As a digital marketer, I’m often asked which is better between a Facebook Group vs Facebook Page. Having experienced managing both over the last 10 years—I do have a lot to say about this topic.
Before diving deep—I’d like to say upfront that Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups both can help businesses grow. It’s all a matter of which one works best for your objectives; which is one of the things we will be looking at in this article.
Difference Between Facebook Group vs Facebook Page
Facebook as a platform is definitely more than just sharing what you had for lunch or connecting with a friend from years back. It has evolved into a powerful app that helps both the regular consumer and businesses alike.
Marketers, brands, and business owners, in general, can benefit from Facebook’s suite of tools and features. You have Facebook Ads, Facebook Groups, Messenger (and Messenger Chatbots), Marketplace, Facebook Watch, Facebook Gaming, and many more.
But when it comes to growing your business—the darling of the ball has always been Facebook Pages.
Simply put, Facebook Pages allow brands to put up their digital identity on Facebook. It acts as the immediate gateway between customers and the brand. The added benefit is that with a Facebook Page, you can run Facebook Ads—which is basically like paying for a digital billboard, shown to thousands (up to millions) of your potential customers.
On the other hand, Facebook Groups currently do not have the Facebook Ads functionality, so as a brand, you can’t boost posts to get more people to see your offer or your message. However, Facebook Groups have risen in popularity over the years because unlike a Facebook Page, an FB Group can actually facilitate community building.
Facebook Pages are mostly considered as a one-way communication vehicle where the brand speaks to a group of people. Yes, people can comment on a Facebook Page post and the brand can reply to those comments, but it doesn’t make anyone feel that they are part of a community since anyone can come and go on a Facebook Page as they please.
The audience also, in most cases, can only comment on posts and not create their own.
Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups are both useful assets to brands looking to grow their business and build a connection with their customers. They have different functionalities though which makes one stand out than the other, depending on the objectives.
Throughout this article, I will be sharing the reasons why you should choose a Facebook Group or a Facebook Page, depending on your overall objectives.
Reasons Why Facebook Page Is Better
If your objective is to massively increase brand awareness, a Facebook Page is a great asset for you. Although organic reach on Facebook Pages has been dipping over the last few years, being able to use Facebook Ads, for as low as $1 per day, is an amazing advantage.
Facebook Ads can only be done with a Facebook Page. It can be as simple as boosting your current posts or going through the more advanced Business Manager which lets you setup multiple ads, with different objectives and metric measurement.
In Facebook’s Q4 2020 earnings call, they shared that their total revenue from ads was $20.7 billion. The number has been increasing year-on-year, especially now that the global pandemic is forcing most brands to shift from offline to online.
Aside from FB Ads, another case for Facebook Pages is that you can activate having customer reviews on your page. In this day and age where consumers consult Google or check reviews online before making a purchase, having your reviews turned on can be helpful to give future customers more transparency into your product or service.
All in all, if you want to grow brand awareness and drive immediate sales through Facebook Ads, you will benefit from investing in your Facebook Page.
Reasons Why Facebook Group Is Better
Facebook Groups are being used by over 1.4 billion people globally every month. Unlike Facebook Pages, which sees its organic reach dropping year-on-year, FB Groups continue to be one of the highest performing channels for organic engagement on social media.
When I post on my own Facebook Page and not run ads on it, here’s how the stats look like:
That’s on a good day.
Sometimes, it looks like this:
I’m not a vanity-metrics kind of guy, but numbers like this can feel discouraging at times! Take note, this Facebook Page has 10,000 fans.
Meanwhile, on my Facebook Group with 13.8K members, engagement looks like this:
And this:
If done right, Facebook Groups can help brands create an online community of current customers and future ones.
With a Facebook Group, you wouldn’t have to worry about spending on ads just to get people to see your posts. Through creating consistent valuable content inside your group and involving your members, you will be able to grow organically and continue to see good results in terms of reach, engagement, and even conversions.
Facebook Groups are not new to the party—in fact, it started in 2006. Initially, it was primarily used for closed groups. I remember when I was in college, we used to create Facebook Groups for specific subjects as well as for our entire class.
Today, Facebook Groups are being used for more than just sharing information. Communities are being built within Facebook Groups.
An example would be the DIY On A Budget community, led by Toni Trevillion. They have a network of Facebook Groups with a total membership of over 5M people across the world, with multiple groups revolving around different topics from finance all the way to gaming.
There are Facebook Groups for different kinds of topics. In fact, Facebook launched a Super Bowl commercial in 2020 where they shared that there’s literally a Facebook Group for everybody.
If you want to build a community, Facebook Groups is the best place to start.
It doesn’t matter what topic or industry you’re in. If there are people who are genuinely interested and passionate about your brand or product, then it’s worth creating a community on Facebook.
If your objective is to build a long-lasting brand that prioritizes customer relationships and having a deeper connection with your audience, then investing time and resources into Facebook Groups will be a great strategy that will pay dividends in the long run.
Convosight helps brands start their own communities on Facebook. If you’re a brand looking to kickstart your Facebook Group and need help, click here and get in touch!
Facebook Group vs Facebook Page: Which Channel To Choose For Your Brand
As a marketer, my advice would be for you to choose both Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups in 2021.
Especially now that there is literally no longer an excuse for business owners not to have an online presence, having a Facebook Page where you can post brand updates and run Facebook Ads to acquire new customers is a smart move.
Likewise, having a Facebook Group where you can build your community and nurture relationships with your audience (and customers), is my bet for the long-term.
You can’t go wrong having both Facebook Pages and Facebook Groups in your digital marketing stack. They both serve their purpose and can help you grow your business both now and in the future.
Instead of asking the question Facebook Page vs Facebook Group, you should first ask yourself what your main objective is.
Only then will you really know which platform to prioritize first.
Otherwise, if you have the bandwidth, investing in both would be the smart move this 2021 and beyond.
Leads digital marketing and content at Convosight. I’m passionate about all things marketing and growth, e-learning, and community building. If you’re awesome and made it all the way here, could you do me a favor and share/tweet this post too? Forever grateful!
