It can’t be argued that the last two years have been hard on everyone; however, small businesses were particularly affected by the COVID-19 disruptions which led to high closure rates, a drop in sales, cash flow issues and unemployment.
With National Small Business Week taking place every year in the US during the first week of May and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month happening every May, Meta has joined the celebrations by introducing new resources to help small businesses achieve better results and reach new customers through its platform and latest messaging tools.
Firstly, Meta is offering new ways for small businesses to communicate with their target audience. Seeing that Facebook and Instagram ads which open to a WhatsApp chat have been found to be the best method for customers to discover and engage with a new brand, Meta is making it easier to create these ads by giving businesses the possibility to create them directly from the WhatsApp Business app.Â
Meta Business Suite will also be including two new features; the first one equips small businesses with the ability to merge WhatsApp messages into their inbox to save them the hassle of switching between apps and increase productivity while the second one now allows them to send promotional messages, which will in turn drive sales and boost customer loyalty.
Meta further explains the second feature:
For example, a customer may opt in to receiving notifications about upcoming sales, allowing businesses to keep customers in the loop about future sales.
To add to all of that, the new lead generation tools that will also see the light and facilitate the process of acquiring new customers include multiple benefits. First of all, businesses will be able to add a ‘Get Quote’ button on their profile and in their stories, making it easier for customers to ask for more information.
In addition, Meta is adding lead filtering with Instant Forms, which according to Social Media Today, “will enable business managers to filter out low quality leads by providing prospective customers with a multiple choice question within their Lead Ad Instant forms.” These instant forms will have an additional twist to them, as business owners will be able to add visuals and content within them.
Finally, small enterprises should rejoice as they will now have access to lead info by downloading directly to your own CRM in order to quickly follow up with prospective customers.
All of these additions present new windows of opportunity for SMEs, who should take advantage of these new features to reach new markets and build strong relationships with loyal and new customers alike.