Earlier this year, Facebook launched its updated Page plugin tool, giving website owners a new way to showcase their Facebook presence and connect with site visitors.
The plugin can be customized to highlight various elements of your Facebook presence, including friends who've liked the Page, Page posts and the header image, as well as giving website visitors with the opportunity to Like and Share your Facebook Page without ever leaving your site. Now, Facebook's adding in some new features to make the plugin more valuable, with the ability to send a Facebook message via the plug-in (i.e. without leaving your site) as well as a new way to showcase events.
Here's what they've added:
Direct Connection
With the new messaging capacity, visitors to your website can send you a Facebook message direct from the plugin window.
Posted by Facebook Developers on Tuesday, December 1, 2015
The new option gives business owners a whole new way to connect with their site visitors, utilizing a contact method which they're not only more familiar with, but are also more likely to be active on, which could streamline the connection process and increase the likelihood of site visitors getting in touch.
This is particularly relevant when you consider the increasing role Messenger is playing in the lives of its 700 million+ user base - as more people conduct more of their day-to-day interactions via Messenger, connecting with them on that platform becomes increasingly more valuable. Messenger enables personalization and direct connection, measures that lead to higher rates of conversion, and as such, it pays to facilitate interaction via this service This new addition provides precisely that.
Promoting Events
The second addition to the Page plugin is a new option to help promote events. According to Facebook, 55 million public events were listed on The Social Network in 2014 alone, and event organizers have been calling for better ways to integrate and manage events on and off the platform. The new Page plugin option enables website owners to showcase their upcoming events, while also giving site visitors the chance to interact with event Pages and content.
This is a great way to not only showcase events, but spread the word about them at the same time. While it's great to have a sign-up form on your site, providing site visitors with the ability to 'Like' and share your events in one click, while they're visiting your site, could provide a big boost for promotion, helping your message reach a wider Facebook audience.
Facebook highlights four key elements of the events plugin:
- One place to manage event details: Any modifications you make to the event on your Facebook Page will automatically be reflected on your website within the Page plugin.
- Subscribe functionality: People can now subscribe to your events directly from your website, and they'll be notified whenever you create a new event in their area.
- A more social events calendar: People who are connected to your Page can now see which of their friends are going to the same event, bringing social context to the event calendar on your website.
- A localized experience: For events being organized in multiple cities, the most relevant event will be highlighted for a given person based on where he or she is located.
While the new tools won't be relevant to all users, they do provide some great new options around connection and promotion, and could prove highly valuable to many businesses.