Facebook and Instagram Support Small Businesses During COVID-19

This week, Facebook is planning to announce a number of new features that will allow users to show their support for small businesses, while getting information on how businesses deal with the economic crises and misfortunes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm and as a result, many businesses rely on social media to stay afloat. This is why Facebook is planning to introduce a new section called Businesses Nearby. This type of mapping tool will allow the user to read the latest posts from businesses within a certain geographic radius (this can range from 1 mile to 500 miles). This section will provide working hours and pickup/delivery information, allowing users to make a booking, an appointment or send a message and communicate live with these businesses. According to TechCrunch, Facebook described this as a way to allow users to “more quickly find essential products and services,” while also helping businesses get “more virtual foot traffic as they move online to stay open.”

The company is also inviting users to demonstrate their support for small businesses by using the new Support Small Business sticker on Instagram or #SupportSmallBusiness hashtag in Facebook. The company said that “any posts using the sticker will be added to a shared Instagram story highlighting similar posts from all the accounts you follow. Creators on Facebook will also be able to tag a post as being “in support of” a specific small business.”

In an effort to connect sellers with buyers, Facebook reports it is adding a dedicated Business Inbox in the Messenger app. This will allow people to use Messenger to answer questions that would appear in their Facebook page. Moreover, now that tagging is an essential part of SEO, users that have a business will be able to tag all their COVID-19-related posts from the page composer, reports TechCrunch.

Facebook said it would post COVID-19-related information, such as tools and tips for small businesses, that will appear in both the Facebook and Instagram apps. Businesses can access this information through the Facebook app shortcuts or their Instagram business profile, reports TechCrunch.