Last week, we looked at using fan pages or just pages as they are now called, to establish a presence for your business, product or brand. But would a Facebook group be a better choice. Let’s take a look at Groups to see what they are all about.

Facebook groups can be created for just about anything. They typically are meant to foster group discussion around a particular topic area, cause, or event, or interest. Group pages are linked to your personal profile. Like pages, they are easy to set up.

Steps:

To begin, go to the Groups application and click “Create a Group” in the upper right corner of the page. On the following page, you will be able to add descriptive information about your group. All groups require a group name, description and group type. Click “Create Group” when you are finished. And that is it. Very simple

Next, add a picture – To be easily recognized as a business, you should choose a logo or storefront as your photo.

Select your group’s privacy settings. These settings can be changed at any time by clicking “Edit Group” on the group’s main page.

Why Groups make business sense:

Administration – As the group administrator, you can easily send messages to group members, making it easier to communicate with them about your business. However, there is a limitation of 5,000 members.

Facebook Groups are searchable by keywords. This makes them easier to find easier to find by Facebook users.

Allow you as the administrator to send out bulk invitations and any of the group members can invite friends which is an effective way to quickly market your business or product.

Allows you to post information about your business or product – Of course, engaging content and encouraging interaction among group members will make your group more attractive.

To create a group, sign into your facebook account and then go HERE

For more on how to utilize social media for your business, click HERE.

In the past two weeks we have discussed both Pages and Groups as a way to market your business on Facebook, next week we will compare the two to see which is thought of as the most effective marketing tool.