If there is one truth about Facebook, it’s that the social channel is always changing. Some changes turn out to be terrific. Some are a huge challenge. (We’re talking about you, algorithm change that limited reach of branded pages!) This latest change could have some real value for branded pages.
Facebook is rolling out a call-to-action button. Facebook says the button will “bring a business’s most important objective to the forefront of its Facebook presence.”
This is how it will work: the CTA button will have seven actions. You get to choose which one best fits your business objective. Here are the options:
- Book Now
- Contact us
- Use App
- Play Game
- Shop Now
- Sign Up
- Watch Video
The button is editable, so you can direct fans anywhere you would like them to go: your website, Amazon page, YouTube, email subscriber list or a custom landing page. Weaving Influence clients might benefit from linking to a microsite. You can change the button or where it directs your fans at anytime, too. Your imagination is the limit here.
The Dollar Shave Club helped test the feature. Over the trial run, Dollar Shave Club’s Director of Acquisition, Brian Kim, said the CTA button helped deliver 2.5x the conversion rate of other social placements designed to drive new users. For brands with tight budgets, the button could be an effective tool to drive sales or actions, with no additional spending necessary.
While the benefits are many, this isn’t a magic button. It’s new, so fans aren’t going to be familiar with it right away. It’s located beside the “Like” button on your Facebook page, so fans have to visit your page to find it. To make the CTA button work for you, you’re going to need to get creative. You might consider a giveaway of some type that brings fans to your page. You might encourage fans to check out your page via a post. A cover photo that highlights the button is another option.
You’ll have time to really consider how you would like to use the button and how it can best benefit your business, because the button will be rolled out incrementally. The CTA button will start popping up over the next few weeks in the United States and over the next year worldwide. Keep checking your page!
Thanks Facebook — this is one change we can get behind!
How do you plan to leverage the new call-to-action button?
Christy Kirk, Vice President of Client Services, is a social media strategist, writer, and former television journalist, who’s done everything from launch a news department to create social content and strategy for Fortune 500 companies and brands including Pampers Diapers, Pantene, Luvs Diapers and Carlson Rezidor Hotels. Now, Christy manages marketing projects for Weaving Influence, with an emphasis on social media marketing. She is also a wife and mother of three children, one dog, and one cat. She loves reading, baking, running, hiking and exploring new places.