Facebook's New Business Pages & What That Means for Compliance

In 2007, Facebook began the rollout of the now well-known Business Page model, allowing businesses to harness the power of social media to increase brand awareness through a digital storefront. Since then, the platform has undergone multiple layout updates and new feature additions with more than 2 billion people on Facebook looking onward. Now, there are more new changes on the horizon, and they have implications for compliance & marketing teams.  

What's New 

As of January 2021, Facebook continued the updates tradition by announcing the roll out the newly redesigned Facebook Pages Experience that claims to make it “simpler for public figures and creators to build community and achieve their business objectives". This update advertises: 

• Redesigned layout that’s simpler and more intuitive. 
• Dedicated News Feed to discover and join conversations. 
• Updated task-based admin controls giving trusted Page admins full control or partial access. 
• A new Q&A format for more interactive conversations. 

The Facebook Pages Experience first introduced into beta testing at the beginning or 2021 but roll out has come in waves over the past few months. The new Business Page format is designed to look more like Facebook's Personal Profiles to soften the divide between business and personal affairs on the platform. 

What's Different 

Despite Facebook's promotion, the new layout has elicited moans and groans from compliance and marketing teams everywhere since not all previously listed information is transferring properly to the updated pages. Notably, Facebook users of the new page layout are citing that some pivotable information, like their About Section text, is missing altogether. Facebook also temporarily removed the Impressum section and only recently returned it after public backlash. One additional major change is the removal of a page's "Likes Count". Business Pages will now have a dedicated focus on Follower counts and public reviews. The update also includes an emphasis on account "Mentions", so be mindful of RESPA Section 8 concerns with referral partners.  

What's Next for Marketing & Compliance Teams 

As updates happen, compliance and marketing teams should be prepared to pivot and adjust internal social media guidance. Teams should consider the following: 

• Ensure that appropriate licensing information is contained in cover photos and in the About overview section. 
• Modify corporate cover photos to include licensing information on the left or right side. Profile photos in the new template will be centered on the page. UPDATE: As of November 12th, 2021, Facebook has modified the New Pages Experience to be left-justified once again.  
• Create or re-emphasize the internal processes around social media reviews and complaints.  

Facebook's Help Center provides additional information on the New Pages Experience transition. ActiveComply will continue to monitor the situation and how our lender partners may be impacted.