Facebook: should my business have a page, group or profile?
When helping a number of our clients through getting their social media in order, we’ve often been presented with questions around whether a Facebook page, group or profile is best for their business, so we decided it was time to put up an article on what works and why when using Facebook to promote your business.
What’s the difference between a Facebook page, group and profile?
Pages were originally set up to connect with bands and celebrities who wanted a public profile to share information on. This then turned into a tool to promote businesses, brands, events, products and more. Pages allow all visitors to view information on the page, and all of the updates you put into the page go into each fan’s news feed. A page is also not connected to any particular person, unlike a profile. People can “like” a page and they are instantly connected. Pages come up under a person’s “Likes” on their profile page.
Groups were set up to share information between a group of people – good for people collaborating on a project, organising an event together, etc. These are often private, or if they are public you need to request to be added. Any member of a group can add updates, and these are published to all members of the group. Groups are not listed publicly on any member profiles.
Profiles are set up for individuals to share news with their friends and family. People have to request to be added, same as groups. Profiles show up in a person’s friend list, and show a first name and surname; it’s not set up for business names.
So, why are Facebook pages best for businesses?
- Anyone can follow your updates without needing to confirm them.
- Your business updates on the page show up in your fans’ news feeds.
- People can search for your Facebook page on both Facebook and search engines.
- Pages are public, making it easier for yourself and fans to promote content on the page.
- You can add customised pages and applications to add extra content to your page.
- Your individual profile can be disconnected from the page, ensuring your privacy.
- Fans will have your page linked on their profile, helping promote your business.
If you’ve read this and are feeling a bit stuck with the Facebook presence of your business, get in touch and we’ll help you out.