Facebook groups vs LinkedIn groups. Which would work better for your business?
It’s been a debate for years. Truthfully, it’s still ongoing! However, there are various strong arguments in favour of each site’s community groups. Here are a few of the best points of comparison which demonstrate why community is important, and what it does for your groups.
Facebook is a platform that marketers generally use for business-to-consumer marketing, whereas LinkedIn is a platform that focuses on business-to-business interaction.
1. Let’s talk numbers
If we were only considering statistics, Facebook groups would win hands down. With Facebook having a huge 2.8 billion monthly active users compared to LinkedIn having (do we dare say only?) 303 million monthly active users, it is clear that Facebook has a larger reach and higher engagement on their site. This reflects in the groups on each site, Facebook groups typically receive a higher engagement rate than LinkedIn groups. If you are considering creating a Facebook group, you probably could expect to see a higher growth rate than you may have on LinkedIn (depending on the purpose of your group). It is also important to note that LinkedIn has a niche user base compared to Facebook, as LinkedIn is built to create professional connections.
2. Device accessibility
Naturally, Facebook and LinkedIn have different purposes making the ‘Facebook groups vs LinkedIn groups’ debate more complex. Different users use each social media platform differently. For example, Facebook is seen as a more informal, community-based platform whereas LinkedIn’s algorithm is specifically designed to focus on professional networking. Because of this, it is not out of the ordinary to find that lots of marketers choose to not have the LinkedIn app on their mobile phones to achieve a clearer sense of work/life balance. This means that LinkedIn is generally used less than Facebook, as it is common for users to have the Facebook app on their mobile devices- which reflects in the group engagement figures for each social platform. Research in August 2021 found that an average user spends 17 minutes on LinkedIn each month.
You should also take the type of social media platform you are using into consideration when deciding which platform to target your typical customer to really make the most out of organic social media methods.
3. Tell me, what’s your motive?
When creating a Facebook group or a LinkedIn group, it is important to consider that you may experience users in your group with hidden motives. These users may try and use your group for their gain, usually promoting a product or online resource that they want to push to your audience. Again, on each social platform, these users are likely to have a different motive. Typically, this may be the same in both groups, as you may experience users trying to promote their own business in either group. This means that you need to be on top of control over your group and, depending on your group’s size, it may be useful to have more than one group moderator to ensure your community is not being taken advantage of.
4. Take control
Each site has different methods in how you can control your own groups. It is essential that for any community group to be successful, you understand what you can and cannot control in your group on each site. A clear understanding of this will help you when your group begins to grow, and you can decide which group needs to be moderated more. This decision is completely down to you and your group. You should consider the pros and cons of each group when deciding this. Although Facebook groups can receive more posts, it is typically easier to moderate than LinkedIn groups which may mean that you want to put more effort into moderating your LinkedIn group.
Why is community important?
You may be wondering why it is so important for you to consider which platform you should set up a group on. This is because you need to create a sense of community surrounding your business, whatever it may be. This builds up trust with your consumers which can build up their consumer loyalty to you, as you are adding value to your business by providing your customers with a community they can get involved with.
So, which platform is better for community groups?
Facebook groups vs LinkedIn groups is a debate held by many marketers around the world. It is clear that there is not a definite winner between the two platforms and which platform works for you is totally dependent on which industry you work in. If you work in a B2B industry, you’ll typically find that LinkedIn groups could work better for your business. Whereas, in a B2C environment, you are likely to find that Facebook groups work better for you.
Weigh up your priorities as a business and get going!
