Facebook Profile vs. Facebook Page: Which Should You Use?

It is not just a “good idea” for most businesses to have a presence on Facebook; indeed, Facebook presence has become a must-have component of any sound marketing strategy. However, for small businesses who are just starting out on Facebook, knowing where to start can be a little confusing. You may be asking what a Facebook Page is and how it differs from a Facebook Profile. Let’s look at the basics of Pages and Profiles, and distinguish just which one you should be using and when.

What’s the Difference?

Facebook makes a distinction between individuals and organizations; individuals can use personal profiles on Facebook, but organizations cannot. In order to establish a professional Facebook presence for your business or organization, you need to create a Facebook page, and not a Facebook profile. This is good news for your business. While a profile provides personal features such as friendship and messaging, pages provide targeted and potentially viral exposure to more people both inside and outside of Facebook.

Facebook Pages are Designed For Businesses

Since Facebook designed their Pages for businesses and organizations, Pages therefore offers multiple ways to build an audience that is uniquely interested in your organization. Facebook pages, unlike Facebook profiles, allow businesses of any size to build a following without size limitations. On the other hand, Profiles will only allow you to send a friend request, which must then be accepted, in order to make a connection. Moreover, you will have a limit of 5000 friends. Pages only require a simple “like” to start a relationship with a fan, prospect, or client.

Key Facebook Page Features

• Promote special deals and events
• Run exclusive contests
• Conduct sweepstakes
• Targeted advertising
• Unlimited fan following
• Analytics and activity insights

Dunkin’ Donuts keeps Page fans coming back to their page by nominating a new fan every week. This is a great way to highlight your fans to show you care AND to get new likes because those who are nominated will no doubt share the news with their friends.

Added Page Benefits

Facebook Pages are simply the best option on Facebook to market your business or organization in a professional way. Here are the top 3 reasons as to why you should have a business page.

1. Pages are public and easily shared.

When people interact with your Page by liking, sharing, or commenting on your page posts, it shows up on their personal Timeline and in their friends’ newsfeeds. This allows your Page and your content to be exposed to both those who have already “Liked” your Page and those who have not.

2. Pages allow you to run promos and use Facebook advertising expanding your reach.

You can use special tabs to create promotional landing pages or use third-party applications to run sweepstakes and special giveaways. Facebook also has a number of different paid advertising solutions to help you effectively target new fans and engage with your current audience.

3. You can access insights that track the impact of your page activity.

Facebook Insights allow you to see what content followers are engaging with on your Page. You can also see which types of people are interacting with your organization through likes, comments, and shares. You can monitor your Page’s growth during special Facebook promotions via stats on conversions and click-through rates.