6 Alternatives to the Traditional Facebook Party

For so many businesses, hosting a party is such a good way to expand your network and boost your sales. A lot of businesses have a party perks program offering hostesses amazing discounts and promotions simply for introducing their social network to your company. 

Sometimes, the traditional facebook party can feel like it’s been overused, get boring, or just might not be working for you. In this blog I am exploring 6 alternatives to the traditional facebook party that I hope will motivate you to shake things up a little and book some parties for the upcoming season!

The Multi-Host Party

What is it?

This is your traditional facebook party, but instead of having one hostess, you have multiple hostesses. 

Why you will like it

A common obstacle in booking an online party is that the potential hostess is afraid that the party isn’t going to do well or their guests aren’t going to join and interact. Having multiple hostesses takes the pressure off a single hostess and their guests. People tend to feed off each other, so the more people you put together, the more likely you are to have increased engagement.  

Your multi-host party is going to probably end up being significantly less work than it would be to host multiple separate parties. You only have one set of posts to share, you only have to go live in the one group, you only have one group to keep track of and interact in. 

Tips

Create a friendly competition between your hostesses. Consider offering a prize for the most of a certain product sold, number of items sold or total sales. Track different party stats, share them with your hostesses and encourage them to try and beat each other. 

If your company offers incentives for parties booked off a hostess’ party, use it as an incentive to get your hostess to find the other hostesses for you. Encourage your hostess to invite some of their friends to co-host a party alongside them. 

Since you have combined multiple parties together, make sure to offer prizes that reflect that. You are probably going to want to have more games and bigger prizes. 

Affiliate Posting

What is it?

You create 5-7 posts that your hostess will share on your behalf right into their facebook wall. Your hostess will share 1 post a day for you, and you connect with anyone who comments on the post. Your hostess will have a personal shopping link set up, and any sales that are a result of the week of posting will go towards hostess rewards.  

Why you will like it

You don’t have to set up a facebook group, and there is a lot less content to prepare and schedule. Your hostess doesn’t have to worry about inviting guests and everyone on their friend list will be able to see and interact with your posts. 

Tips

Work with your hostess to create the content you will be sharing. Your hostess knows their friends and their interests. Your hostess will be posting the content to their facebook wall, so you want to make sure that it is personalized to them.

Keep your posts simple! Provide teasers, sneak peaks and hooks that will leave people wanting to reach out and ask for more information. 

Consider incorporating a game that spans over your week together that will encourage your hostess’ friends to look for your posts each day, engage and participate. 

Live Event

What is it?

You go live for a 15-20 minute party! You can do this through facebook, zoom or any other video media that you and your hostess agree on. Your hostess will invite their friends to join the event and then you can connect with interested guests to share more information and collect orders. 

Why you will like it

This is as close as you are going to get to an in-person party without actually meeting in person. This type of event is super quick and easy - you are only asking guests to commit to 15-20 minutes of their time. The guest list will most likely be lower than it would be for a traditional facebook party, but for the guests you do have, you will have their full attention for the timeframe you are sharing your business. This type of event is great for creating a personal connection and getting instant feedback. 

Tips

Be prepared. You want to have roughly 15 minutes of script prepared. Start with talking a little bit about your company and why you are passionate about it and then move on to your favorite / most popular products. Consider having live demonstrations or showcasing items in your personal stock. Having short 3-5 minute mini presentations will help ensure that your guests stay engaged and don’t get bored. Ask your hostess about what they are most interested in, and what they think will interest their guests to personally cater to the group you will be presenting to. 

Consider doing a prize or draw for everyone who participates in the live event. Having specials or deals during the live can also be a quick and easy incentive to get guests to join. 

Messenger Party

What is it?

Instead of hosting a party in a facebook group, you will host the party on messenger. Your hostess will create a group chat between you and all of their invited guests. You will open the party with a little bit about yourself and the company, and then you will post content sporadically in the chat for the timeframe decided on between you and your hostess. 

The bulk of your messenger party posts are going to be pictures and descriptions of product or product collections. You are posting items that are for sale, and guests will comment with what they would like to purchase. 

Why you will like it 

Most people will check their facebook chat messages more than they will check in with a group, which means that what you share is more likely to be seen. 

You aren’t worried about facebook algorithms during this type of party, so you don’t need the same level of engagement from your hostess or their guests. Guests can simply comment on what they would like or message you personally with their order and that’s it!

If you keep product on hand, this is a great and fun way to get rid of orderstock, as you can offer a special deal for guests inside the chat. You don’t even necessarily need a hostess for this type of party. You can share on your social media, get some guests and host the event!

Tips

Make sure to announce the party! People are going to be a lot more receptive to being put into a messenger party if they have been personally invited or asked to join. Make sure to coach your hostess on how to invite guests and offer templates for invites. 

Make sure to make the party schedule clear to all the guests. Everyone should know when posts are starting, the times you will be posting, and when party orders need to be in by. Make sure you are picking times to post when the bulk of your guests will be online and active.

Whether your messenger party is lasting an hour or over a couple of days, make sure to post in batches and leave a little bit of time between each section to give people time to process and react. 

Offer deals, promotions and/ or prizes during your messenger party. These should be different offers then something someone could get simply shopping on the website. This helps create an incentive to join as well as a sense of urgency to purchase within the event. 

A Quicky Party

What is it?

Most facebook parties are spread out over 3-7 days. For a quickie party, you are sharing all your content in a 30-60 min time-frame. You will have less content for this type of party - usually only 10-20 posts total. You can also have a live portion for this type of event if you wish. 

Why you will like it 

I love that this type of party is short and sweet! Because it takes place in such a short time frame, it is easier to get guests to check in and be engaged. There is also less of a commitment for your hostess. Because there is going to be a lot less content for this party and it is shared over a shorter period of time, it is also easier for you to prepare and run.

Tips

Just because your party is only active for an hour or less, doesn’t mean that you can’t set up early. Make sure to have the group set up 1-2 days before, have some engagement and introduction posts, and maybe even an early bird promotion or prize. 

Make sure the time of the event is clearly advertised. You and your hostess should be prepared to be engaged and active for the entire time that the event is live. 

VIP group party

What is it?

Instead of creating a new group for your facebook party, host a party in your VIP group! Your hostess will invite their guests to join your VIP group, and you would have content prepared just for them. Your hostess will encourage their guests to comment and participate in your VIP group and they will tag their guests in posts they think their friends would be interested in. 

Why you will like it 

This is a great way to build up the customer base in your VIP group and to get some engagement and activity in your VIP group! Your regular customers can comment to help with engagement, and they may even be willing to place an order that would help the hostess. 

Tips

This is not a party style that you should be using frequently. Instead, consider this type of party when your VIP group has been quiet for a while (think launch party 2.0) or when you have a new catalog launch. Consider combining this party style with a multi-host party to maximize. 

Shopping Link

What is it?

You create a shopping link and open a party for your hostess, and they collect orders from friends and family on your behalf. Orders that your hostess collects will go towards hostess rewards. 

Why you will like it

This is probably the simplest and easiest party type that you can run. It works great for a regular customer who wants to get some perks from their purchase, or for someone who knows they have a customer base for your product and don’t want to go through the process of having a party.  

Tips

Make sure to coach your hostess the same way that you would for a traditional facebook party. Offer to help with advertising and promoting their shopping link. You can create a template for private messages, emails or posts that your hostess can use to generate interest and spread their shopping link around. 

This type of party can work great for birthdays, holidays or special events. Your hostess can create a wishlist and ask friends and family to shop their link. 

What type of party will you be hosting next?

I hope that I have inspired you to try a couple alternative methods for hosting parties and encouraged you to think outside the box when using parties to build your business. Pick a party type to try out, and start looking for hostesses!

Written By: 

Jennifer Gillap