestyle of spotting random dogs.
- Classifying the nature of the sport according to the rule set.
- Assigning a score or sharing the spot for peer scoring.
- A fun place to hang out with friends and enjoy dogs.
It’s a great example of a community that doesn’t need to rally behind a just cause or a niche interest – it’s simply a space for fans to share and enjoy photos of Man’s Best Friend.
3. The Cloud Appreciation Society
There really is a Facebook community for everything out there. This 30,000+ group brings one of our most ancient pastimes into the digital era.
“We feel as though the clouds don’t get as much acknowledgement as they deserve. It’s time to unite to raise awareness, appreciate and admire the beauty of these underrated, natural spectacles”. – The Cloud Appreciation Society
The beauty of this group is there are zero barriers to entry – anyone can take part:
FB groups don’t get much simpler than this one – which is exactly why it’s so popular.
The Cloud Appreciation Society reminds us that even if we’re located in all four corners of the world, we are united under one glorious, cloudy sky.
4. DnB Talk
While Drum ‘n’ Bass started off as a niche sub-genre of electronic music, today is massively popular, with dedicated communities across the globe.
DnB Talk is a hub for their 51k members to discuss all things DnB. New tracks, festivals, memes – anything goes:
The community has grown by 10% in the last month, demonstrating that it’s more than a place to find upcoming DnB events, but a space for fans to share their love for the genre.
5. Noisily Festival of Music & Arts Community
We started the Noisily Festival Facebook Community at the end of April 2019 as another touch point with their audience.
There are now 4.6k members of this community, and as it grew, it became clear it is not used just as a fan base or a place to share Noisily news on our side.
The Noisily community group is a place for the fans not just to find other Noisily souls, but to share their music taste, their memories, their music memes, and their countdowns to the next festival.
The insights in these communities now allow you to see best performing posts, track members and growth.
Facebook communities are a great way to see how others are engaging, see whether there is something you can improve on, and talk on a more personal level to your loyal fans.
