Every time I update the Facebook app on my iPhone, I read the same description:
“Thanks for using Facebook! To make our app better for you, we bring updates to the App Store regularly.”
The colossal social media platform makes updates to its apps at least once a week, so it is no surprise to learn three new Facebook features are in development for 2016.
Business Availability Messages
Contacting businesses via Facebook is about to get exponentially smoother thanks to one of the new Facebook features.
Facebook Business Pages will now be able to set an average response time for communicating with customers. Designated page administrators can choose to show that they will respond either “within minutes,” “within an hour,” “within hours” or “within a day.” This feature will increase communication satisfaction and prevent additional frustration or confusion among customers.
Facebook is also bringing back the novelty “away” message in this update. If your company is on holiday break, you will now be able to notify your customers that you will not be able to respond until you return.
More and more customers are interacting with businesses on Facebook, and this new update will accommodate the increase in communication.
Instagram Advertising
Facebook will add a new component to its variety of advertising opportunities in 2016: Instagram. Instagram is a unique advertising platform because it prompts businesses to be a little more creative and adapt to the familiar Instagram structure.
Using your existing Instagram account, Facebook will now let you design ads specifically to fit the Instagram feed.
Large businesses will be able to reach a wider audience with a larger budget, but small businesses can successfully utilize Instagram advertising as well. Specifically, if your small business already has an active Instagram account, promoting your photos to people in your area is a great way to show off the products you are already posting.
Don’t know anything about Facebook advertising? We got you covered.
Live-Streaming
Live-streaming was previously introduced to people with verified accounts, but will soon expand with the introduction of Live Video in the New Year. Similar to Periscope and Meerkat, Live Video is a mobile-phone-exclusive feature accessed in the status update box. Once your live-stream is complete, Facebook saves the completed video on your Timeline.
Live Video brings an entirely new content-sharing structure to Facebook’s already superior platform. You will now be able to share an announcement with your audience in real-time.
Having an exclusive sale at your boutique?
Need to answer a question about your product that everyone is asking?
Want to wish your followers a Happy New Year?
Live Video is the perfect platform to communicate with your customers.
In fact, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’s behind-the-scenes Meerkat series is a perfect example of the type of new content Live Video will introduce to your timelines.
Boggled by the new Facebook features? Call us at 410-312-0081 and we will talk you through it.
Happy New Year!
– Erin McMahon, Marketing Associate
