The Facebook Marketing Book

Chapter 4. Facebook Group Basics

Facebook Groups are often set up by fans of a brand, as is the case with the extremely popular Coke bottle Groups that exclaim how much better a bottle is than a can. Groups are much faster and easier to create than Pages, which is why many fans are quick to set them up, but they also offer less functionality.

Most of your Facebook marketing efforts should stem from a Facebook Page; Pages are the official channel for brands to reach consumers, as determined by Facebook. Overall, they offer more functionality and better opportunities to interact with members. Still, there is some value in using Groups for occasional marketing efforts. To help you make the best decisions for your campaign, this chapter explains where Groups came from and examines how and when you should take advantage of them.

Figure 4-1. As this chart by All Facebook shows, Group functionality can vary greatly from that of Pages.

Groups Versus Pages

Facebook Groups were the first organized way for marketers to message their audience. They were quick and easy to set up but provided little to no engagement or customization. Facebook has come a long way since then, but many differences between Pages and Groups still exist (Figure 4-1).

Pages are the Facebook-preferred method of corporation-to-consumer interaction. In fact, Facebook’s intention is so clear that when the site first introduced ...