Question

Topic: Social Media

Facebook Group Vs. Page

Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 9/25/2012 at 4:16 PM ET 250 Points
A friend of mine has both a Facebook group and a business page for his business. I was thinking that it would be better to have just 1, so he could promote it and get all the people in one place. But I don't understand Facebook well enough to tell him which one.

So, what are the reasons one would have a Facebook Group? Who is this made for (I assume clubs or teams or such)? Do they allow better people to people connection than Pages?

Same question for Facebook pages? I am assuming these are for businesses?

His business is a bicycle retailer that also does a lot related to building community (groups rides and events and such).

Thanks.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 9/26/2012 at 7:58 AM Accepted
    I can't help you, Peter. I can tell you that FB has been incredibly difficult for marketing professionals to use. You'd think that they'd take a lesson from Google Adwords, but so far they have just confused things with too many options and not much attention to ease of use for agencies and other marketing professionals.

    I read several months ago that they hired someone who was one of the architects of Google Adwords, and that person was going to revamp the FB approach, but there has been no sign of progress that I can see. (I've read/heard the same from others too.)

    Good luck getting a straight answer to your question. I'll be following it so I can learn too.
  • Posted by info on 9/26/2012 at 6:14 PM Accepted
    Hi Peter I added a Facebook Page for the online boutique I recently started https://www.princess-sparkle.com The features I like about the FB Page is the ability to place ads and do offers. -Quick note about the ads they don't work well for selling just for building brand awareness. It was great for me though because I have an app on my storefront that shows how many Facebook likes I have and I got 600 likes in 2 weeks of advertising (cost $200-$20 a day for 10 days) so then my store had increased credibility and I did get some store traffic from FB.
    I don't know how the groups work but several people have asked questions via the FB Page that were things I needed to fix in my store.
    Hope this helps :)
  • Posted by Carol on 9/26/2012 at 8:46 PM Accepted
    They are both useful; I would suggest a Page for his business and a Group for the biking community he serves.

    A Page is a lot like a storefront. His customers can like the page and he can post and promote posts. With some simple add-ons, he can run contests or promotions. He will also see Insights about who is visiting the Page. A Page is more of a top down endeavor.

    With a Group, he can post events, members can post events, links or videos. Members can vote on polls, send messages to the other group members. The Group can store documents and photos. There is a greater opportunity for interaction among members and it is more democratic.

    With both he can add other Admins, who can post or reply as the business, to ease the burden of keeping up with a busy Page or Group.
  • Posted by socialgomarie on 10/5/2012 at 10:45 AM Member
    I'd second what Carol has said on Facebook Pages being like storefronts. They're public and more aimed at broadcasting - but aren't ideal for member-to-member interaction (for example, I can't see/search who else has liked the page and message them through the page etc.).

    Pages also give more customisation options (such as a cover image, offers and deals, add-ons etc.) than Groups.

    Facebook Groups are built for that member-to-member interaction - so great for this kind of community building, however it comes with limitations on customisation and branding.

    One question that's related: Does he already have a website? I'm guessing he does if he's a cycle retailer, unless he's a local shop. Either way, it's possible to get a website that integrates strongly with Facebook pages and also offers built-in community features (member joining, events, etc. - as in Facebook Groups), but with much more customisation PLUS data ownership and actual access to the emails so you can email community members.
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Social Media)