Facebook has recently announced that it plans to release a series of new tools to help businesses better connect with potential customers. Especially for those who have been on the platform longer, this was one of the more highly anticipated updates, seeing as how the majority of those who choose Facebook to be their marketing channel are small businesses that prioritize lead generation and acquisition.
Needless to say, to get better engagement, you have to build better, deeper, and more meaningful connections. In their 2021 State of Small Business Report, Facebook shared that around 55% of small businesses primarily use digital tools to communicate with customers. From this simple statistic, you get an idea of just how important customer connection is for any business. This announcement will certainly mean the difference for brands looking to up their engagement.
Facebook has recently taken a more expansive business approach, looking to ensure that time spent on the platform each day is well-spent and profitable. With even more tools certainly in the works, below are what you can expect and prepare for right now.
Maximize Messaging
One of the most notable additions to be included in the update is the launch of the “click-to-message ad option”, which is meant to expand engagement potential across various messaging apps. One thing to note about this feature is its very intuitive design. Using Facebook’s systems, it periodically analyzes and cross-references user activity information to determine which platforms individual users most commonly use. The main purpose of your message ad will then be to encourage them to interact with your brand.
Surprisingly enough, it has been known that effective engagement via preferred channels is more likely to achieve successful responses. Recent Facebook statistics even indicate that around 75% of adults prefer communication via messaging (chat).
Hyper-targeted message ads may not be the future (at least not yet…), but being able to further the use of all of Facebook’s messaging platforms is a surefire way to efficiently test the waters.
What’s Up-(App)?
Here’s something to note. Facebook is now also enabling businesses to add a WhatsApp “click-to-chat” button to their Instagram profiles. While it may not sound much, WhatsApp is actually a very far-reaching and powerful messaging platform that allows businesses to connect and interact with markets beyond the Facebook messenger environment. To add to its credibility as a network and profile-building tool, WhatsApp is among the top 3 messaging platforms in 2021, amassing around two billion monthly active users (MAUs).
Streamlining Existing Features
Not everything in the update is new. Some features meant to serve as ‘upgrades’ or overhauls to existing features to provide more ease-of-use for business owners and higher satisfactory user-experience for customers.
To start, Facebook is looking to bring targeted chat questions to its main app, something similar to the already existing automated responses. The main idea behind this is to outline particular queries better in order to direct users to more relevant results. This is something good for those who want to generate warmer leads. It looks to add something similar to Instagram in the coming months.
While on the topic of overhauls, Facebook will also be revamping its email and messaging features for its Business Manager, providing business owners with more marketing and advertising fidelity, primarily regarding re-marketing emails.
Welcome New Management
Those looking for something new can look forward to the File Manager and FB Work Accounts. The former makes it easier to manage content (via an app), while the latter allows for use of proxy profiles with personal log-ins. Along with the file manager is a new experimental feature called Post Testing, which allows you to upload up to four different versions of a post to gather and compare response data – something that can provide you with great analytics!
Work accounts will make it easier for management teams and partners to access the brand profile and make changes without needing the primary log-in credentials. It allows for more direct management without having to risk breaches in data privacy.
The last two players are a program meant to incorporate third-party tools to augment start-ups and expand on its Business Explore program. The former looks to increase Facebook’s prospective partners’ pool, while the latter hope to bring Business Explore to more regions including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The Wrap
Facebook is an overall well-rounded platform. It has all the tools and channels needed to maximize business growth. Facebook has since aimed to build social networks. Its most recent updates revolve around the idea of providing business owners a means to create deeper connections whether through more intricate messaging capabilities or the provision of more relevant content and services.
If you’re looking to start building your brand on Facebook now, then you’ve indeed chosen the right time.
Sources
https://bit.ly/SM-FB_Newbiztool