Facebook Group or Facebook Fan Page – Which is best?
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Apples and pears…. Facebook fan pages or facebook groups – Which is best?
As Facebook seem to be continually updating their system just lately, I have seen this question arise a couple of times now about whether a Facebook Fan page or a Facebook group is the right one to have.
Well of course it depends on what you want to use your Facebook Page or Facebook Group for.
Here’s a quick run down on the advantages and disadvantages of a Facebook page, compared to a Facebook group page.
Facebook Group Features
A Facebook group is ideally suited to brand YOU and NOT your product or service and this is where you show the world how much you know about your product or service. Think of this more like a group training or a “chat” site where you invite your guests to. Invite your Facebook Group to comment and share other people’s information, but this is where YOU need to be taking a very active role in administering your Facebook Group by recommending resources, training material and encouraging people to check you out further by the quality of information that you give out here.
You can add your “friends” that are already your friends from your main profile to your Facebook group, but my own personal recommendation is that people should be asked if they would like to join a group first and yet Facebook have removed this function.
Facebook has also removed the function where you could email all your Group members to let them know of any training webinars or events coming up, but now you have an email address to keep in touch and a new group chat facility provided there is no more than 250 people to the group.
You can have an open, closed or secret group so it is possible to have secret chats that will not appear on any live feed of the members and will be visible to members only.
My recommendation is that if you are using the group for business purposes, then comment frequently on posts that appear on your group wall, especially those that are good. Commenting, sharing and general interaction keeps your member’s content at the top of the feed for more to see and they will love you for that which will encourage them to return the favour.
Facebook Fan Pages Features
Facebook Fan pages are effectively Sales pages and in the latest changes that Facebook has made it is clear that they want pages and profiles to be separate! Why? Because the url of a Facebook page can be indexed by the search engines.
You may have noticed more and more that the big corporate companies are telling you to “stop by our Facebook page and click the Like button” This is because the “like” button is Facebook’s way of ascertaining how socially “powerful” you are by seeing how much interest there is in your page. Many people are now looking for ways to get more likes for facebook fan pages because it will then rank you higher and show your Facebook page more often on Facebook, but will also rank your Facebook Page on the major search engines too.
Facebook will automatically promote your Facebook page internally in the right hand column to friends of your “fans” – this doesn’t happen for groups.
Massively powerful is the fact that you can go and comment on other people’s pages (NOT profiles) as your PAGE NAME which automatically creates a backlink to your page for people to check you out. Set your page default landing tab to a sales page and you have potentially got yourself a lead.
You can also set your blog feed to automatically upload to your Facebook page so that you have fresh content on your page, and when someone “likes” your page, they will automatically be shown your latest status update in their own feed.
Since early 2011 you are able to easily customize your Facebook page since the introduction of iFrames and you can also have an opt-in form on your Facebook page which you can’t have in a group, making it a great place to have a sales offer to capture your prospect’s information. You can add multiple Apps and Facebook have now thoughtfully provided Facebook Insights to anlayze your visitor statistics too.
I operate a “Tribe” mentality on my Facebook group and on my Facebook page, so please come over and share your high quality content and comment and share other peoples – oh and don’t forget to click the “Like” button….. thanks!
http://facebook.com/diamondmlmtribe
For more information on how to use Facebook groups and facebook pages and how to use Facebook for Business then you can access my Facebook for Business Blueprint here.
Email: Nicky@NickyPriceMarketing.com
Skype: NickyVitality
Tel: (+44) (0)7587 176155
Facebook: http://facebook.com/DiamondMLMTribe
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Nicky, thanks sharing this. it can be very easy to confuse them for the same thing.
Nathan Gonzalez recently posted..A Usana Review From Someone Who Didn’t Join
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I’m glad it clarified Nathan, thanks for stopping by,
Nicky
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I prefer to use a Facebook fan page that definitely works for me on my business. Thanks for this fabulous blog post Nicky!
Danny recently posted..MannaTech Reviews – Is This The Right Business Opportunity For You?
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Thanks Danny and yes I have to agree with you – I love my fan pages and especially love being able to put an opt in form and a direct pull through of an external web page. On the other hand, I am able to connect with people fully in my group too.
Thanks for stopping by,
Nicky
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I am so glad you created this article Nicky – I was one of those you asked the question – so glad to find someone who was listening and got my question answered – Thanks , I am clear on the difference now.
Brenda recently posted..12 Marketing Principles For Your Home Business.
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
I’m always listening Brenda, and I knew I had seen this question a couple of times so especially glad that it is you that got some value out of this as I always get lots of value when I go to your blog too!.
Thanks for commenting,
Nicky
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I see more advantages for businesses to have a fan page. Yet, there is one business told me today, they like to keep their friend profile page for private messages. Can you also do that with groups? Seems like you step out and find a new crowd that will join you in groups.
Alecia recently posted..How To Research Your Target Market
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I agree that there are more advantages for a business to have a fan page. An 8-Figure
earner once told a group of us that the perfect funnel inside of facebook is that your profile
should be for personal chats or comments designed to intrigue. A subtle link (in the
employed at section) at the top of the page can link to a fan page with a high converting
opt in – then and only then do you move away from facebook.
The group function has now changed dramatically these past couple of months and is really
more about connecting with a small group of people with like minded interests through a
closed, open or secret group. The way that Network marketers use groups is slightly different
i.e more of a “Tribe” where we syndicate each others content.
Hope that clarifies,
Nicky
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Hey Nicky,
These are definitely great reason why one would use each one. Thanks for sharing that your facebook page can be indexed by search engines. I didn’t know that before!
Sherman
Sherman Smith recently posted..MLM Lead System Pro – Why Are There So Many Internet Marketers Using It?
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Yes I think this was the biggest change they ever some time ago, but more recently, the use
of Facebook notes is also extremely powerful as I have seen Notes about products coming up
in Google search engine rankings in the number one position!
Thanks for stopping by Sherman
Nicky
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Thank you Nicky,
Everyone told me I’m supposed to have a Fan page – but NOT what I’m supposed to do with it! Work to do. I appreciate your help.
Andrea
Andrea Thornton recently posted..Measure Twice, Cut once.
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Ah yes – don’t you just love that sort of “training”. – A facebook fan page is a real asset if you have a product or service to sell – the work is getting your target prospect to come take a look!
Thanks for stopping by,
Nicky
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Hi Nicky,
Good breakdown.
I use both, but gravitate toward the Fan Page. My numbers grow more quickly there, so I spend more time there.
Thanks!
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..A Quiet Mind Sees the Impossible as Probable
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Yes I totally agree with you Ryan, especially since all the Facebook Group pages changes,
Thanks for stopping by,
Nicky
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good topic…used to have this debate all the time…i love both equally
Kelsey recently posted..Network Marketing Duplication : Does It Work Online ?
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Nicky Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Thanks Kelsey – Yes I must admit since the changes, I think I prefer the pages because with all the new flexibility with pulling through web pages through iFrames, it is much easier to get your message (and offers) across.
Thanks for stopping by,
Nicky
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Hi Nicky, thanks so much for clarifying the differences and highlighting some recent changes. Facebook is evolving so quickly with business functionality it’s often hard to keep up (I have a love / hate relationship with FB that I need to ‘get over’.
Drew Innes recently posted..Power Blogging: 10 Ways to Produce Kick Ass Content Online
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Nicky Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Oh you’re so right Drew – Facebook is hard to keep up with right now, but I love the way you are able to interact with people here and so I decided back in February it was something I wanted to hone my skills in on and I do understand about your love/hate relationship with it – I have the same feeling about Twitter !
Thanks for stopping by Drew,
Nicky
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Very informative Nicky.
I am starting one or the other soon(or both), and was wondering how to approach each. Thanks for sharing your insight.
Earl(TheGreat)Heflin recently posted..The Newbies Guide To EASILY Driving Traffic To Your Website Using Tribes
[Reply]
Nicky Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 10:03 am
You’re welcome Earl – let me know if you get stuck,
Nicky
[Reply]
[...] more information on facebook groups and facebook fan pages and a free training webinar, go to Nicky’s blog where you will also find some useful [...]
[...] more information on facebook groups and facebook fan pages and a free training webinar, go to Nicky’s blog where you will also find some useful [...]