Video calling on Facebook allows users to make video or audio calls to friends and family through Facebook Messenger. But can you video call a Facebook Page just like you would video call a friend? Let’s discuss the options for video calling Facebook Pages and whether it’s possible.
Quick Answer: Can You Directly Video Call a Facebook Page?
No, there is currently no option on Facebook to directly video call a Facebook Page the way you can video call friends. Pages do not have the capability to receive or make video calls. You can only video call other personal profiles on Facebook.
Why You Can’t Video Call a Facebook Page
There are a few reasons why Facebook does not allow users to video call Pages:
- Pages are not personal profiles – Pages represent businesses, organizations, or public figures rather than individual people. Video calling is designed for personal communication.
- No one may be available to answer – Unlike messaging a Page where admins can respond anytime, there may not always be someone available to answer a video call in real time.
- Too many people manage Pages – Most Pages have multiple admins, editors, and moderators. A video call would not know which of these people to route the call to.
- Potential for abuse – Enabling video calling for Pages could lead to unwanted harassment or spam calls.
Facebook product manager Julian Gutman stated that the intention for video calling is real-time communication between people, so the feature is limited to personal profiles.
Can a Page Video Call You?
Just as you cannot video call a Page, a Page also cannot directly video call your personal profile either. Pages do not have access to the video calling feature at all currently.
Workarounds to Video Chat With a Page
While you cannot directly video call a Facebook Page, there are some workarounds to have a video chat-like experience with a Page:
Use Rooms
Facebook Rooms allow groups of up to 50 people to join a video call through Facebook Messenger. Both Pages and personal profiles can create Rooms that the other can join.
To use Rooms:
- The Page creates a Room through their Page account and shares the join link publicly or with you directly.
- You click the Room link to join the video call through Messenger.
- You can now video chat with whoever from the Page is managing the Room call.
This allows you to video chat with reps from a Page in real time through the Rooms feature.
Use Messenger Marketing API
The Messenger Marketing API allows developers to integrate video calling capabilities into a Facebook Page through a custom bot or app experience.
A Page would need to build a custom integration using the Marketing API’s video calling hooks to enable video chats as part of a broader bot experience.
This requires more development work but gives Pages more control vs. Rooms.
Use an External Service
Pages can post links or share an external service like Zoom or Whereby for fans to join scheduled video calls.
The external service would handle the actual video call while the Page shares the joining details over Facebook.
This may give more options for larger group video calls or longer durations.
Should Pages Have Video Calling?
There are arguments both for and against adding native video calling capabilities for Facebook Pages:
Pros
- Enables more personal connection with fans
- Helpful for providing real-time customer support
- Could reduce need for external services
- Part of broader video push across Facebook products
Cons
- Opens up abuse and unwanted calls
- Technically challenging with multiple Page admins
- Rooms already provides group video features
- Many Pages prefer asynchronous support over calls
Video calling for Pages has tradeoffs and would introduce product challenges around call routing and preventing abuse. But the option could benefit Pages looking for more personal interactions with their audience.
Conclusion
Facebook does not currently allow you to directly video call a Facebook Page the same way you can call friends and family. Pages lack the video calling feature, and you can only use workarounds like Rooms or external services to video chat with those managing a Page.
Video calling may eventually come to Pages given Facebook’s video calling push across Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. But native Page support has challenges around use cases and preventing abuse.
For now, those wishing to video chat with a Page will need to use Rooms, Marketing API integrations, external services, or continue communicating asynchronously through comments and messages.
| Platform | Can Video Call a Page? |
|---|---|
| Facebook Messenger | No |
| No | |
| No | |
| Facebook Rooms | Yes (workaround) |
| Zoom | Yes (workaround) |
| Messenger Marketing API | Yes (workaround) |
This summarizes the current options for video calling Pages on Facebook’s platforms and third-party services. Unless Facebook introduces native Page video calling, brands will need to use workarounds to offer video chat services.
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Facebook is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of Q4 2022. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg along with fellow Harvard students. Originally started as a website for Harvard students, it eventually expanded to other colleges and then became open to anyone aged 13 and older. Some of Facebook’s most popular features include Pages, Groups, Messenger, Stories, Reels, and Live video.
Facebook Pages enable businesses, brands, celebrities, causes, and organizations to establish an official presence on Facebook. Pages can share posts, respond to messages, advertise, and connect with their target audience. Page admins use Facebook Insights to view analytics on their Page’s posts and monitor performance. As of 2022, there are over 70 million active Pages on Facebook.
Launched in 2011, Messenger allows anyone with a Facebook account to instantly message or video chat with friends and connections. In 2016, Facebook enabled businesses to communicate with customers over Messenger as well. Useful Messenger features include group chats, video calls, Messenger Rooms, Messenger Kids, and vanish mode.
Stories and Reels are popular short-form video formats across Facebook and Instagram. Stories last for 24 hours while Reels can remain visible indefinitely. Users and Pages can leverage Stories and Reels to share ephemeral or more polished video content without permanency of a standard video post. They help brands show more personality and behind-the-scenes footage.
Facebook launched Live in 2016 which lets users broadcast video in real-time to followers or friends. It’s used for announcements, Q&As, interviews, performances, tutorials, and more. Facebook Live helped pioneer the rise of livestreams across social platforms. Accounts can go Live from a phone, webcam, or professional equipment connected to a computer or encoder.
In addition to News Feed, other major sections of Facebook include Watch for shows and video, Marketplace for local shopping, and Portal for the video calling hardware device. Facebook also owns other popular services like photo-sharing app Instagram, messaging app WhatsApp, and virtual reality brand Oculus.
Some ways brands leverage Facebook for marketing include:
- Creating content to educate and entertain followers
- Using ads to promote products, services, offers, or events
- Converting customers through sales funnels and lead generation
- Building engaged communities around shared interests
- Responding to customer questions and feedback
- Developing retargeting audiences for email and website marketing
- Driving website traffic using posts, videos, and Live streams
- Generating awareness through hashtags, influencer partnerships, and giveaways
Facebook provides a versatile platform for brands to foster engagement, tell stories, advertise, convert sales, and nurture customer relationships. With personalized targeting capabilities, Facebook enables marketers to connect with precisely defined demographics and buyer personas.
As consumer attention continues to shift online, having a thoughtful presence on Facebook remains an important piece of the marketing mix for brands across industries. However, marketers must also balance promoting their brand with being authentic and adding value for the Facebook community.
With new features and updates released frequently, the possibilities on Facebook are constantly evolving. Flexibility and learning emerging best practices will be key for brands to successfully adapt and thrive on the platform.