Facebook is rolling out a new mobile Pages format today, one it says is more tailored to the way people discover information about businesses from their smartphones. The company also says that Pages is the first product it has redesigned to be mobile first.
Kicking off today with iOS and mobile Web (Android to follow), the new layout is designed to make it easier for companies’ customers to interact with a Page.
Action-oriented layout
The action-oriented layout features key business details, and surfaces the easiest way for users to interact with them – this could be hitting the ‘Like’ button, sending a message, checking-in or placing a telephone call. Given that people’s eyes tend to gravitate towards the top of a Page, this is where such action buttons are now placed, alongside other helpful information such as location.
Additionally, Page owners can also choose to include pinned posts near the top of the Page if they wish to highlight specific key content.
Pinned posts have been available to companies for a while, but with higher-placements, admins can place important posts – such as special offers – from their desktops or mobile devices, which show up prominently when a user accesses their account from their phone.
Furthermore, Facebook has now also made it easier for Pages owners to switch between public and admin views from their mobile devices.
Facebook’s push for mobile supremacy
It’s no secret that Facebook is looking to ramp up its efforts in mobile – after all, two-thirds of its 1-billion-plus user-base now access the social network via their phone or tablet.
In the last month, Facebook has launched deep integration with Android via Home, which went on to notch up 500,000 downloads in the first week alone. Then just last week, Facebook’s iOS app received a big update with Chat Heads, which allows users to keep chatting with friends regardless of where they are in the app.
The social networking behemoth also recently announced plans to make it easier for developers to create better social apps. This plan constitutes three products for the mobile environment, including a new Facebook SDK for iOS, bringing Open Graph to mobile, and an improved Login feature.
Mobile is an obvious must-win platform for Facebook, given that users are more likely to access their account from their pocket rocket than a fixed-location machine. Almost half of all users who access Facebook Pages, do so from their mobile phones – and for that reason, Facebook’s monetization conduits must also adapt for mobile.
Last month, Facebook released an update to its mobile app install ads product, letting advertisers improve the targeting of their ads based on a user’s connection type and mobile operating system.
Now, starting today, Facebook users should – in theory – find it easier to interact with brands they encounter through the mobile apps. And it’s just one small step in Facebook’s quest to bring businesses and consumers closer together.
➤ Facebook – iOS | Mobile Web
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