08 Mar Facebook Groups vs LinkedIn Groups: Which Should You Use?

I’ve written before about which social media network to use, so you might already think you know the answer to the Facebook Groups versus LinkedIn Groups question.

If you’re B2C, you use Facebook over LinkedIn. If you’re B2B, you use LinkedIn over Facebook. (Generally speaking, of course!)

Well, not when it comes to Groups.

We are seeing (and hearing from others in marketing) that Facebook Groups generate a lot more of everything: engagement, conversations, useful information and ROI. LinkedIn Groups, on the other hand, generate a lot of silence … and spam.

Why do LinkedIn Groups suck? Why do Facebook Groups rock? Let’s discuss.

Why are Facebook Groups better?

You’re programmed to visit Facebook

Love it or hate it, Facebook is the king of social media networks. If you’re active on social media (and not a millennial), you likely visit Facebook a lot more than LinkedIn.

Facebook was always more “social” than LinkedIn. LinkedIn tried to play catch up with their image-focused news feed, but you are already programmed to pop over to Facebook when you have five minutes on your hands. Sorry LinkedIn – Facebook has first-mover advantage.

You can see posts in Facebook Groups

What happens when a Facebook Group post appears in your newsfeed? OMG, people. You see it! You can respond to it! What a novel concept.

So why hasn’t LinkedIn figured this out? The only way to see a post in a LinkedIn Group you belong to requires you to visit that Group’s page (see below for more on how to find Groups. The fact that I didn’t even know how to find LinkedIn Groups is, in and of itself, a major problem). Essentially, LinkedIn hides its Groups.

You can easily join conversations in Facebook Groups

So not only does Facebook put Group posts in your newsfeed, they also notify you when someone posts. This makes it nearly impossible to miss conversations happening on Facebook Groups. Even if you have push notifications turned off, you’ll see them listed under the notifications button, right alongside regular activity from your friends and family.

When’s the last time you saw notification from a LinkedIn Group you belong to? Exactly. I don’t think they exist.

You can find Facebook Groups

If you’re visiting Facebook from your desktop, you can click on Groups in the column to the left of your news feed to see all the Groups you belong to (or find new ones to join).

On mobile? Click the menu button in the bottom right corner of your newsfeed, click on Groups and you’ll be on the Discover tab. Click on the Groups tab to see the ones you already belong to.

Easy peasy.

Know where to find Groups on LinkedIn? I do, but only because I went looking for them. On your desktop, click on the Work button in the top navigation menu. One of the choices in the drop down is Groups. Click on it, and only then will you see recent Group posts.

I can’t find Groups in the LinkedIn mobile app. (I’m going to go bang my head against the wall for a minute. Be right back.)

Facebook Groups have little, if any, spam

An easy way to control the quality of your Facebook Group (and therefore avoid spam) is by making it private, which essentially makes it by invite only. Either the Group administrator knows you, or someone vouches for you (and puts their reputation on the line). That familiarity helps keep the lid on spam.

Unfortunately, LinkedIn is littered with people who behave badly. They don’t understand that sales develop once relationships are built and trust is nurtured. So instead they blast out their marketing message and disappear without bothering to participate in conversations or help others.

No bueno.

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