You know you need a Facebook presence for your business, but you’re not sure where to begin. Should you create a Facebook Group or a Facebook Page? Making the most of your account requires a basic understanding of how Facebook works. For that reason, the best place to start is at the beginning, with setup.
Facebook connects individuals, industry and obscure enthusiasts in a friendly, social atmosphere. At first glance it may appear that all three groups are on the same footing, but in fact they each have their own defined area. Individuals on Facebook have Profiles. Businesses, organizations and people with a common interest can have a Group or a Page.
This leads us to the next question, should your business be a Group or should you have Page? To help you make your decision, we’ll review some of the major differences.
What is a Facebook Group?
Groups are similar to clubs and are especially useful for discussing a single topic.
- Groups can set join permissions. The group administrator chooses from three levels of admittance: open to anyone, closed (users must get administrator approval to join) or secret (invite only).
- Group administrators manage the group, approve applicants and invite others to join.
- When group administrators post to a group page, it is attached to their personal profile. For that reason, it will appear to be coming directly from them. If you wish to be perceived as a formal corporation, this may not be appropriate. If you would prefer to convey a more personal “mom and pop” image, this may work well.
- Facebook limits groups to 5000 people.
- A groups can notify members of upcoming events, plan future events and meetings, and share photos.
What is a Facebook Page?
- Pages are best for businesses and organizations who wish to grow their customer base by building long-term relationships.
- Pages create content that comes from the Page itself. Therefore, content isn’t linked to the administrator personally.
- External search engines index Facebook pages. Therefore, unregistered people can and will see a Facebook page.
- Facebook provides visitor statistics for Pages. You’ll have access to general statistics about the people that have visited your page, including number of visitors and the cities they visited from. (This is not true for a group.)
- A Facebook page has a unique URL that you can refer people to.
Which is Right for You? Facebook Page or A Group?
If you would like help setting up your Facebook group or page, give us a call at 518.392.0846 or email [email protected].