7 minutes
Since September, Meta has unveiled paid subscriptions and a two-link rule. As businesses begin to feel the repercussions, social media as we know it is changing, and advertising alongside it.
The news is a curve ball that shocked many brands, leaving businesses asking the big question: should you dish out the money to upgrade and earn back your missing links? This blog will break down what it means, the impacts, and possible solutions.
Meta One – what is it?
Unveiled 15 September, Meta’s new subscription service targets businesses and creators, and is being gradually rolled out globally. With enhanced AI usage and avenues for expression alongside professional tools, it’s shaping the future of how businesses engage with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – and in turn, their customers.
Meta notes that more than 50 features have launched, with 15 million subscriptions to date. But for some, it’s sliding the rug from under their feet.
What it means for businesses
For those wishing to keep an unpaid account, the main update is a new limit of only two organic links a month – across both posts and comments. This is likely to see a significant plummet in traffic being driven to your other platforms via Meta channels.
From websites, newsletters, product pages and more, the new announcement suggests adds pressure on businesses – with possible struggles in balancing both paid ads (which still allow unlimited inclusions of links) and organic posts, which now do not.
So, while Meta strives to make its platforms more conversational and community-driven, with fewer outbound links, businesses are being forced to shift their marketing strategies or upgrade.
What’s the cost?
Priced from $14.99 to $499.99, the Meta subscriptions leave a big decision for businesses and their budgets. You can see Meta’s full pricing and features on their official website.
Though, for those looking at the Essential plan, Meta’s lowest impact and in turn, lowest-priced option, they will see no change in the two-link limit. If businesses would like more wriggle room with 8 links a month, it would require an Advanced plan and a $49.99 subscription.
But it’s worth mentioning that each subscription plan brings with it its own benefits for businesses, such as custom direct messages, additional Reel insights and enhanced profiles that showcase websites, locations, and follow invitations. But is it worth paying to lift the two-link rule?
The impacts
As we navigate this new avenue of Meta, here are some drawbacks we’ve hand-picked from the two-link restrictions and its pressure on businesses globally:
Fewer visits to websites – Businesses that rely on Facebook and other Meta platforms to drive traffic to their sites will feel a substantial shift, with less ease for customer navigation.
A new cost decision – Businesses must now weigh a monthly fee against the results their links bring in, atop paid ads and marketing campaigns.
An uneven playing field – Competitors who pay the subscription fee will have an advantage against those who don’t, with links more easily accessible.
Extra step for customers – Customers could be required to search for a site themselves or navigate to profiles, risking customers drifting away.
It’s hard to see what’s working – Fewer links mean fewer clicks you can trace, making it difficult to prove social media is bringing in customers.
The solutions
As a full-service marketing agency with a team of social media experts, we’re doing all we can to find the best solutions for our clients in the new Meta space. Here are some we’ve come up with:
Move towards conversations – Meta’s new update is pushing for organic interactions. Encourage audiences to drop a message where links and information can be shared, building a personal, trusted community.
Pin a monthly Linktree post – Linktree provides multiple links in one. Pinning a post can give customers a place to go for links you don’t want to become buried, using only one of the two-link limit.
Focus on newsletters – While Meta is seeing restrictions, personal communications like newsletters are not. Direct customers to sign up to a newsletter and use links galore.
Spread efforts across other platforms – With further avenues such as LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube, post without restrictions on platforms that may suit customers better.
Look to the future – Businesses will need to plan ahead and look at their monthly picture, deciding which posts deserve a link without using them up too early.
Use memorable URLs – Implementing short-cut URLs within your creative will give your audience a link that's easier to remember and quicker to search for.
Utilise the page button – On Facebook, linking a visible page button to a website or destination of choice gives audiences the ease of clicking without a link.
Create a Facebook Event – With a dedicated page for specific events or important broadcasts, provide a link in the page bio with all information needed.
Re-sharing evergreen posts – Embed the link into one post and reshare periodically when needed, without using one of the two links. Great for education courses!
Link on stories – On Facebook stories, links are still unlimited. Directing audiences on posts to stories that coincide allows for that click they’re looking for.
Link within links – On Facebook, there’s an ability to link to another post that includes a link, without hitting those monthly limits.
Create links as plain text – Include link information within the captions that aren't clickable but are easy to remember.
Where Bluestorm fits in
At Bluestorm, we’re a full-service marketing agency used to handling curve balls. While we expect wider implications and fundamental changes to the platforms and how customers use them, we’re working our way through the Meta One announcement and ensuring our clients are impacted as little as possible.
With each client comes a different strategy and, for this, we’re looking to use Meta as it intended: making the platform a place to build your community and keep customers coming back no matter the links.
How we’re helping our clients:
An honest answer on whether to upgrade – We’ll look at what your links have actually brought in over recent months (clicks, enquiries, sales) and compare that with the cost of each plan, letting you know if it’s the right move for you.
A website ready to catch every visitor – With fewer links, every visit counts. We’ll make sure each link sends people to a page built for that exact purpose.
Paid ads that pick up the slack – Paid ads can still carry links, so we’ll pair targeted campaigns that drive traffic with organic posts that build community.
Content that works without the link – Our social team will create posts that give your audience something worth stopping for, and invite them to message, follow, and join the conversation.
Not sure where your business stands? Get in touch and we’ll take a look at your Meta accounts together.
