Facebook Fan Pages vs. Group Pages

We talk a lot about the importance of social media on this blog, but as we dive deeper into the topic, we’re noticing a lot of tactical questions popping up from our followers. A question we encounter quite often is: “What is the difference between a Facebook Fan Page and a Facebook Group Page”? While Facebook Fan Pages and Facebook Group Pages do have an overlapping list of features there is definitely a time and place for each. In this post we help you sort it all out.

Facebook Fan Page  
– Consider launching a Fan Page if you’re a brand, business, band, celebrity … anyone who wants to interact with their fans on a regular basis
– Fan Pages do NOT have a friend cap (Groups DO have a friend cap of 5,000)
– Through Fan Pages you can send updates to an unlimited number of people. SnackTip: Don’t abuse that privilege … you could become annoying!
– On the info tab of any profile, you can see who is a fan of what.
– Fan Pages are much like the profiles on Facebook – you can add pictures, friends, etc. and Fan Pages have walls that fans can post to.
– When a Fan Page posts an update, the update is visible in the Live Stream on the home page.
– Fan Pages are indexed by search engines like Google
– Fan Pages can host applications

Facebook Group Page
– Groups have administrators whose purpose is to manage the Group, content and flow of information
– Permissions can be set for Groups so that certain people can see content or the public as a whole
– Groups are promoted through administrators inviting you to join or you can find them through a search on Facebook
– Groups have security features – as an administrator you can choose who sees your group
– Groups are limited to 5,000 friends
– Groups are directly connected to their administrators
– Google does not index Group pages

Okay, so now what?
For most of our clients, we recommend taking the Facebook Fan Page route versus the Facebook Group Page. Not only are the Fan Pages more flexible, but they offer more marketing opportunities through external search engine indexing, advertising, and so on. So you could say that we’re fans of the Fan Pages (I know, I know … I couldn’t leave that pun alone!)

Whether you decide to use a Facebook Fan Page or a Facebook Group Page, we have some tips to launch a smart page:
– Upload a photo … your fans (or group members) want to know who you are … consider uploading a photo or logo
– Fill out all the information fields … you’re here to share information, so those fields are a great place to start
– Don’t forget to link it up! On your web site, link back to your Facebook page and on your Facebook page, link back to your web site
– Promote your Facebook page through your web site, your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
– Post often! Post links, updates, etc. Keep it interesting and engaging and interact with your fans or group members

To become a fan of Snackbox on Facebook, click here.  And, to read more on the subject, check out a great post by our friend @mommysnacks by clicking here.