Facebook Pages: Updated for Mobile, Better for Business

Majority of people on Facebook in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa connect to a small business

Now that there are more mobile connections around the world than there are humans on the planet, people are spending more time on mobile, and they expect to be able to do more from their phones and tablets.

They expect information to be available at their fingertips and that people and businesses will reply to their messages as soon as possible. These trends have far-reaching conclusions for businesses, the biggest of which is that it’s never been more important to make your business easily accessible on mobile.

“With more than a billion people visiting Pages on Facebook every month, Pages are the best place for businesses, and in particular small businesses, to reach the people who care about their business and want to learn more exactly where they are – on mobile. We are committed to providing the 45 million businesses with better ways to achieve their goals and supporting these with the right tools” says Helen Smyth, SMB Community Engagement for Facebook.

“For people on Facebook who want to learn about or interact with a business, a business’s presence on Facebook is the best place to do this because it the simplest way to find all the information you need or take action, where you already spend time, and because it is a place to have a genuine and trustworthy interaction with the businesses you care about” Smyth continues.

A few weeks ago we updated messaging features for Pages to help people and businesses connect faster and more conveniently. Today we’re adding new features to Pages to make it easier for the more than 45 million active businesses on Facebook to highlight important information and reach their goals. The new features for Pages reflect our belief that no matter if you’re a plumbing company, a flower shop, a non-profit or a brand, your Page should house the information people are looking for, help you communicate with your customers, and support your unique goals.

New and more prominent call-to-action buttons

Call-to-action buttons bring a business’s most important objective to the forefront of its Page, whether it’s encouraging people to book an appointment or browse an online shop. And now, Page call-to-action buttons on mobile are more prominent, making it easier for businesses to use their Page to accomplish their goals.

The new look of the call-to-action button on mobile is bigger, brighter and directly under the Page cover photo.

We’re also testing several new call-to-action buttons on mobile, including “Call Now”, “Send Message” and “Contact Us”, making it easier for people and businesses to connect directly. Over time, we’ll add additional calls to action to further help businesses drive their unique goals.

               New sections for Pages

Until now, Pages have been largely the same for every business. Now we’re beginning to add new sections to Pages, so different types of businesses can prominently feature the information that is most relevant to their organization.

Today we’re announcing two new sections for Pages. The new Shop section helps retail businesses bring their products to the forefront of their Page, while the new Services section enables professional services businesses to showcase a list of their offerings at the top of their Page. So now, for example, a spa can add their services menu to their Page or highlight the line of products they sell, helping people get to know their business faster. And understanding the services and products a business offers is key to deciding to work with that business.

Because different types of organizations need to highlight different information to meet their goals, we plan on building additional sections for Pages in the near future.

Improved Page layout

As more people connect with Pages from phones and tablets, we want to make it easier to navigate through Pages on mobile. We’re updating the Pages layout so information is easy to find without lots of scrolling and clicking. One way we’re doing this is by giving each Page section a corresponding tab, just like how videos and photos have their own tabs.

When this new layout launches in the coming weeks, Page visitors will be able to click on the tab associated with a section to see more details. The Home tab, which is the landing tab on Pages, will also contain highlights of each section, so relevant information is front and center when someone first gets to a Page.

The coming layout changes to Pages organize information better, so people can find what they’re looking for quickly.

Update your Page for mobile

People are spending more time on their phones and tablets, which means businesses need to keep up with people’s expectation that they can find information and communicate with a business anytime, anywhere, on any device. The recent updates to Pages help businesses communicate easily with people through messaging and emphasize the information that helps them drive their goals, making Facebook the mobile solution for your business. And this is just the beginning.

Make your business more accessible on mobile today by adding new sections and a call-to-action button.

As we continue testing and adding new features to Pages, look for updates here.

Resources ((www.facebook.com/business) for getting started with updated Pages:

Pages Messaging: New Ways for People and Businesses to Connect: www.facebook.com/business/news/pages-messaging-updates

The Admin’s Guide to Pages Messaging: www.facebook.com/business/news/pages-messaging-tips

Marketing on Facebook starts with a Page: www.facebook.com/business/products/pages/

Pages overview: www.facebook.com/business/learn/facebook-page-basics/

Small businesses can now speak directly to potential and existing customers, and generate sales. They can do this in a cost effective way, and they can measure the results very easily. In effect, SMEs can now do what big brands have been doing for decades, and it they can do it immediately.

Facebook also offers global scale. African small businesses can interact with customers around the corner, across the country, over the continent or around the world. Factoring global reach into a low budget entrepreneurial business strategy is no longer a dream. It’s a matter of choice.

Small Business Mobile marketing Success

EatOut is an online restaurant guide, booking system and magazine. Founded in 2010 by Mikul Shah who, after living in London for over a decade, returned to Kenya and found there was no single place to find, review and book restaurants. EatOut has since grown from a blog with 1 employee to a full-fledged company with an amazing team of 13 and growing. Facebook is the only marketing platform used by the company. They have since won numerous awards including Kenya Tourism Award for Best Digital.

Wakaberry, a South African yoghurt dessert brand, used to rely on passing trade. Now it uses social media to showcase its stores, products and promotions. Thanks to Facebook, many customers entering a Wakaberry store already know where they are going, and what they want. This new context has powered a big sales shift for the brand. Wakaberry’s 30 Days of Summer Facebook campaign resulted in a three-fold increase in post-campaign sales.

Businesses used to be confined by the limitations of geography and budget. Today, they use Facebook to achieve local, national and international growth. The innovative children’s brand FunKidz opened 4 years ago. It provides high quality children’s furniture designed and manufactured in Kenya. Owner Ciiru Waweru founded the business as when she was pregnant she was unhappy with the quality and styles available. The brand built solely through Facebook. The company has expanded into Uganda and Rwanda in response to Facebook demand.

Thando’s is the brainchild of entrepreneurial couple, and NYU Alums, J.G. and Taffi Ayodele. They have designed Africa’s first foldable ballerina flat shoe. Their company aims to create a platform for creative talent on the African continent by crowdsourcing designs from African men and women who would otherwise have limited opportunities to design for a global audience. Each purchase results in shared profits for the designers who were crowd sourced or selected as brand ambassadors. Thando’s are a new company but love the traction they’re seeing from Instagram and Facebook.

Key Stats:

Kenya:  Q2 2015

63% of people on Facebook in Kenya are connected to an SMB

Internal FB data as of May 2015:

2.2 million total daily active users (DAUs)

2.1  million mobile DAU

4.5 million total monthly active users (MAUs)

4.3 million mobile MAU (95% of MAUs)

Nigeria: Q2 2015

54% of people on Facebook in Nigeria are connected to an SMB

Internal FB data as of May 2015:

7.1 million total daily active users (DAUs)

6.9 million mobile DAU

15 million total monthly active users (MAUs)

15 million mobile MAU (100% of MAUs)

South Africa: Q2 2015

61% of people on Facebook in South Africa are connected to an SMB

80% of people on Facebook in South Africa are connected to a Page

Internal FB data as of May 2015:

7.3 million total daily active users (DAUs)

7 million mobile DAU

12 million total monthly active users (MAUs)

12 million mobile MAU (100% of MAUs)