For small businesses, a first-rate social media presence is more important than ever before, both as a marketing tool and a way of maintaining customer relations.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer customers are setting foot into brick-and-mortar shops, but social media can keep customers, their loyalty, and their wallets nearby, even when they aren’t darkening your door.
But managing business social media pages across multiple platforms can get hairy. While you don’t want to sacrifice the time you spend building and running your business to handle a constant stream of social media notifications, you know that staying engaged with your customers is vital. The messages and comments, though, can quickly become a beast that’s hard to tame — not to mention posting fresh content on all your different business pages.
Imagine doing all your Facebook and Instagram upkeep in one place, while being able to see statistics on your performance on those platforms. It’s now a reality, with Facebook’s new tool to simplify social media management for small businesses.
Launched in September 2020 and available as a desktop interface and a mobile app, Facebook Business Suite allows users to post to Facebook and Instagram or send and receive messages for either platform in one convenient place. What’s more, it provides insights at a glance to show which posts are getting the most views and engagements.
According to Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, 40% of consumers report using social media and online messaging more for product and business recommendations since the start of the pandemic, and over half said they spent more money online.
With so many small businesses relying on social media to stay engaged with their customers, a tool to streamline the business-customer social media relationship was a natural step. Sandberg said that while Facebook Business Suite is currently for small businesses, Facebook plans in the longer term to make it the primary interface for businesses of all sizes who use Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Facebook Business Suite will also expand to include WhatsApp management.
With Facebook Business Suite, users can:
- Keep content marketing fresh by creating and scheduling Facebook and Instagram posts from a single interface
- Receive Facebook and Instagram messages and notifications
- Create and save reply templates to easily handle common customer queries
- See insights at a glance to gauge your reach, engagement, and performance across Facebook and Instagram
Business Suite has more functionality than Pages Manager, and the mobile app will serve as a replacement for the Pages Manager app. Users will have to connect their Facebook and Instagram business accounts, if they have not already done so, to use Business Suite.
While COVID-19 has permanently shuttered as many as 60% of the U.S. small businesses who closed due to the pandemic, according to Yelp, a strong social media presence can be a lifeline, connecting businesses with potential customers worldwide.
As important as maintaining a strong social media presence is, it can sometimes be too much for busy entrepreneurs who already have so much on their plates. Social media management is not only a time-consuming daily endeavor, but it takes even more time to learn to use it to its full potential.
Your online presence is too important to let slip through the cracks, and while Facebook Business Suite makes it easier, it is another tool to learn along the way. The great news is you can have an expert partner in your social media management. Allison’s Alligator keeps you in touch with your customers and keeps your revenue growing, all while making it effortless.
Leveling up your social media marketing doesn’t need to be overwhelming. If you’d like help with Facebook Business Suite or any other aspect of your online presence, schedule a free consultation with Allison’s Alligator.
SOURCES:
https://allisonsalligator.com/
