You don't need a mobile app or mobile-friendly website, just use Facebook, Pages there are already optimized for mobile - and everyone's on Facebook anyway. This is, effectively, how Facebook is pitching business owners, with a new update to the way Pages are presented on mobile devices, including more prominent CTAs, new presentation offerings and an improved mobile layout.
From the official announcement:
"With over one billion people visiting Pages every month, people are already turning to Pages to learn more about businesses, and now we're updating Pages to help businesses build mobile presence and communicate with customers more easily."
More Prominent Call-to-Action Buttons
The update increases the size and prominence of Page call-to-action buttons on mobile, with the CTA prompt now taking up the entire width of the screen, directly below the cover photo.
"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."
Facebook is also testing new variations of mobile call-to-action buttons, including "Call Now," "Send Message" and "Contact Us," streamlining the connection process in order to better facilitate connection. The more prominent CTA definitely stands out, and will serve as a great reminder that users can get in touch and get more information direct from your brand - which, in-turn, will likely result in more queries. And making those initial, one-to-one connections can be all the difference when it comes down to conversion.
New Page Sections
Another key element of the update is the addition of new sections to Pages, designed to make it easier for businesses to showcase the elements they want to highlight to their audience, including "Shop" and "Services" listings.
These options will make it easier for brands to more communicate more directly what they offer, which will help users better determine if the business provides what they're looking for. The shop section will also (with the incorporation of "Buy' buttons) make it easier for Facebook users to complete more transactions entirely within Facebook - which is no doubt The Social Network's greater ambition, and capturing the growing mobile market for this purpose is obviously a big part of that plan.
Facebook has also noted that they're looking to add new sections for Pages in future to help give users a more comprehensive and complete search and shopping experience.
Improved Mobile Layout
The round out the update, Facebook has also improved the layout of Pages for mobile, making it easier for users to navigate through your Page content. Each individual Page section will get a corresponding tab, similar to how photos and videos have their own tabs currently.
"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 layout is more intuitive and streamlines the process direct from the front page to the relevant sections.
Mobile Dominance
The upgrade is the latest move in Facebook's ever expanding quest to dominate all time online, an objective they appear to be completing. New figures from ComScore show Facebook Messenger is now the second most popular app in the US, just behind Facebook's main app.
It's clear that Facebook is dominating attention on mobile, and with these new features, they may just be able to dominate mobile commerce as well. As noted by Facebook:
"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."
Just the beginning, indeed.