It appears brands are creating new Facebook pages to connect with their target audiences and share engaging social media content.

Marketers were mistaken if they thought social networks’ attempts to develop commercialization opportunities would fall flat. The latest earnings report from Facebook proves exactly why this is not the case. During the Q2 earnings call, COO Sheryl Sandberg said there are nearly 18 million company pages on the site.

There are more than 1 billion active Facebook members and the company credits some of its success in hitting that benchmark to an influx of local businesses. The social network has made concerted efforts to become a business-friendly environment for social media marketing campaigns. Specifically, its ad options are undergoing a major transformation to streamline options and provide participating brands with better results, Brafton previously reported.

Marketers who are active on Facebook have opportunities to reach a growing global audience. According to the network’s Q2 counts, users are more active than ever. On average, 699 million users log into accounts daily and 1.15 billion sign in at least once a month. If brands can engage their target audiences, they stand to increase follower counts immensely and generate new leads.

Brafton recently reported that social media content receives the most engagement when posts are between 100 and 200 characters, feature pictures and allow followers to add comments.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.