Facebook has introduced new tools and services to help small businesses connect with customers online and discover innovative ideas.
With the holiday season approaching, Facebook believes that this will be a critical time for small businesses, as data shows that businesses generate more than half of their yearly income in the final months of the year.
What are the new changes? Let’s find out:
Messenger now supports Video and Audio Calling for Businesses
Facebook will soon allow businesses to communicate with customers privately using Messenger’s Business Inbox. Facebook says that this will combine the benefits of phone calls, video calls, and text into a single app, enabling businesses to communicate and deal with their customers in real-time.
This new audio and video calling feature are currently being tested with a limited number of select small and medium-sized businesses.
Appointment Books
Facebook is gradually making Appointment books available to all small businesses around the world. Small businesses can now manage appointments through their Facebook page. This will allow businesses to manage appointments from both new and existing clients in a highly efficient manner.
Customers can also schedule appointments with local service providers at times that are convenient for them.
Personalized Ads to support small businesses
Facebook is experimenting with new ways to let people know they’re helping a small business. Users will soon see an informational message appear in their feed when they engage with a personalized ad from a small business.
This message highlights how a ‘like’ or ‘love’ on a small business’s advertisement may help the company find new customers and expand. The success of Facebook’s “Good Ideas Deserve To Be Found” campaign seems to have inspired this new feature.
WhatsApp Collections for Shopping
Facebook is also making it easier for people to shop from businesses using Whatsapp messenger. People can now view a business’s product catalogue directly from its profile page.
Customers no longer have to scroll through large lists of things to locate what they’re looking for thanks to Whatsapp Collections. This allows businesses to organize items in their catalogs by category.
To demonstrate this, Facebook presented an example:
“For example, a restaurant can create collections featuring appetizers, entrees and desserts, and a clothing store could add collections for men’s clothes, women’s clothes, shirts, pants and more. Once people choose what to buy, they can add it to their cart and send the order to the business.”
Ability to create Live Audio Rooms
An important feature introduced by Facebook recently was ‘Live Audio Rooms’. Small businesses can now use ‘Live Audio Rooms’ to host live conversations on topics relevant to their customers. Friends, fans, creators, or any other listeners in the room can be invited to be a speaker.
Key Takeaway
Facebook has introduced some pretty neat features aimed at small businesses. These new tools & capabilities could be a game-changer for small businesses looking to connect with customers and sell more effectively online. Let us know in the comments section below if any feature caught your attention.
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