Facebook has seen a substantial increase in time spent with the site as a direct result of the proliferation of mobile devices, specifically smartphones. As a result, the social media platform has been very active the last few years in developing tools for marketers to better reach these users.
At LSA16, Joe Devoy, product manager at Facebook, talked about how the mobile device is largely shaping and guiding the company’s development of new marketing products. The focus, so it seems, is on building solutions for advertisers big and small that facilitate local relevance.
But before getting into the products and solutions themselves, he talked about three ways the mobile device has transformed the purchase process:
- Mobile has led to more time spent on digital, resulting in more time throughout the day to reach consumers.
- Mobile discovery is changing consumer behavior. “Discovery on mobile creates intent and more important, drives sales,” said Joe.
- The path-to-purchase is more non-linear than ever before with people moving seamlessly between devices and channels.
Given these trends in consumer behavior, Facebook is developing products for advertisers that take advantage of purchase intent and discovery. These solutions are also focused on relevance, particularly local relevance. In other words, Facebook wants to help advertisers reach the people nearby who are most likely to make a purchase.
With a focus on relevance, Facebook has released a flurry of marketing solutions over the past few years for marketers big and small. Some of these solutions include:
- Sections: Facebook has created what some might consider “enhanced data” which allows for more page customization based on the business category the business represents.
- Calls-to-Action: Often time, marketers have one objective with ads and Facebook allows advertisers to bring the most important action front and center.
- Place Tips: This is a new way for businesses to communicate with customers while in-store, which Facebook believes is a huge opportunity.
