The CoViD – 19 pandemic has been a disaster for everyone. People have to stay indoors for the majority of their day. This has crashed economies around the globe. But none has been as affected as local businesses. People are risking their lives to open their store of essential items. However, the majority of people aren’t aware of such stores.
For this reason, Facebook has come forward to support local businesses. Both Facebook and Instagram will launch new features in their app to support local businesses. This might just be the initial push required to bring your business back on track.
#SupportSmallBusinesses
Starting off Facebook is encouraging its users to share stories of their favorite local businesses in this crisis with the hashtag. Then, it will promote the post on the feed of people living by. This will encourage more people to post information about local businesses. And many people would be aware of the businesses around their house which they can rely on. So, both the business owner and the customer would be benefited from this hashtag.
Small Business Sticker
Instagram is bringing yet another sticker to its app. It is called the Small business appreciation sticker to show support to small businesses. So, any time a person posts a story with this sticker, the story would automatically be added to a shared Instagram story. This would work similarly to the “Stay Home” Sticker. So, if you a local businessman, ask your customers to post stories about their store on Instagram with the sticker. If your business is mentioned in the story, you can repost it on your story as well.
Find Businesses Nearby
Facebook is working on a new feature to help people find a store near them. So, using this feature, users can see what the store has for sale, message them their order directly, or place an order for a pickup. This feature won’t be limited just for groceries and cooking items. Even services like plumbing, electrician, etc. would be on the app. So, if you have a faulty gadget or leaking or wanna buy some quick noodles or medicine. Just open your Facebook app and see which local business is available in your area.
Business Resource Center
There is a lot of uncertainty around CoViD – 19, as to when the rules to follow during the lockdown, etc. Hence, Facebook is developing its own dedicated resource center for local businesses. This center will exclusively provide people with the latest information related to CoViD – 19. This would be a real-time, in-app information center designed especially for supporting local businesses. You can use the information posted on this new resource center to run your business in this tough phase.
Improved Ease of Connecting with Customers
The Messenger app is never truly accepted by businesses. One of the reasons was it took an eternity to switch from personal to a business account. Well, Facebook has finally listened to these woes and ease the transition in their latest update.
CoViD – 19 Post
Now, businesses can add CoViD -19 tag in their post. So, if a user is a skirmish through your page, he/she can easily find the post due to the tag. Moreover, the post would look different than a normal post to highlight its significance.
Conclusion:
This seems to be a great initiative by Facebook as local businesses are the backbone of each community. As a business, take note of all these features and use them to efficiently run your business. It will help you in a lot of different ways.
