If you’re part of an organization or business, or even just an individual with a blog, chances are you know that you need a presence on Facebook. But navigating the best way to share your message on Facebook can be… overwhelming.
This guide will help you understand the two main ways of using Facebook: a page and a group. Here’s what you can expect:
- Top Tools to Use with Facebook
- What is a Facebook Page?
- What is a Facebook Business Page?
- What is a Facebook Group?
Here’s the long and short of it: if you want to share personal information, make a Facebook page. If you want to have one spot to share posts from a business or organization, make a Business Page. If you want a place that people can connect together and have discussions, create a Facebook Group.
Let’s take a look at some of the tools you can use, some more options, and the pros and cons of a Facebook page vs. group.
Facebook Page vs. Facebook Group: What’s the Difference?
Facebook Pages are designed for businesses, organizations, and public figures to share their stories and connect with people. The main purpose of a Facebook Page is to build up a following of people who are interested in what you do so that you can share your news and messages with them.
Facebook Groups are designed for people to connect with each other around a common interest or topic. They’re a place where people can have discussions, ask questions, and share information and ideas. Groups can be private or public, and they can be open to anyone or closed to only people who are invited.
We’ll get into more specific differences between the two later in this post, as well as which you should use for your nonprofit.
Top 4 Tools To Use With Facebook
If you’re new to Facebook, you might find yourself uncertain about how to approach it. Luckily there are tons of free and low-cost tools out there to help you navigate. Here are our favorites.
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- Facebook Business Manager – Business Manager is a Facebook tool that helps you organize and manage your business. You can see all the posts from all pages that you admin, answer messages, see insights, and run ads.
- Canva – Canva is one of my personal favorite tools for social media. It’s an online design tool that has pre-created templates. It’s incredibly easy to create beautiful graphics for your social media posts.
- Fiverr Social Media Freelancers – If you simply don’t have the time and expertise to manage your Facebook presence, Fiverr is a great resource. You can hire freelancers to do social media work at a variety of price points.
- Hootsuite – If you’re managing multiple social media channels, Hootsuite is a great tool to streamline your process. It allows you to see all of your social media accounts in one place, schedule, and post.
What Is A Personal Facebook Page?
A personal Facebook page is a profile that you can create for yourself on the social networking site Facebook. You can use your personal page to connect with friends and family, share news and experiences, post photos and videos, join groups and fan pages, and interact with other users on the site.
Creating a personal Facebook page is quick and easy. Simply go to Facebook.com and click on the “Create a Page” link in the top right-hand corner of the screen. From there, you’ll be prompted to choose a category for your page. Select “Individual,” and then fill out the required information, such as your name, gender, and email address. Once you’ve created your page, you can start adding friends, sharing updates, and connecting with other users on the site.
You’ll want to use a Facebook Page when…
- You want to connect with friends and family
- You want to share personal updates and opinions
- You want to join Facebook groups to comment and discuss
As with all of the Facebook options we’re going to discuss, there are advantages and disadvantages to using a Facebook page vs. group.
Pros:
- It can help you get familiar with the Facebook ecosystem before creating your business pages or groups.
- It’s great for staying connected on a personal level.
Cons:
- This is not an appropriate place to share information or updates about a business or organization. It looks unprofessional.
- It is associated with you as an individual rather than an organization or business.
- You can’t advertise from a personal page.
What Is A Facebook Business Page?
Facebook Business Pages are similar to personal profiles on Facebook, but instead of focusing on an individual person, a Facebook Page focuses on your organization (whether it’s a business, a nonprofit, a special project, or you as a public figure) as a public entity. Once you have your page set, you post updates similar to how you would post updates to your personal profile.
Also similar to your personal profile, people may comment on your updates. Instead of being your “friends,” people follow your page by “liking” your page. Once they’ve liked your page, your posts will show up on their Facebook news feeds.
Use a Facebook Business Page when…
- You want to use Facebook to make announcements and updates about your organization
- You want to primarily produce your own content and post updates
- You want to establish an official, public presence for your organization
- You want to advertise
Let’s check out some examples.
CauseVox (hey that’s us!) uses Facebook to share information about upcoming events, share informational blogs, and run advertising campaigns.
Etsy is a popular digital marketplace, and they’ve made the most of its Facebook presence. They share products that are sold on their website, memes, and influencer blogs/videos. One of the things Etsy does incredibly well with Facebook is building a vibe: when you visit the Etsy page you know you’re being marketed to, but mostly you feel like you’re browsing a cool lifestyle blog.
A Facebook Page is also an ideal choice for public figures. Check out Markiplier’s page. He’s an incredibly popular Youtuber and influencer. As a public individual, his business page straddles the line of sharing personal updates and promoting his videos and products. His Facebook page is carefully curated to fit within his brand.
Just as with a personal page there are pros and cons to Facebook Business Pages:
Pros:
- A business page is the one place you can create advertisements on Facebook
- A business page creates a professional-looking space for you to share all the important information about your organization or business
- Allows you to create stories, a newer feature on Facebook that Facebook’s algorithm is prioritizing
- You can add a donate button to this page
Cons:
- As you may have noticed in your personal use, not every post will show up on people’s news feed all the time. Facebook Pages have to work hard to show up in the feeds of their followers.
- It can be difficult to build engagement through a Business Page. The only way followers can connect is by commenting.
- If you don’t post regularly, your Facebook page can look unprofessional.
How to set up a Facebook business page
- Go to facebook.com/business and click Create a Page
- Select the type of business you want to create a page for
- Enter your business name and category, then click Get Started
- Add a profile picture and cover photo that represents your business
- Fill out your page’s About section, then click Save Info
- Invite your friends and followers to like your page
- Start posting updates, photos, and videos that represent your business
- Use Facebook Ads to reach out to potential customers and promote your page
- Monitor your page’s Insights to track your page’s performance
- Keep your page up-to-date and engaging to attract more followers and customers.
What Is A Facebook Group?
Facebook Groups are something entirely different from pages. While Facebook Business Pages are essentially profile pages maintained and updated by the administrators, Facebook Groups are maintained by the community.
The administrators can set up a Facebook Group to have open membership to the public, membership upon approval, or membership by invitation only.
Once someone becomes a member of that Facebook group, they can start posting to that community Posts will show up in members’ news feeds. This means members can share resources, events, ideas, and questions with each other (which will only be visible to other members of that Facebook group).
Each Facebook Group may have more than one admin. The admins are responsible for moderating the members’ posts and to enforce the rules as needed, as well as for creating content.
Use Facebook Groups when…
- Your community has the expertise and you want to give them a place to create and share their own content
- You hope to facilitate discussions between community members
- Your community wants an online space that’s for them, and you would like your organization to be the host
One great example of an organization using groups effectively is the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois. Nancy Ramos managed the group during their Over the Edge fundraising campaign and used it to communicate with their peer-to-peer fundraisers.
Every week, she posted to a private Facebook Group for fundraisers and also emailed them the content. She gave them graphics and text to share on social media, along with campaign updates and fundraising tips.
Participants in the challenge also posted their own questions, tips, stories, photos, and more, encouraging event participants to engage with one another.
For the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois, a Facebook Group was the perfect fit to help foster a community among their event participants.
Minnesota Cosplayers is another example. This is a public group. Users share updates on their costumes, ask questions, and get advice. It’s a great example of how groups can be used when there’s a lot of community knowledge.
Facebook Pages can be for all kinds of things. There are fan pages for media, joke groups, and groups for memes. Homes for Flame Point Siamese is an example of a very specific niche interest: it’s a place for people to post available Siamese and others to look for cats to adopt.
Groups have a very different purpose than pages, so they’ll have a very different set of pros and cons.
Pros:
- Anyone can post and share content: you don’t have to do all the work to create content
- It can help group members find resources, information, or items
- You can be incredibly creative: groups are a great way to explore new projects or ideas
Cons:
- Anyone can post and share content: it can be a lot of work to moderate and ensure that everyone is behaving kindly, keeping on topic, and following group guidelines
- If your community isn’t engaged, the group won’t have any content
- A group won’t give you a place to advertise, share information about your organization/business, or promote events and products
The good thing about Facebook is that you’re not locked into one choice. Feel free to experiment and try pages and groups to find what works best for you.
How to set up a Facebook Group
- Go to facebook.com/groups and click Create a Group.
- Enter your group name, description, and privacy settings.
- Add a profile picture and cover photo for your group.
- Invite your friends and followers to join your group (you can change their admin permissions later).
- Start posting updates, photos, and videos in your group.
- Use Facebook Ads to reach out to potential group members.
- Monitor your group’s Insights to track your group’s performance.
- Keep your group active and engaging to attract more members.
Facebook Page vs. Group: Which is better for running ads?
There are some key differences between running ads on Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups. Here are some of the key considerations to keep in mind:
1. Reach: Facebook Pages have the potential to reach a much larger audience than Facebook Groups. With over 2 billion active users, a Facebook Page can give you access to a vast potential customer base.
2. Targeting: Facebook Pages offer more targeting options than Facebook Groups. With a Facebook Page, you can target your ads based on location, age, gender, interests, and behaviors.
3. Budget: Facebook Pages require a higher budget than Facebook Groups. The cost per click (CPC) for a Facebook Page is typically higher than the CPC for a Group.
4. Engagement: Facebook Pages typically have lower engagement rates than Facebook Groups. With a Facebook Page, you are more likely to reach a larger audience but with less engagement.
5. Conversion rates: Facebook Pages typically have lower conversion rates than Facebook Groups. With a Facebook Page, you are more likely to reach a larger audience but with fewer conversions.
If you’re looking to run ads on Facebook, it’s important to consider the key differences between running ads on a Facebook Page vs. Group. Depending on your objectives, one may be better suited for your needs than the other.
Facebook Page vs Group: Which to Choose?
Let’s summarize everything we’ve talked about so far.
Facebook Pages are designed for businesses, organizations, and brands to promote their products and services. They offer businesses a way to reach out to a large audience, build brand awareness, and drive traffic to their website.
Facebook Groups are designed for people with common interests to connect with each other. They offer members a way to interact with each other, share information and updates, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.
So, which one should you choose? It all depends on your business goals and objectives. If you’re looking to promote your products and services, then a Facebook Page is the way to go. If you’re looking to build a community of like-minded people, then a Facebook Group is the way to go.
And Facebook is free, after all. So it won’t hurt to have both!
This post was originally published in January 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and insights on June 2021.
