Facebook Fan Page vs. Group Page: How do you Choose?
By David Clarke

Facebook Fan Page or Group Page? This is the dilemma many businesses face as they make their initial forays into the social media behemoth that is Facebook and its nearly 400-million strong network of users. So which of the two pages is right for accessing this incredible worldwide community?

Fan Page vs. Group Page Features Comparison

Let’s start by taking a closer look at each type of page and examine how they are similar and how they differ. Below is a features comparison of a Fan Page vs. a Group Page so you can see how they match up:

After assessing the features of both a Fan Page and a Group Page, the clear choice for your business is the Fan Page option, and here’s why:

Limitations of a Group Page

To start with, let’s examine the limitations of a Group Page when it comes to sheer numbers alone. As Group Pages are limited to 5,000 fans, this obviously creates an enormous fan barrier. The difference between having a page with, say, 100,000 fans vs. a page with 5,000 fans speaks for itself. And if you happen to have dedicated fans who take the time to look you up on Facebook, you want to welcome them to your page instead of turning them away.

Brand vs. Individual

Another aspect of Group Pages that works against a business is how the administrator is represented. When an admin posts on a Group Page, the admin appears as an individual and not as the brand, which leads to many drawbacks. Apart from obviously diluting the brand, this turns the admin into the de facto brand voice. Moreover, it allows fans to follow the actual admin as well, setting up a myriad of potentially troubling scenarios between fans and the admin.

Some examples of how an individual posting on behalf of a brand can be damaging to the brand include: 1) What if the individual were to leave the organization – would the fans go with him or be transferred over to someone else within the brand? 2) Or what if the admin decided to post something negative? This would harm the brand as well. With a Fan Page, these problems are avoided with a simple solution: the admin posts as the brand itself.

Analytics & SEO

Logistically, the ability Fan Pages have to engage in tracking through analytics also makes them a better option. The capacity to be able to host advertisements, while appearing as a “normal” Facebook page, is also clearly advantageous. And the ability to be indexed by search engines serves as the icing on the Fan Page cake. After all, if you can’t be found in a search, do you even really exist?

In Sum

While both Fan and Group pages can be beneficial in certain instances, overall the Fan Page is far superior to the Group Page when it comes to maximizing a brand’s Facebook presence. When you boil it down, Group Pages are severely limited by their fan cap and their inability to provide anonymity for the page’s administrators. Fan Pages provide flexibility, increased control of the brand and are unlimited in their scale and scope. A Fan Page provides all the necessary tools for an organization to reach and communicate effectively with its fan base, thus making it the ultimate “social” option for this social media channel.

About David Clarke

David Clarke is Founder and Managing Partner of BGT Partners, one of the oldest and most award-winning independent interactive agencies in the world. Headquartered in Miami, and with offices in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, BGT was founded in 1996 and has earned the reputation as a Global 2000 professional services firm. The agency develops interactive solutions for such Fortune 500 companies as Office Depot, FedEx, Carnival Cruise Lines, Sony, Darden Restaurants, Kaplan University, ADP, ADT and Tupperware, among many others. For more information on BGT Partners, please visit: www.bgtpartners.com or www.facebook.com/bgtpartners.