Facebook to Bring the Next Billion People Online (And Help Marketers Reach Them, Too)

In August, Facebook announced that for the first time, a billion people had used the service in one day. It was a landmark moment. But in a way, it was also a sign that the company was reaching the end of the phase of its history that was mostly about signing up people in developed economies and getting them to spend time on the service. If Facebook is going to continue growing, it needs to cater to the next billion consumers -- the ones in emerging nations where you can't assume that people have PCs, high-end smartphones, or speedy Internet connections.

At an event on Oct 29 at its headquarters in Menlo Park (CA), the company provided an update on its efforts to make Facebook inviting to people in new markets, as well as to help marketers reach those users. The event covered the company's efforts to let advertisers reach consumers in emerging markets, something that it says these new Facebook users are eager to have happen. "There's this really fascinating connection that people want to have with businesses and brands," said Kelly MacLean, who's responsible for this effort as Facebook's product marketing lead for emerging markets.