Facebook Charging Businesses: Your Next Move
Facebook charging businesses for something that used to be free has caught plenty of Kiwi owners off guard. Meta is rolling out a subscription called Meta One. If you post links on your business page, it could cost you. Here is what is changing, why, and what to do about it.
What Facebook Charging Businesses Means for Your Page
Meta began introducing Meta One globally on 15 September. The rollout is gradual, so Meta has not reached every page yet. A page without a subscription can now include links in only two organic posts or comments a month. The entry-level Essential plan has the same limit, and hiding the link in a comment does not get around it.
Paid plans lift the limit. RNZ reports about NZ$26 a month for Essential, NZ$88 for eight links a month and NZ$265 for 20 links. Unlimited links cost about NZ$883 a month.
Why Meta Is Making Links Expensive
It seems like Facebook charging businesses for links is about keeping people on Meta’s platforms. Every link sends a customer somewhere else, and Meta would rather they stayed. Making links expensive is one way to discourage it. Meta says it is testing whether more links add value for paying users.
Links were already a weak spot. Facebook has long limited the reach of posts that contain them, so those posts struggle to get seen. Social Media Today reports that Meta’s own figures show about 98.7% of US post views had no outside link. If your posts carry links, you are probably not getting much benefit.
Are the Paid Link Plans Worth It?
Probably not for most businesses. Nothing tells us that Meta will promote posts with paid links any better. Paying more only buys the right to post more links, and those posts may still reach very few people. That is a lot of money for something that has not worked well in the first place.
Who Is Affected by Facebook Charging Businesses
Not everyone. Photos, videos and replies are not limited, and neither are links to other Meta platforms such as Instagram. If you mostly post pictures, little changes. However, if you use links to send people to your website or online shop, you will feel it. They are rolling it out gradually so you may not be effected yet. And who knows, it may not even be a permanent change.
Better Ways to Send People Elsewhere
To draw people from Facebook elsewhere, use a link in bio or a paid ad. Both have always worked, and both still do.
A link in bio tool, such as Linktree, puts all your links on one page. You point to that page from your profile, and links there are unaffected by the new limit.
A paid ad is the other option. Ads are not part of the organic limit. Meta also has every reason to deliver them, because that is how it earns its money. So you either pay for an organic link and it may or may not show up. Or you pay for an advertised link and target exactly who sees it.
What to Do About Facebook Charging Businesses
- Check your page. A pop-up appears when you try to post a link if the limit applies to you.
- Set up a link in bio page, and send people there instead of putting links on each post.
- Own your channels. Your website and email list belong to you, and Facebook can change the rules at any time. As one business association boss told RNZ, Facebook is the landlord, and landlords can change the rent.
- Work out what Facebook earns you. Count the enquiries and sales it brings in before you pay NZ$88 or more a month.
- Spread your marketing around. Relying on one platform is risky, as this change shows.
The Tax Side
Marketing costs, including a Meta One subscription or paid ads, are generally deductible when they are for your business. Keep the invoices, and tell your accountant if you start paying so it lands in the right account. It also pays to put marketing in your budget. With Facebook charging businesses for links, a surprise subscription should not dent your cash flow, it’ll just redirect part of your marketing budget (if you think its worth it).
If you want help working out what your marketing really returns, get in touch with the team at MBP Advisory.
This article is general information only and is not tax or financial advice. Meta’s plans and prices can change. Details and pricing, including conversion from USD, accurate at date of publication.