A few years ago, I moved to a small town in North Yorkshire where I didn’t know anybody.
I missed the buzz of Newcastle. I missed having friends nearby. And after one particularly lonely afternoon reading ACOTAR in a café, I decided to do something about it.
I created a Facebook group called ‘Thirsk Gal’s Get Together’ for women looking to meet new people locally.
I expected a handful of members.
Instead, it grew into a community of hundreds, complete with weekly meet-ups, social events, spin-off groups, and genuine friendships.
And unexpectedly, it also taught me some of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned about marketing.
The biggest lesson? People want connection.
It’s easy to think marketing is all about algorithms, trends, and analytics. And while those things absolutely have their place, they’re not what makes people care.
The Facebook group didn’t grow because of clever tactics or perfect timing. It grew because it solved a real, human problem: people wanting to feel less alone and more connected where they live.
That same principle applies directly to business.
People don’t engage with content because it’s perfectly optimised.
They engage because it feels relevant, useful, entertaining, or relatable enough to stop them scrolling. At the core of it all, people are always asking the same question: ‘Is this for me?’
Consistency matters
Another lesson was the importance of showing up. Communities aren’t built overnight. Neither are strong brands.
There wasn’t one post that made the Facebook group grow. It was lots of small moments, people joining, conversations happening, events being organised, and trust slowly building.
Marketing works in exactly the same way.
One viral post won’t build a brand. One campaign won’t create loyalty. It’s the consistent presence, showing up, sharing value, listening, and adapting, that builds over time.
Social media only works when it’s actually social
This is probably the most important takeaway. The strongest communities aren’t built through bombarding. They’re built through interaction.
Replying to comments. Starting conversations. Making people feel seen, not just spoken at. The Facebook group grew because people talked to each other, not because I ‘marketed’ it in a traditional sense.
Social media stops working when it becomes a one-way channel. It starts working again when you treat it like a space for conversation, not just content distribution.
Bringing it back to marketing
At Podium, we often talk about creating content that connects rather than content that simply fills a calendar. Running that community reinforced that belief in a very real way.
Because whether you’re building a Facebook group or building a brand, the core doesn’t really change. It always comes back to the same thing:
Understanding people.
Showing up consistently.
And giving them a reason to care.
And if you get that right, the growth tends to follow naturally.
Want to chat about your own online presence?
Get in touch with our team, we'll bring the strategy, the creativity, and probably an unhealthy level of enthusiasm for marketing.
And if all else fails, I'll happily tell you how a fantasy novel, a Facebook group, and a slightly impulsive idea ended up teaching me some of the most important lessons in business.
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