Facebook. What’s the big deal?
Incredibly, Facebook blows other social media platforms out of the water when it comes to user numbers, bringing in the highest headcount at over 2.4 billion active users. Facebook also currently holds the spot for the third most visited website worldwide.
Do you remember when your parents either listened to the news on the radio/TV or read the newspaper each day? In the late afternoon, they would call or meet up with a friend to catch up. Then, they would spend their night discussing the events of their day. These daily routines still occur, although they've now transformed into a single click and scroll all within one online space.
That space? The almighty Facebook.
With it’s impressive user-friendliness, curated algorithm, and top-of-the-notch features, Facebook is one of the greatest tools you can utilize to generate major growth for your business.
The question at hand is, should you use a Facebook business page or a Facebook group to do so?
Let's break it down.
Facebook Business Pages
A Facebook business page gives your business a platform that your customers/followers can “like” to connect with your brand and see updates about it in their news feed. You can share information about your products and/or services with your followers through livestreams, photos, and written statuses.
You also have the ability to create events of which you and others can share and promote. Furthermore, it can amplify the process of driving traffic to your website to increase sales.
Other key aspects of a Facebook business page:
It creates content as a brand, not as a person (unless the page title is your name).
Page is visible to everyone, great for increasing online visibility in search results.
You’re able to utilize Facebook ads to targeted audiences through boosted posts.
Facebook provides you with awesome and free analytics for your business page, giving you access to helpful follower insights and demographics.
It has unlimited potential for exposure.
One downside to using a Facebook business page is that many pages aren’t pushed or prioritized onto users’ News Feeds due to Facebook’s algorithm. This often causes decreased engagement from followers, which can render a business page less effective in terms of growth.
Facebook Groups
Unlike a Facebook business page, which can only be public, Facebook groups can be made private, allowing you the power to approve members as they request to join. This provides you with more control of the environment and vibe that you want to curate for your audience. In Facebook groups, you post in the group as the “Admin” from your personal profile. This can help you build a closer relationship between you and your audience, which increases your audience’s trust in you and creates a fierce sense of brand loyalty among them.
Other key aspects of a Facebook group:
Groups can be used for engaging discussion and connecting people with similar interests in a private setting.
They can be used as an “exclusive perk” for loyal customers/followers of your business.
Groups really allow you to understand your audience on a more personal level, the ability to learn about what they’re interested in, the problems they face, and how you can best serve them.
Facebook sends notifications to group members when you post in the group unless the user turns the notifications off, which is unlikely to happen often. This creates more engagement!
So… which one should you use to grow your business?
Personally, I love utilizing Facebook groups. I absolutely adore the act of shaping a positive community and having the ability to sell to a group of people that I know wants to buy what I have to offer. My clients have also seen major success within their Facebook groups, bringing in record-number sales by mixing in fun challenges and polls among intriguing discussions about topics they’re passionate about and have expertise in.
However, both options offer growth potential to your brand through different avenues.
A Facebook business page may deliver exposure for your brand organically through search results and non-organically through boosted ads targeting specific audiences. A business page may also be more beneficial to you if you host many events that you want to be searchable and shareable by the public.
Still not sure if you’ll gain more from a Facebook page or a group? I encourage you to try both. Recognize the kind of communication you prefer to have with your audience and make notes of techniques that produce the most engagement and interest in your brand. Whichever route you decide to focus the majority of your energy on, you’re sure to see the growth you put the work in for.
With love,
Sadie Kay