Should your Business Have a Facebook Page or Group?
One of the decisions small business owners need to make is whether to create a Facebook Page, start a Facebook Group, or just stick with their current Facebook Profile. Here are highlights of the differences:
While we discussed the options back in 2015, you won’t be surprised to hear that Facebook has updated their offerings since then. So let’s go through the choices again.
Each type of presence on Facebook has its benefits and its limitations, so the choice isn’t obvious. You’ll have to weigh the options for your specific needs and goals to decide which one is right for your business – or if you need more than one. Just keep in mind that it’s important to tend to all of your social media outlets on a regular basis so folks don’t think you’re unresponsive or, worse, out of business.
Facebook Profile
A personal profile is needed to create both Pages and Groups. Just like the name suggests, this is the place you interact by choice with people you know well. The disadvantage of using your Profile for your business is that you miss out on tools like scheduling and analysis. It’s also disconcerting to have strangers as “friends,” but for some specific businesses that rely on personal relationships, this might be a good choice.
Facebook Page
While very much like a Profile, a Facebook Page is for public display so lots of strangers can see it and interact. Most businesses, organizations, public figures, and so on use Pages. The main advantage is that numerous people can be the voice of a Page so that the work of posting and interacting can be shared.
Additional features of Pages include the ability to schedule posts, add Call To Action buttons, and collect information for analyzing and improving your marketing strategies. Advertising options and boosted posts are also available to Page owners.
Be aware that you can’t comment on or like a personal Profile, which is a good thing. You wouldn’t want companies intruding on your personal Profile either! You can, however, comment on and like other Facebook Pages as your business page.
Facebook Group
Groups are considered a community of folks who are all interested in the same thing. They can be public or private, created by your Profile or your Page, and can include real-time chats. If it makes sense for your business because your customers or clients have lots of questions or need additional support, a Group can be really useful.
If it’s been a while since you looked at the options, you may notice that Facebook has made a number of changes since it rolled out the new Pages experience in 2021. Fortunately, there are plenty of online tutorials to guide you. Or, better yet, hand off your Facebook business tasks to one of our Sprocket team members. Just give us a call to find out how we can help!
This article is an update to “Facebook Page vs Facebook Group” dated 2/12/2015.
Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
Other posts by Breanne Bannon