“What’s the difference between a Facebook page and a Facebook group & which one should I use?”
These were the questions posed by a client recently, and I thought the answers might be useful for others looking to kick-start their social media presence. Here are a few of the main differences:
Bonus: Download the 33 free templates from Web Marketing That Works.
Page
- When you, as the administrator of the group, post messages on the wall your profile picture will be your official logo, rather than your personal profile picture,
- Google indexes Facebook pages, meaning someone may find the page by using a search engine,
- A page gives users the option to “like” its content, meaning a link to your page will show up in their ‘interests’ section,
- Messages sent by administrators will come up as updates; and
- Anyone can “like” a page.
Group
- Even as administrator, your own personal profile picture will be included when you post to the group’s wall,
- Google doesn’t index groups, they are seen as more of an interactive platform, and are perhaps less official,
- Rather than “liking” the page, you become a member of the group,
- Groups under 5000 can send emails that will land in users’ Facebook inboxes; and
- You can approve or disapprove members.
Both
- You can enable and disable who can and can’t post at any time,
- You can choose whether people can put links up, pictures, and wall posts; and
- You can also add and remove administrators.
Questions to consider
- As administrator, do you want your messages to be an extension of yourself, and be associated with your personal image?
- Do you want an official style?
- Do you see your audience as members or fans?
- How do you hope to deliver messages?
Social media strategy Brisbane: There’s more to a successful Facebook strategy than a set-and-forget. If you want to develop your status as a trusted advisor and communicate rather than advertise, call Bluewire Media on 1300 258 394.