I Have a client who has a facebook page and a facebook group, and I was wondering - is this a wise move?
When it comes to linking to either of these from the website, it is a bit puzzling trying to decide which to link to.
Thanks,
Dan
It’s okay to have both but if you want to save time in management, better to have only the page. :P<snip>
Is his Facebook page his own personal one? And the group his business one?
They are both for the business. I’ve done a bit more research since writing this thread, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be better to go with just the facebook page. Nudging members of the group towards the page is going to be necessary.
I found this page was quite helpful:
Facebook Group or Facebook Page? Time to decide… now. | Social Signal
Thanks a lot…
I also read this post shared by you and found it quite useful. I think it becomes difficult to manage both group and page at the same time. It is wise to use only one and manage it properly to enhance the social media opportunity for your business.
You answered your own question but I would add more (I haven’t read the article linked here so I’m sure that this piece of … wisdom … is included there ;))
A business should have a fan page and not a group page. Fan pages have more flexibility and the numbers of fans is not limited. A group page is limited to 5000 members and if you reach that number, you risk to lose them all because you will have to create your fan page then and ask every single member to be a fan… and not everyone will do it! 
Not only can facebook fan pages hold more than 5000 members, you can create and display custom facebook applications on the page. What that allows you to do is setup a sort of landing page for your fan page from your own webserver and display it right within the facebook interface.
This page helped me out recently:
[How To] Create A Facebook Reveal Page Using Static HTML: iFrame Tabs | Design Marketing Advertising Free Tips
On a more technical note, for those more familiar with how facebook apps work, if you wish to do this yourself without the aid of the page they refer to in the link, you can sign up for facebook developer, create a new application, set the canvas url to your company’s facebook-style landing page, and then add it to your page. This is sort of what you are doing within the tutorial, but without all those pesky advertisements while setting it up.
Usually Facebook page is used for personal communication with friends while group are used to communicate widely with others and those who are interested to take a part in their conversation as well as in their product.
I do not believe that is the case Jasper79.
Just to clarify for anyone else who views this topic.
When you are creating a page, it asks if you wish to create a page for 6 different categories: local business or place; company, organization or institution; brand or product; artist, band, or public figure; entertainment; cause or community.
It asks within the group creation process, “Have things you only want to share with a small group of people? Just create a group, add friends, and start sharing”.
Therefore I believe it is the opposite. Groups are meant for friends and small discussions and pages are meant for social awareness of companies, products, services, etc.
Facebook pages are best.
Groups are limited, and annoying at the same time. I seam to get pushed into groups without mu consent, and I need to manually remove myself from the Group. Pages allow you to put all kinds of information in, and allow unlimited likes.
There was a recent case were companies were simply creating people pages, and now there is something you can do to convert your people page to a company page, and you can still keep your friends.
Groups are meant for friends and small discussions and pages are meant for social awareness of companies, products, services, etc.
You’ve nailed it! Groups are not meant for big companies, unless it will be internally used, and for a select group of people, not for the masses.
what if someone posted a negative remarks about your business in your facebook fan page/ group page? have you consider this?
Somebody once posted me a picture of their testicles on a business page. I simply removed this, did not bother reporting him because from the looks of things he was only young. 
You always have to take into consideration that some people will never be satisfied… or they may even be paid to post negative comments. If someone posts something negative, the actions you’ll need to take will be different depending on each case (that is, if it is a real concern or it is just some fake posting to create a negative mood).
Anyway, you acknowledge the problem, thank them to let you know, and deal with it as it is appropriate and then post “the problem was solved and x is now satisfied” or “the problem couldn’t be solved so we are doing this and that for compensation” (if a compensation is required)
Paid to post negative comments? That’s new to me.
Anyway, you’re saying that in some ways using facebook or other social networking sites could be bridge between customer and my company to fix the “defects” regarding the product/services. Did I get it right?
Fan pages are generally better for business.
Well, it happens, in the same way that other companies pay other people to create positive feedback for them. Many so-called SEO companies do it. Not very ethical in any case but…
Yes. But hey, don’t go overboard! You don’t need to expose every complain you receive and inform everyone about it 
My example was related to someone posting negative feedback on your facebook page, or your blog, making public his dissatisfaction. Then you have to treat it in the same way, and inform through the same channel what’s going on (keeping the private details to yourself, of course) and convert something negative into something positive. People will be able to see if you are serious about complaints and how long it will take you to solve it and therefore it can be another plus to create confidence and trust on your company.
Your client should stick to the fan page and link his fan page to a community page that it relevant to his business. This will help expose and promote his business as all post he makes on the fan page will post on the community page.
Absolutely go with a fan page. I use it for almost all my clients and I can say it is the best way to promote your business on facebook. Don’t use groups, they have limitations and are more “kiddy” than fan pages that are more professionals.
Face book is definitely a tool that has brought many benefits, both personal and business OPPORTUNITY, I understand that to promote your business is the face book group but is more limited, as there is a rule I think the two can be used.