Facebook: Page vs Group
There are two networking tools that you can use in Facebook. You can create and/or join Facebook groups and you can create or join Facebook fan pages. You might ask which is better.
Facebook pages can be seen by people who are not registered and are indexed accordingly. Facebook groups can only be accessed by people who are accepted members of the group. Facebook groups permit you to send out mass invitations. Facebook pages will inevitably force you to send out some invitations manually.
Thus, if you are trying to do viral marketing, Facebook groups are definitely a better way to go.
Let us compare Facebook pages with Facebook groups in more detail.
|
Key Feature |
Facebook Group |
Facebook Page |
|
Purchasing advertisements |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Photograph and video public exchange |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Visitor statistics |
No |
Yes |
|
Messaging to all members |
Yes |
No |
|
Setting up applications |
No |
Yes |
|
Extra applications added |
No |
Yes |
|
Wall |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Leading a discussion |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ugly URLs |
Yes |
No |
|
Creating events |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Public accessibility |
No (can be accessed only through Facebook) |
Yes (can be indexed by search engines) |
|
Messaging sent to members |
Appears in the inbox |
Appears in notification bar |
|
Content |
Content needs to be generated manually |
More freedom in content generation. In addition to manual content submission, you can set up automatic import of blog feeds |
|
User control |
Groups offer far more control over permissions. They are more like a private club |
You can only restrict by certain ages and locations |
Facebook pages are usually better for long-term relationships with your fans, customers and readers. Facebook groups are usually better for leading a quick and active discussion, which will attract a lot of quick attention.
Because of security reasons and limitations of size (only Facebook groups of under 5,000 members can send out Email blasts), Facebook groups are set up for more personal interaction. They also help you to focus on your interests. Facebook groups are also directly connected to the administrator of that particular group, which means that whatever goes on in the group could potentially reflect on you personally. Facebook pages don’t list the administrators and are considered as a single entity, an extension of your personal actions.
In Facebook groups, as long as the group has fewer than 5,000 members, the administrators can send messages that the group members will receive in their inboxes. Facebook pages administrators can send messages through “Page” to fans. Those updates will appear in the Updates section of the fans’ inboxes. You can send updates to as many fans as you wish, without limitation.
There is no automatic way to post content (photos, stories, or video) to Facebook groups. It has to be done manually. If you happen to have a blog and want to display the content of the blog, Facebook groups do not have the capability to pull the feed. With Facebook pages, you have more freedom as far as content generation is concerned.
With Facebook pages, you have the discussion board, video and photo uploads, and wall that the Facebook groups have. Additionally, you can import a blog feed, which gives the impression that your content is fresh. There are also many applications that you can add to your Facebook page, such as quizzes, for example.
Conclusion
Facebook groups are wonderful for organization on a personal level and for small interactions around a specific cause. Facebook pages work better for brands and businesses that want to connect with their customers without their being connected to a personal account. Both Facebook fan pages and Facebook groups are valuable and whichever one you choose for your business, make sure to get to know them as well as possible and use them to their full potential.
We are pleased to provide you with the insightful comments contained herein. For a complimentary assessment of your online presence, let’s have coffee.
|
I believe customization is the most important fact. You can easily customize a fan page and use available applications.
Michael,
Thank you for sharing this post – it really helps clarify the differences for me. I have a fan page set up and then just recently learned about the groups and didn't know the difference. Now I do. 🙂
I think the most important difference between Facebook pages and groups is that when you post status updates and links to a Facebook page it shows up in you fans' newsfeed. That means your fans see your posts and are drawn back to your page on a regular basis. Groups have no way to get any info or updates into members' newsfeed. Most people rarely go back to a group after joining unless the group administrator sends a message.
I have seen several Facebook fan pages with a Reviews tab, but I am unable to add that tab to my own fan page. I have tried clicking on the plus sign to the right of my other tabs and then clicking on "Other applications," but "Reviews" is not one that shows up, even when I type "Reviews" into the Search box. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can access that tab and add it to my fan page? Thank you.
Click on “Edit Page” at the top left of your fan page (just below your logo). Find the Reviews application and make sure in the Application Settings you sellect add tab.
Really interesting bro 🙂 I should create a group now on Facebook 😀
Thank you for posting this. I think the decision of whether to create a group page or fan page depends on what one is trying to promote. A blog, business music group etc., seems more appropriate for the Facebook Fan page. I think the Facebook Group is better suited for networking groups, alumni groups and any group of people with similiar interests who would like to come together. jmho
Thank you. I have been reading a lot of posts on Group vs Fan pages. This is the first one that answers the exact questions I had. Thank you, thank you!
does anyone ever have both a group and fan page and ever link the 2. I started with a gruop (not realizing it wasnt a fan page) and not sure how many people I would lose asking them to switch. 3 weeks I have 140 in group.
Thank you for this info. I just started a fan page and I knew I wasn't yet using it to it's fullest potential. You are so helpful!
I have few fan pages and after reading that facebook takes away the administrative rights from the page andministrator once the page clicks a few thousands or more (Fans), i decided to convert to groups. What i dint know is that the groups dont give feeds to the group members unless the admin sends a message and that one too only while the group has of 5000 fans or less Thanks to your article now i know. Now i seem to be stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. Does anyone know why facebook is now deciding to take away the page from the administrator after hard work and thousands of fans? i think that's really unfair.
is there a simple way to import blog feeds into your Facebook fan page? I have been advised by a website designer that it doesn't happen.
I notice when creating a Fan Page you then have 6 choices for the type of Fan Page. While 4 of those are obvious, I was questioning Local business Vs. Company, Organization or Institute. I have a Fan Page and am having difficulty finding other a some local businesses that have Fan Pages. However if I go to my personal page I can find them and 'Like' them. Why can not my Fan Page 'Like' them? Can a Local Business not 'Like' a Company and vice versa??
Facebook will block you if you promote too much on a personal page. You can work around this problem for now by posting your fine company. But for me the best way around this is a Facebook fan page. This will allow you to create a page dedicated to your company while posting links to your fan page to your personal page. Which allows you to keep your friends and fans updated on your business.
I realise this has been asked on many other sites and I know that one cant be converted in to the other but, is there a way to /import/ the info, posts, pictures and or members from a group into a fan page?
I have a FB page but I’m using a Fan Page for professional reasons since I am an Actress. However; there are Acting and Casting Groups I want to join on my Fan Page (NOT my personal FB page) but it doesn’t seem to be an option. Is there a way to join different Groups under my professional page? Please advise thanks