Should I buy a local Facebook group for my local media brand?

It's one of those things almost nobody knows you can do. There's a really good model in owning the audience of every part of town, and one piece of that can be the local Facebook groups people are already in.

What does a local Facebook group cost?

Often less than you'd guess. A lot of the people who started those groups aren't business people, and they have no idea how valuable the groups are. I've told people they can sometimes buy one for $500 or $1,000, which is totally worth it if the group is active.

The ask can be simple. Find the biggest Facebook group in your town and offer the owner something like $800 to make you the admin.

Some won't sell. On the other hand, I know people who got groups for free, just because the owner wanted to be done with it.

How do I know if a group is worth buying?

The price is only worth it if it's an active group. Look at whether people are actually posting and talking, not just at the member count. A big group where posts sit there with a few likes isn't an audience.

How does a group make money?

It becomes part of your package to advertisers. Once you own it, you can set a rule: only paying advertisers get to post about their business in the group. Now the group is a perk you can sell next to the newsletter and your other channels, which fits the idea in packaging newsletter, social and events together.

"these are things people are choosing to look at so you have their attention and then you monetize their attention how you want."

Why does this work when pushing ads doesn't?

A group is something people choose to look at. You have to put something in front of people that they want to see, and then you've earned the right to put an ad in front of them. Most people do it the opposite way and push their offer in people's faces first. More on that in building an audience before selling.