Facebook's 1.5 billion users certainly do more than scroll through their news feed — liking another artful food pic or watching the third cat video of the day. Now, the social network is proving its power beyond conversation.

Facebook has been testing ways to not just cultivate and engage their community, but also to inspire them to action.

For example, for four days in September, Facebook sent a 17-word reminder to all U.S. users. When users logged on, they saw a banner asking, "Are you registered to vote? Register now to make sure you have a voice in the election."

That one, simple reminder made a signification impact. Almost every state with online voter data "saw a massive increase in total online voter registration activity on Sept. 23 compared to a week earlier," according to the Center for Election Innovation and Research.

On the first day of the reminder, California saw the fourth-highest total in new or updated registrations in the history of California's online registration site. Even better, these spikes persisted through the weekend.

"It's pretty clear that the Facebook reminder campaign disproportionately motivated young people to register," Alex Padilla, California's secretary of state, told The New York Times.

With that data, Facebook has proven that its network has the power to propel their users to action. Now, Facebook has developed new tools and features to seize that momentum.

Just recently, Facebook launched Marketplace, where you can find, buy and sell items with those in your community. The new feature will compete directly with Craigslist and eBay.

And that's just the beginning. Facebook announced on Oct. 19 the introduction of "a variety of new features that help you use [your] connections to discover new things in the world around you, decide what to do or where to go, and connect with local businesses in easier and faster ways."

What exactly does that mean for businesses? Well, now you can get recommendations from friends on Facebook.

Essentially, you write a post and turn on Recommendations, and your friends can comment with their suggestions. Then, you'll see all the places outlined on a map, and your business location will be automatically linked to your Facebook page. That's a great way to generate word-of-mouth marketing.

More exciting, though, is the ability to generate profit and sales on Facebook. Facebook is introducing new local business features that fall into five general categories. All the new features allow users to take action directly on Facebook without having to go to a third-party site.

This is big.

Image: Facebook

Now your business page can:

1. Generate orders for food. If your business accepts orders using Slice or delivery.com, you can update the call-to-action button on your Page. Then, users can order right on Facebook.

2. Book appointments. To use this feature, your business needs to use HomeAdvisor, MyTime and "other services," according to Facebook. Try updating the call-to-action button to see if your service can be integrated, and your users can book appointments on Facebook.

3. Sell tickets to movies and events. If you sell tickets using Eventbrite or Ticketmaster, you can change your call-to-action button so users can buy tickets right on Facebook.

4. Manage bookings and inquiries. If you don't use the above services, you can still take advantage of these new features. You can use these call-to-action buttons to: get a quote, request time or shop now. When clicked, you begin a Messenger thread with that individual and your business. Or they're taken to the Shop section on your page.

For more details and help setting up your new call-to-action buttons on Facebook, click here.