Facebook is connecting 241 million people in Southeast Asia keep them in touch with each other through the popular application. This is the first time the social network platform has actually shared such figures based on region and it also pointed out that out of the quarter of a billion, 94% do so via their mobile devices.
A new study released by McKinsey shows half of all people on Facebook are connected to someone in a different country, a number which has tripled in the past year. And an analysis of the over 50 million small businesses that use Facebook to find customers also shows 30% of their fans are from other countries.
“Southeast Asia is a dynamic mobile first region, and the fastest growing for Facebook. Connecting the more than 241 million people in Southeast Asia – and 18 million Malaysians – Facebook on to the friends and family, businesses and moments that matter to them is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to investing in resources and expertise to help our partners in Southeast Asia grow and achieve measurable business results,” said Kenneth Bishop, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Facebook.
According the release people in SEA are actively engaged with the businesses on Facebook that matters to them.
• Nearly 2X as many Thais and 2X as many Singaporeans send Facebook messages to businesses each month (compared to the global average)
• Malaysians send nearly 50% more Facebook messages to businesses each month (compared to the global average)
In terms of clients there was a new milestone achieved with 3 million active advertisers, a number that has grown 50% in one year. A large part of that growth is being driven by advertisers in SEA who are moving beyond traditional advertising channels to reach the region’s mobile first consumers.
E-commerce retailer Lazada – grew its fan base by 60X in one year to reach 80% of the population in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Also, established brands like Air Asia engaged Facebook to win back customer confidence during a difficult time for the airline. Through a comprehensive Facebook marketing campaign, Air Asia gained 58X return on ad spend using Lookalike Audiences and broke Facebook’s global records for ad recall in the travel sector.
Similarly, smartphone brand Honor Malaysia used Facebook to run targeted link ads to get its target audience excited about a new product launch. It reached 15.5 million people within four weeks.
Small businesses like Christy Ng Shoes in Malaysia also turned to Facebook to achieve 2X year-on-year sales growth. Christy attests the success of her business relied on placing ads on the platform at a low budget that she could afford.
