Facebook is rolling out a set of call-to-action buttons for its ‘business pages’, similar to its offerings on its ad platform.
The new buttons will start to appear in the UK this year, and will bring some improved functionality to the cover image at the top of the page.
Link: New for Facebook Pages: Calls to Action
So what do they do and why should you care?
The cover image is the visual area at the top of each Facebook Page used to catch the eye of visitors. For as long as the cover image has been available, businesses have been trying to find ways to get value from it.
But apart from persuasive images, brand assets and faking buttons with graphics, the cover image has been a missed opportunity for brands, and indeed for Facebook.
What action to call?
A former ban on text on the cover image made it even more difficult for brands to make the ‘real estate’ work hard and there was even a specific ban on call-to-action wording such as ‘Visit our website’. But that’s all changed. Facebook has turned the tables and will introduce seven call-to-action buttons:
- Book Now
- Contact Us
- Use App
- Play Game
- Shop Now
- Sign Up
- Watch Video
They also say that these buttons don’t have to link internally, they can link to external sources such as websites.
Similar buttons have been available to Facebook advertisers for a while, but there’s no mention of charging for them.
The Dollar Shave Club, featured in the picture above, tested the button as part of a three-week trial and saw “2.5x higher conversion rates versus other comparable social placements”. (The button has now been removed)
All-in-all, call-to-action buttons of any kind can only be good. Greater integration between a business’s Facebook page and website or other marketing assets is to be welcomed.
Used well, these buttons will be a good source of converting traffic and it’s only a matter of time before they become a paid-for feature.
If that’s going to be the case, our advice is to make the most of them if, and while, they’re free, and be sure to calculate their value and fit them into your marketing budget when you know their return on investment.
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