Should I create a Facebook business page or a group?
What are the pros and cons of business pages vs groups? Or should I create both a page and a group? My purpose is to create a following of stark raving mad fans.
Hi Noreen
The most important factor in deciding whether to create a Facebook group or page (or both) is knowing you have the resources to post regular, relevant content and interact personally with your followers - otherwise the group or page quickly becomes irrelevant and you lose credibility.
In my experience, it is better to do one thing well and plan, plan, plan! The most effective social media strategy begins with clearly identifying who you are trying to reach, where they spend their time and what their key interests are. Once you have a clear focus, determine who will be involved in posting and their availability/commitment, then prepare a social media content calendar to map out the frequency and type/s of posts.
Good luck!
Megan
@Megan Edwards , I'm trying to decide whether to delete my Facebook page exactly to keep my credibility where I am best: on Instagram. I do however have follows on Facebook. How would you make that choice? What if I want to focus on Facebook in the future?! Would you still delete it now and just create a new page in the future, or would you let it hybernating it?! @Melanie Gray and @Melissa Rina Profeta , I'd also love hearing your thoughts about this!
A Facebook page is very easy to create (if you have created your own personal Facebook page). I would encourage any business owner to create one. You never know when it might come in handy to reference.
A Facebook group requires a lot more time and effort to run.
My tip, join Facebook groups rather than running your own one. Follow the rules and get your name out there. You get the benefits of the group without the effort of running your own group.
@Melanie Gray There are SO many groups to choose from on Facebook. This is a great suggestion AND how would you select which to focus on, and which not? Test-and-try? Then get out of the ones that aren't working?
Hi Noreen,
Why not do both? If you have an established business, set up a business page to promote the business as a whole, but also set up a group especially for your fans? We all love being part of a select group!
Hi Noreen,
Setting up a Business Page on Facebook isn't a question anymore but a MUST.
Here are some reasons why:
- A Facebook Business Page is so important for every single business out there, so setting it up for client acquisition, branding, or customer service is 100% a must. Your business should be visible and has clear CTAs.
- According to Techcrunch , there are 2 billion searches per day of Facebook's 2.5 trillion posts. Who doesn't want to get some visibility when potential clients search for specific things they like, right? Keep your tags, posts and brand messages consistent so you'd show up.
- Gen X to Z now spends an average of nine hours a day on social platforms, while 30% of ALL time spent online is now allocated to social media for interaction. - That's a lot. And of course, you as a business owner would want to catch those eyeballs of potential customers.
On the other hand, setting up a group page depends on your strategy. I've been managing several pages and groups and the usage isn't always the same. Here are some ideas on how you can use Facebook Groups though:
- Nurture a community you've acquired from all your digital marketing efforts
- Create a group to attract leads
- Manage a group to position yourself in your industry
- Use the group to keep your private community closer to you
- Use the group to conduct specific events like free classes, challenges, etc
You don't have to use everything, again it all boils down to what kind of strategy you have, just like what Megan said.
Hope that helps you decide!
@Melissa Rina Profeta , have you used Instagram groups and Close Friends? If so, how have you found them similar & different than Facebook groups?
I wonder the very same thing, @Noreen Stanley ! Thanks for asking my question! hehe What have you decided to go for? Group or Page, and why?
Lauren Clemett, Director at Ultimate Business Propellor
I love your single minded approach Noreen! Very scarce! Here's what I do as a personal branding specialist: My own page is private, friends and family only (although I have to use this to join groups, I don't accept friends requests and instead suggest they like my public figure page). Public Figure Page - this is new for me and I'm still testing but I get great engagement here and post mostly on this page. Business Page - Industry specific news, info and events plus a couple of interest stories every now and then. Group Page - Just for my members and exclusive access to me for Q&A and to each other as a forum. Mostly I ask questions to prompt discussion and share insider info, plus I have a couple of other Gurus there to assist. I use the 30 / 30 / 30 / 10 rule for content 30% about us 30% News 30% Info 10% fun/inspiration. Also I use buffer and google alerts to share great content. I also choose a topic each week, then have a simple system to repurpose the content, making it easy to keep my social media funnel full. I'm creating a brand plan worksheet for this, so keep in touch and I can let you know when it's available.