Facebook Business Page Updates: What Solo PR Pros Need to Know

Living the Life

Notes on Facebook changes

Facebook Business Page Updates: What Solo PR Pros Need to Know

Oct 2, 2018 | Living the Life

Facebook Business Page Updates: What Solo PR Pros Need to Know

Oct 2, 2018 | Living the Life

Written by Michelle Kane, Solo PR Pro Premium Member and Head Honcho of Voice Matters, LLC

Love or hate it, Facebook continues to be the social media platform of choice for 68% of adults in the U.S. and remains popular across all demographic groups (according to 2018 Pew Research Study data). While trust in Facebook has taken a hit, it remains a platform where your clients’ prospects and established audiences are likely to be found.

In August 2018 Facebook rolled out some changes to business pages. Facebook asserts that these changes will improve the business page user experience. Here’s what you need to know:

Template Changes and Action Buttons

During the month of August, brand page managers received a message from Facebook stating that business page templates would soon be updated. This update is Facebook’s way of making sure the page’s user-friendliness aligns with the type of business, adding action buttons such as “groups,” “shop,” “offers,” “call now,” and more. Of course, you and your clients may disagree with Facebook’s suggestions, and these templates may be changed at any time to best suit specific needs.

Reviews and Recommendations

Facebook has officially retired the star rating system. Facebook users may now instead make recommendations of local businesses and brands. Unlike the star rating system, where a Facebook user could leave only a star rating with no explanation, the recommendations feature requires a minimum character count and the option to add photos. So rather than receive a five-star review, your restaurant client can reap the benefits of customer feedback and photos of the dining space and their delicious meal. Requiring written feedback can also help in situations where the customer is sharing a negative experience, as it allows the business owner the opportunity to respond with more specificity. If the brand page owner decides that a negative recommendation is unfair or unwarranted, there is an option to report this via the “give feedback” option.

Brand Pages can Join Groups as Pages

Following the recent change allowing brand pages to start Facebook Groups, pages can now join Facebook groups as the page. While this might not be appropriate in every situation, it is another way for a brand to demonstrate expertise and customer service.

Page Authorization

For managers of brand pages with large audiences based in the U.S., Facebook has introduced page publishing authorization. This will require page managers “to secure their account with two-factor authentication and confirm their primary country location.” The goal of this policy is to ensure the security of the brand page and its content.

To what extent have you been using these updates and changes? How has it affected interaction with your brand page and reaching your social business goals?

Photo by Felipe Furtado on Unsplash

Written By Karen Swim
Karen Swim is the President of Solo PR and Founder of public relations agency, Words For Hire.

1 Comment

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