The question you should be asking yourself isn’t “IF” you should be using Facebook… it’s “HOW” you should be using Facebook for your business.
But the answer to that question doesn’t come in a right or wrong conclusion, so finding the truth can feel frustrating and hopeless.
Last week I hosted a FREE 5-Day Facebook List Building Challenge. Almost 700 people registered and the participation level was off the hook. (You can still join the fun by registering HERE.)
One of the most pertinent questions that was asked during the challenge came from Jennifer.
Jennifer asked: “I have a private Facebook group for communication with my clients, not a Facebook business page. What are the advantages of having a business page and how do you use it differently than a private Facebook group?”
With the growing popularity of Facebook groups for business purposes more and more small business owners are asking themselves, “Do I really need to have a Facebook Business Page?”
My answer to that question was without hesitation, “YES! You definitely need a Facebook Business Page!”
I thought you might be wondering the same thing so let’s break down the unique features of both groups and pages so you can see where each fits into your business model.
Unique Characteristics of a Facebook Business Page
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Facebook Business Pages are searchable on Google, (and groups are not)
Creating a business page that is branded with your personal name is great marketing savvy when it comes to your potential clients finding you.
Remember, people do business with people, not brands. When someone recommends you, or searches Google for you, they will search your personal name, not your business name.
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You must have a Facebook Business Page to do any paid advertising on Facebook.
That one more than likely speaks for itself.
At the end of the day, growing a business takes marketing and marketing takes money.
If Facebook is one of the channels you plan to use to market your business and get in front of your ideal clients, (and I firmly believe it should be), then paid advertising on the platform is a must.
Therefore, having a Facebook Business Page is a must!
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Facebook Business Pages have built in analytics, (groups do not)
Even with as little as 100 page likes you can gain highly valuable data about your followers and ideal clients from your Facebook Business Page analytics.
You can learn things about your followers like:
- Gender
- Age
- Location
- Times of the day they are on Facebook
- What types of posts get their engagement
Each one of these items can, and should, influence your marketing message as well as when you are posting those messages on Facebook.
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Facebook Business Pages brand your business
Once of the most notable difference between your page and a group is how you interact within it.
When you are posting on your business page you are posting as your business. You are representing your business. You are marketing as your business.
The way it stands right now, you can only join a Facebook Group as yourself, (not as a business). Meaning that when you are interacting in that group, whether it’s your group or another group, you are posting as your personal profile.
This becomes especially significant when you are posting in Facebook Groups other than your own and should be taken into consideration as part of your overall Facebook marketing strategy.
Unique characteristics of a Facebook Group
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The posts and interaction inside of a group you host get preferential treatment in the newsfeed so it’s more likely to be seen by the other group members.
This certainly is an extraordinary opportunity for you as a group host to get in front of your ideal client group members more regularly than the typical Facebook post.
The more interaction you encourage in your group, (this is an entire strategy of it’s own), the more those people will see all of the group posts.
This is great exposure for you as the business owner.
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Facebook Groups create a feeling of community
A feeling of community and belonging can’t be beat in the world of marketing and growing your reach as a leader in your industry.
When you implement a solid strategy to grow the group with new members you’ll automatically see increased engagement.
The true meaning of community comes when the group members begin to support one another. It’s like having neighbors in the online world.
It’s a winning combination.
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Facebook Groups allow you to store files and search posts for keywords and members
We’ve all experienced the dreaded experience when we remember a valuable nugget of information being posted in a group but as we search the feed we can’t find it no matter how hard we try.
With the added benefit of a search box inside of groups this problem has literally been eliminated.
Add to that the feature of uploading and saving word documents, pdf’s, images and videos in a safe storage area within the group.
It’s a winning combination for you to create an online space that supports and nurtures hundreds, or even thousands, of potential paying clients.
There you have it my friend…. the amazing benefits of Facebook Business Pages and Groups.
If you only have time to manage one of the two, I’m pointing you in the direction of a Facebook Business Page for the reasons stated above.
However, if you have time to include both into your marketing strategy then I say GO FOR IT!
It’s the one, two punch you’ve been looking for to establish credibility, grow your following and increase the number of sales you make this year.
Now go ROCK YOUR FACEBOOK MARKETING!
~Karen
