Content marketing groups: 18 must-join communities on Facebook, LinkedIn & Slack13 min read
Content marketing groups could be your most powerful secret weapon. In this guide, we round up 18 of the best communities on Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack.
There’s a lot of talk these days about the move towards private groups on social media. However, groups are nothing new.
Groups have been a key feature of Facebook and LinkedIn for years, bringing together people with shared interests. More recently, we’ve seen the emergence of new platforms that support groups, like Slack and WhatsApp. The reason why groups are growing in popularity is that they offer solutions to some of the biggest issues we face on social media today: privacy, bots, spam, and tricky algorithms, to name a few (that’s why we build our new tool, Quuu Pods).
For content marketers, in particular, groups are good news! In this post, we’re going to introduce you to 18 must-join communities.
The benefits of joining content marketing groups
Groups are a content marketer’s secret weapon. They help you:
- Connect with like-minded people in your field – it’s nice to talk to people who are doing the same thing as you, especially if you’re working remotely or as part of a small team
- Build valuable professional relationships (for example, a content marketing group could help you find guest authors for your blog)
- Communicate directly with industry experts and influencers
- Learn and seek advice on any problems you’re dealing with
- Share your own expertise and advice, building your brand reputation
- Conduct market research
- Reach and engage your target audience (without battling those pesky algorithms!)
- Stay on top of industry trends and breaking news
- Look or hire for jobs
- Promote your content (be careful with this, as it depends on the group’s rules, but Slack groups often have dedicated content promotion channels)
However, not all groups were created equal. I’ve certainly joined groups that have been disappointing, either because they’re not very active or because they’re full of self-promoting posts.
So to make life easier for all of us, I decided to put together a definitive list of the best groups for content marketers, based on thorough research, recommendations from fellow marketers, and my own experiences. All of the groups are highly active and engaged, non-spammy, and free to join.
Here they are, in no particular order…
18 of the best content marketing groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and Slack
Facebook groups
1.Content Marketing LoungeOwner/s: Nathan Collier
No. of members: 4.5K
Use it to: Ask for advice or help
Nathan Collier’s The Content Marketing Lounge was a hotly recommended when I asked my LinkedIn connections to share their favourite groups for content marketers.
Nathan is a journalist-turned-content-marketer, who set up the group as a supportive community for members to learn, ask questions, get feedback and, most importantly, have some fun!
It’s a thriving community, with members posting on a daily basis. Nathan provides lots of useful tips and content, while I’ve noticed member posts tend to be geared more towards questions.
Owner/s: Charlie Price, Vin Clancy, Kieran George, Kyle Benoit, Karl Marty and Hannah Hindman
No. of members: 12.4K
Use it to: Learn from experts/share your own advice
The Traffic and Copy Facebook Group is for ‘skilled marketers and entrepreneurs who know what they’re talking about’. The aim is to share proven tactics that will help you drive traffic, boost conversion rates, and actually make money through your content and copy.
Posts in Traffic and Copy are jam-packed with value, discussing techniques and ideas in detail. A lot of posts are practically mini blogs in their own right! Expect to learn a lot from Charlie and the other admins, and think carefully about what you can bring to the group.
3. Marketing SolvedOwner/s: Kat Sullivan
No. of members: 15.6K
Use it to: Network, ask for feedback, promote your business on designated days
Marketing Solved was created by blogger and entrepreneur, Kat Sullivan, who shares exclusive training, tips and tutorials with members. Core values are positivity and kindness, and members are encouraged to be as active and engaged as possible.
Although self-promotion is strictly prohibited, the group has designated days for talking about your work, as well as regular threads for following each other on social media. A popular post type that I’ve spotted is members asking for opinions on something they’ve been working on – for example, the copy of a new landing page.
Owner/s: Goran Candrlic, Luka Labrovic
No. of members: 6K
Use it to: Get expert recommendations for business-growing tools, methods and hacks, be the first to know about marketing trends
Future Marketing is run by CMO and founder, Goran Candrlic, and startup marketing expert, Luke Labrovic. Their goal is to showcase future technologies, megatrends and strategies, helping members keep their ‘competitive edge’. They often review tools and will occasionally offer exclusive deals to members, so it’s a good group to join if you want to build your marketing stack!
There are some fairly strict rules about how to get your own posts approved, so make sure you read them first. I’ve seen members sharing their own content, but these posts are accompanied by takeaways or a detailed overview of what the content contains.
Owner/s: Alex Moskov, Troy Osinoff
No. of members: 1.4K
Use it to: Keep up with social media news, ask for advice and recommendations
If you work in content marketing, it’s vital you keep up with social media trends. The All Things Social Media Facebook Group is my first port of call for the latest news stories, and it’s also a great place to ask experts for their advice and insights on paid and organic social media.
Owner/s: Tyler J Koenig
No. of members: 450
Use it to: Get feedback on your copy
This is a fairly new, but fast-growing group run by copywriting specialist, Tyler J Koenig. It’s devoted to sharing critiques on copy, helping members refine their content and sharpen their skills. Tyler posts teardowns and copywriting inspiration, while members can post copy they’re working on and ask for feedback.
Owner/s: Nadya Khoja, Susan Moeller
No. of members: 600
Use it to: Network with and support other women content marketers
Recommended by Taru Bhargava, this is a community of women working in content marketing, who share opportunities with each other, like content partnerships or speaking gigs. The goal here is to increase the visibility of women in content marketing, which, like many other industries, still suffers from an unbalanced gender split.
8. Quuu Promote Facebook group
Owner/s: Lucia Fontaina-Powell, Matthew Spurr and Daniel Kempe
No. of members: 1.3K
Use it to: Share/learn content promotion strategies, discover helpful resources
Excuse the self-promotion, but we couldn’t write a blog post about content marketing communities without mentioning the Quuu Promote Facebook group!
We set this up as a way for our users to share and compare their results in Quuu Promote, but it’s evolved into a space for anything and everything to do with content marketing. We encourage everyone to talk about their content promotion wins, ask questions, start discussions and share any content they love, and we do the same.
LinkedIn Groups
9. Content Marketing Institute
Owner/s: Content Marketing Institute
No. of members: 48K
Use it to: Ask for help, network, look/hire for jobs
Run by one of, if not the leading authority on content marketing, CMI’s LinkedIn group is a huge community of industry professionals. The group’s main focus is driving conversation, so links, images or any promotional content is strictly prohibited. Most posts ask for advice on specific content marketing problems, but it’s also fine to introduce yourself to the group and explain what value you’re hoping to add/gain. Look out for people you could help or collaborate with, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there (in a non-salesy way!).
Owner/s: Seamus Walsh and Ray McKenzie
No. of members: 20K
Use it to: Share expertise/ask for advice about B2B content marketing
OK, this one’s exclusive! The B2B Content Marketing LinkedIn Group is specifically for professionals in the B2B space, based in America only (as of January 2019)…and there’s a waitlist of 500+ to join!
However, once you’re in, you’ve got access to an extremely high quality group of people in your niche.
Owner/s: Aaron Polmeer
No. of members: 74.6K
Use it to: Learn how content marketing fits into the wider marketing landscape
The Digital Marketing Professionals group, run by serial entrepreneur Aaron Polmeer, is designed for top tier professionals working under the digital marketing umbrella. Discussions cover a wide range of topics, such as social media marketing, mobile marketing, SEO, PR, email marketing, advertising, and more. Use it to stay abreast of everything that’s going on in digital marketing, helping to contextualise your content marketing efforts.
Members are encouraged to talk about their successes and failures, share useful resources, ask for help, and post news, campaigns or ideas.
12. Inbound Marketers – For Marketing Professionals
Owner/s: Dharmesh Shah
No. of members: 145K
Use it to: Ask questions or share advice about inbound marketing
Dharmesh Shah is the founder and CTO of HubSpot, so it’s no surprise that Inbound Marketers is one of the biggest marketing groups on LinkedIn. It’s function is to provide a space where inbound marketers can talk about social media, SEO, blogging, email, lead generation, marketing automation, content strategy, and more.
Although it’s full of content creators, the group is not for promoting your own content: ‘this is not the place to promote your ebook, this is the place to ask your peers’ advice before writing the ebook’.
Slack Groups
Owner/s: Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré
No. of members: 500
Use it to: Ask for help, boost engagement for your content, make friends!
Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré’s ThinkTank Slack group is a real community, and one of my personal favourites. Most members work in the B2B/SaaS space, with topics covering different aspects of content marketing – CRO, SEO, podcasts, tools, and more. There’s also a dedicated HARO channel if you need contributions and quotes for your content, as well as promotional channels, where everyone agrees to like/share/upvote/retweet each other’s articles and social media posts.
In fact, it was promotional channels like these that inspired us to create Quuu Pods. If you create a Quuu Pod with your friends and colleagues, you can add content to the pod and it will be automatically shared by all members, without you having to manually add everyone’s posts to your scheduler 🙂
Owner/s: David Markovich
No. of members: 19K
Use it to: Find job opportunities, learn from experts in star-studded AMAs
Online Geniuses originally started as a Skype chat, before moving to Slack as its membership grew. It’s designed for marketers, SEOs and IT professionals, and each membership application is carefully vetted, so you can rest assured you’ll be connecting with the crème de la crème of digital marketing!
The #hiring channel is a great place to look for job opportunities, but the star feature of Online Geniuses is their AMA sessions, which have hosted guests like Gary Vaynerchuk and Rand Fishkin.
Owner/s: Sujan Patel
No. of members: 300
Use it to: Get/share advice on how content marketing can grow your business
If you know anything about content marketing, you’ve probably heard of Sujan Patel – and you’d probably jump at the chance to be in his private Slack group, Growth Slack.
Growth Slack is a selective community of 300 leading marketers, who come together to swap tips on marketing and growth hacking. There are lots of content specialists in the group, so use Growth Slack as your go-to resource whenever you’re struggling with a content-related quandary, and keep an eye out for any questions you might be able to answer. Like the ThinkTank Slack group, there are dedicated promotion channels.
Owner/s: Buffer
No. of members: 6K
Use it to: Connect with fellow marketing professionals
Buffer has a knack for community-building, and their Slack group is no exception. Members are involved in social media marketing, content marketing, developing, and entrepreneurship, and Buffer’s moderators do a great job of interacting with everyone.
The Buffer Slack has a strong social aspect, thanks to channels like #watercooler and #readingroom, so get stuck in!
Owner/s: Backlinks
No. of members: 1.4K
Use it to: Find guest posting opportunities
The primary goal of the Backlinks chat is pretty self-explanatory: helping website owners get backlinks! Bloggers and content marketers can talk about any problems they’re trying to solve, share ideas, and collaborate.
Perhaps the most valuable asset of Backlinks is the #guestposts channel, where you can discover guest post opportunities or register to write for other sites.
18. Content Marketing Career Growth
Owner/s: Jimmy Daly
No. of members: 200
Use it to: Swap career tips with other content marketers
Ever felt confused about how to forge a career in content marketing? You’re not alone! That’s why Jimmy Daly, Content Marketer at Animalz, set up the Content Marketing Career Growth Slack.
If you’re not sure whether to go in-house or freelance, wondering what rates to charge, or looking for new gigs, this is the place to ask.
Conclusion
Now you know which groups to join, it’s time to make the most of them! Here are a few tips:
- Read the rules carefully before you post in a group
- When you join, introduce yourself to existing members – say where you’re based, the role or project you’re currently working on, and what you hope to bring to or gain from the community
- Share as much value as possible, but never post anything promotional or sales-focused
- Seek to build genuine, long-term relationships, rather than going in with a business mindset – adopt the ‘pay it forward’ mentality, and you’ll reap the rewards in future!
What are your favourite content marketing groups? I’d love to hear your recommendations.
