How To Setup Successful Facebook Parties and Free Party Script: A Guide for Direct Sellers
Brand new to CinchShare and need to setup your first Facebook party?
Here is a step by step guide for you! setting-up-your-first-facebook-party-in-cinchshare.
What if there was a way to expand your customer base by, oh, let’s say an infinite amount, and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home to do it? It may sound too good to be true, but throwing virtual Facebook parties will take your direct sales business to the next level – and then some!
Imagine the ability to throw several parties a week, even in one night, with Facebook parties!
What is a Facebook Party?
A Facebook party is simply the online version of a home party, and many of the activities are the same as a home party. The “Facebook Party” is created on Facebook at a specific location (in a Facebook group) and at a specific date and time. When attending a Facebook Party, the party host and guests hang out together online to read/watch a series of posts for a pre-determined amount of time (typically 30 minutes to an hour for a live party). Posts can be a mix of status messages, photos and videos. It’s a way that guests can learn all about your products and have fun doing it from their computer, tablet or cell phone IN THEIR PAJAMAS. Enough said, right??
Treat your virtual party guests like you would if they were in your own home!
It doesn’t matter if you’re throwing a party at your host’s house or on Facebook, the goal is the same: to make it so incredibly fantastic that her guests are placing orders like crazy and begging you to book a party of their own! It’s easy to knock their socks off when you create a one-of-a-kind theme party! Theme Parties set you apart as different and fun, and honestly, who doesn’t love a good theme party? Theme Parties have great engagement, great sales and great vibes overall, why wouldn’t you implement this strategy into your parties? At least give your Hostess an option, right?
FREEBIE: 30 FREE Facebook Party Theme Bundles for CinchShare users!
When is the best day/time to host an online party?
There’s really not a bad day to throw a party on Facebook, although many have told us they find better success with parties on weeknights verses weekends, and others swear by holding parties at the beginning of the week verses the end of the week. But whatever you choose, you will definitely want to focus on the days and times when people are naturally on Facebook. We find that evening parties around 8 or 9pm tend to be the most successful time slots to host for us, although if your host wants a mid-day, nap-time party, you can certainly adjust to what is best for her attendees.
How long should a Facebook Party be?
Many consultants swear by the 5-Day party and some the 30-Minute party – we are even hearing buzz over a 15-Minute party now! No matter what length you choose, be sure you’re not overwhelming guests with too many posts and follow a proven script (like this one here). We prefer to host parties that are about an hour long during a set day and time. When you do this, you can really ramp up the party with pre-posts to get guests excited, focus on 5-7 great party posts and wrap it up so guests aren’t getting notifications for an extended period of time.
How to Set Up a Facebook Party:
At CinchShare, we are fans of setting up the entire party in advance for your Host, verses her setting it up herself, so that you are able to get things perfect for her party and all she has to worry about is getting her friends and family there. You are the Consultant which means that you are the expert and many times your Hostess would have no idea how to go about setting up a party. You have to be careful and make hosting an online party with you as easy as possible so others see how seamless and fun it is and book a party with you too!
To set up a party, you will need:
1) An awesome Cover Photo — this will go at the top (also known as a banner image) of the Facebook group. It needs to be something that gets people excited when they come to the party because it is the very first thing they see when they get there, regardless if they are logging in from their computer, tablet or cell phone. First impressions are crucial and your cover photo/banner is that first impression!
2) Party Details – You will want to add all of the party details to the Group Description so the guests know the time, date, location, ordering link, etc. Anything a guest needs to know, put it there for easy access!
3) Once the group is completely set up, you can choose whether to add your Hostess as an admin or not.
Success Tip: Follow a proven Facebook party script!
We always follow our CinchShare party script, even in this theme party/training! Yes, we practice what we teach and you’re welcome to follow our script as well for the ultimate results! The CinchTeam has hosted over 1,000 Facebook parties and has never been put in Facebook Jail because we know exactly how to post to avoid being blocked and have a great party. Creating your own unique-to-you party script helps keep you out of FB Jail!
It is also important to change up your post types regularly in a party, you want to avoid doing all image posts, where every single post in the party has an uploaded image. Instead, change up the rhythm of the party by posting an image, then posting a website link next time, then posting a custom album, then posting a video, etc. Be sure to download our FREE Successful Facebook Party Planner so you can create your own original script and really stand out and shine in your Facebook Parties.
Over 10 MILLION Facebook Parties created with the CinchShare app and over 7,000 personally run by the CinchShare team!
Download Free Facebook Party Script PDF by CinchShare
Why you want to use Pre-Posts or Countdown Posts for your Facebook Party
While pre-posts for your online parties are totally optional, we believe they help to create community and a friendly atmosphere prior to the start of the party. Pre-posts are where you get them chatting with you (and each other) a few days before the party starts. We like to consider pre-posts as icebreakers for the party, it is not the time to sell. You can introduce yourself, ask a question, share some common interests, play a game, etc. People are willing to engage if you ASK THEM to engage with you. Pre-posts are where you have the opportunity to build relationships, like the meet and greet time of the home party where you are getting to know everyone. Be active and engaged in the conversations, every comment made by a guest is acknowledged and replied to by you.
If you are doing live 30-minute or 1-hour parties, you can even do what we call “countdown posts” (for example: Today is the Day, 2 Hours Until Party Time, 15 Minutes Until Party Time) to serve as great reminders to join you during the live portion of the party. With CinchShare you can pre-schedule your posts to the party and be there to engage with the guests verses scrambling to make the next post.
Day of Party Posts for 30 minute and 1 Hour LIVE FB Parties:
Morning of the Party: Why not post a “Today is the Day” post to remind guests that today is party day! They will appreciate the reminder!
Midday: Get guests excited to attend by posting a question in the party (include an image!) that will get them thinking about why they would benefit from purchasing one of your products.
Countdown Posts: Always do a couple countdown posts so they receive notifications and are reminded of the time to join you live!
As we said earlier, this is what we do as our Party Day pre-posts every time and it works great for us – remember to include a CTA (Call to Action) on each post to get your guests engaging with you:
Today is the Day post
Contest post
2 hrs until party post
15 minutes until party post
It’s Party Time!
Now you have reached the Live portion of your FB Party! WOO HOO! Welcome the guests with an image or video connecting with them! Be sure the 10-15 posts are alternating the content types (i.e., Photo, Link, Video, Status, Photo, etc.) and include custom albums or multi-photo posts to avoid posting too many individual photo posts, which could land you in FB jail! Remember to schedule your posts a minimum of 3-5 mins apart.
Here is an example for a 30 minute Facebook Party:
Post #1 – Welcome post or 1 min video & ask how do you know the hostess
Post #2 – Product category post
Post #3 – Product category pos
Post #4 – Video of live product demonstration (3-5min)
Post #5 – Shopping Time w/ Custom Album
Post #6 – Booking Talk
Post #7 – Join My Customer Group
Post #8 – Join My Team/Business Info
Post #9 – Company specials/incentives
Post #10 – Thank you for coming
You can use CinchShare to schedule out all of those posts including any video links!
Close it up with After Party Posts
Once the Facebook party is over, After Party posts offer closure and a way to share that extra valuable information for the next 24-48 hours. Just like an in home party, there are always guests who linger and want more details! With online parties, the guests will still receive notifications which will bring them back to the party in case they didn’t place an order or weren’t aware of your business opportunity. It’s a nice way to wrap things up!
Great After-Party post ideas:
Book a Party incentive
Additional Business Opportunity information
Party link and ordering instructions
Thank you (to Hostess, Customers, guests who book parties, etc)
Last call for orders/Party Closing
How to schedule out a Facebook Party in minutes
“Batch” the entire party and schedule it to Facebook with CinchShare’s Batch Posting and Find & Replace features.
This is seriously the coolest Facebook Party feature of all! Batch Post takes your Facebook Parties to another level by allowing you reschedule new parties in one easy step! You can literally reschedule an entire party in less than a minute. It really is as easy as it sounds! You can take a party you just did for Hostess #1 and batch post it for Hostess #2, in no time flat! It is absolutely A-MA-ZING!
And by using our Find & Replace feature you can find and replace the current hostesses name/link and replace it with the new hostesses name/link in seconds.
With CinchShare’s Multi-Photo feature, you can schedule up to 10 photos on a single post! This is a great way to share product line categories at one time. For example, if you sell health/beauty products, you can showcase skin care in one multi-photo post, and then hair care product in another multi-photo post later on in the party. It’s a fantastic way to do some suggestive selling!
We hope you have a great time getting your Facebook Parties started! Please join our CinchShare Facebook Party & Marketing Training community Facebook Group if you’d like to learn awesome party tips from like-minded business owners and of course, get some great freebies, because we’re all about helping in there!