Facebook Page or Facebook Group? This overview is designed to help you choose which is right for you and your business. With all the continuing hype about Facebook Pages, the benefits of a creating a Facebook Group are often overlooked.
At first glance pages and groups seem very similar, but there are differences:
- Think of your book club, every month you and the other members gather to discuss a select book. A Facebook Group is like your book club, a closed space for people with shared interests to connect.
- Now think of Barnes and Noble, company who promotes and sells that book to the public. A Facebook Page is like Barnes and Noble, a public space to promote and share products and brands.
Ask yourself these questions when deciding between creating a group or a page:
What level of privacy do I need?
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Groups
Members have to be approved or added by other members. In secret and closed groups, posts are only visible to group members.
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Pages
Pages are open to the public to view and post on. A visitor to a page no longer has to Like a page to share on it.
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How do you need to communicate?
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Group members can choose receive notifications of new posts via email. In addition to standard notifications a group email address can be set up for the group. If a member sends an email to the group address, the email is posted in the group and sent to the other members. Group members can comment on the post by replying to the email.
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Facebook has discontinued the Status Update option for pages so currently the only way to reach Fans is to post on your page. Posts to your page will show up in your fan’s news feeds. No email notifications for pages, but anyone can sign up to receive page updates via RSS and SMS feed subscriptions.
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Group members can participate in Group Chats or create and collaborate on a Group Doc. Docs can be edited by members and like Wikipedia each revision is logged.
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Group Chats are not available for pages. Pages have a Friend Activity tab that shows Friends of the Admin(s)’s page interaction that serves as quick way monitor and respond to page activity. [/wpcol_1half_end]
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Group Admin(s) can create an Event from the group’s page that automatically invites all members of that group to the Event.
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You can create a Public Event for a page using the Event App, but you cannot send fans direct invitations. The Event will be post on the Page and is open to the public so anyone can RSVP.
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Are promoting, tracking, customizing important factors?
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While groups are indexed by search engines, you have to be logged in to Facebook to view more than just the group’s general information.
There is not a feature for analytical tracking of group members activities and dynamics.
Customization is limited to adding a photo and choosing an icon.
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Pages are indexed by search engines and are viewable without being logged in to Facebook.
Insights provide information about your page activity through a timeline tracking how many visits, likes, posts and comments.
Apps provide limitless customization possibilities from visual to fan interaction such as contests. Facebook offers a wide variety of social plugins that allow visitors on website to like, share or comment to your page
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Final thoughts: Facebook Page or Facebook Group? Why limit your business to one or the other?
- Create a page to connect your brand to a large audience. Use exclusive page features such as apps, insights, vanity URLs, and the Facebook fan box widget for websites to promote and track fan activity.
- Start a group to share, organize, chat and collaborate. For example, you could create a group for community business owners to share marketing ideas and business leads. Privacy and email messaging features make interacting within the group safe and simple.
Put the best features of each to use to benefit you and your business.
Sue Surdam | Artizon Digital | WordPress Specialist and Social Media Solutions | 503-577-1035
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