Facebook releases Messenger AI assistant in four more countries
Facebook Messenger’s AI assistant M is now available to users in Australia, South Africa, Canada and the UK. M scans conversations in the messaging service for potential actions or services to recommend to users. In the United States, M is able to show third-party chat extensions that can help with ordering food, choosing music or suggesting recipes. Facebook intends to make the feature, which was launched in 2015, available globally in due course.

How often do you use Facebook? For many people, Facebook is part of their daily routine. They pick up their phone or open their laptop and go straight to Facebook to learn more about what’s going on in the world around them. In fact, Facebook has ingrained itself into our lives so effortlessly that it’s the most visited website in the world, according to Hootsuite.

Further consider that the average Facebook user spends around 19.5 hours on the platform each month, according to the research. What's more, having a Facebook business page can become a powerful tool for customer acquisition.

Why your business needs a Facebook page

With more than two billion monthly active users and Facebook clicks on searches for local businesses increased 23% from February to May, 2020, the reasons for having a Facebook page for your business are almost endless. From connecting with your business’ target market to determining the most effective ad strategy for selling your product or service to your consumers, your business can’t really afford to be without a Facebook page.

Facebook offers a wealth of tools for business owners. Each tool focuses on providing businesses with the opportunity to reach their target audiences and engage with their customers while solidifying their overall presence across the platform.

Business Manager

Business Manager brings together all of a business’ team members, pages and ad accounts. This puts all this into an easy-to-access and secure place. Plus, Business Manager is free to use.

Ads Manager

Ads Manager provides you with the tools you need to manage and determine the success of your Facebook page’s ad campaigns. When using Ads Manager, you can also access useful campaign tools such as audience insights.

Page Insights

Never underestimate the power of analytics. Facebook certainly hasn’t.

Page Insights serves as a valuable analytics tool for Facebook business users. Not only do insights allow you to keep up to date on comments, but it also provides valuable data, including your content’s reach and the types of posts and content your followers respond to the most.

Messenger

Your customers crave connection. Facebook Messenger gives them just that. Over 20 billion messages are exchanged between businesses and users monthly on Facebook Messenger and the platform even has over 300,000 active bots on Messenger.

Facebook Pixel

Facebook pixel is a piece of code that works in concert with your business’ website and Facebook page. When a customer takes action on your website after visiting its Facebook page, Facebook pixel reports this action to your account.

The more conversions Facebook pixel tracks, the better it is at delivering ads to your target audience.

Marketing your business using Facebook

Facebook has over 2.74 billion active users. An increasing number of those users visit the social networking site hoping to connect with useful products, services, and brands.

In 2020, an estimated 87.1% of U.S. marketers used Facebook marketing to reach their customers. Fortunately, Facebook offers plenty of opportunities for businesses to reach their target audiences using strategically designed Facebook ads.

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Local awareness ads

For brick-and-mortar businesses, local awareness ads are key. Simply choose the proximity you’d like to reach around your business and the target audience you want to reach, and Facebook will target those people.

You can also send people straight to your front door, by adding a ‘Get Directions’ button to this ad.

Slide show ads

These are quick and easy video-like ads using marketing collateral you may already have. Unlike most video ads, slide show ads are affordable and take only minutes to create.

Carousel ads

With a carousel ad, you can give your customers the information they need by showcasing multiple products and services in a single post. If your marketing team’s goal is to showcase a product effectively or highlight a one-of-a-kind service, consider using a carousel ad.

Dynamic ads

To launch a dynamic ad on Facebook, you must have not only a Facebook business page but also a Business Manager account and a Facebook pixel. Dynamic ads allow you to promote products to those who may have browsed your website when they migrate to Facebook, encouraging them to revisit your website and become a paying customer.

Lead ads

In need of a solid email list so you can reach out to your customer’s on additional platforms? Use a lead ad to create contact forms that are pre-populated with a user’s contact information. Gather this information and continue to build connections with your customer base.

Canvas ads

Full-screen, instant-loading mobile ads are known as canvas ads. Think of them as an artificial landing page for your organization.

These ads aren’t only highly engaging, but they are great for segments of your audience that visit Facebook regularly and also consume a large amount of content while using the platform.

Keep your customers engaged using Facebook

Although the social media ecosystem is one that is constantly changing, there is one thing that remains the same: It takes a substantial amount of time and effort to transform your Facebook business page into a completely developed online community.

At the end of the day, however, ensuring you keep your customers engaged through a Facebook business page can make a huge difference.

Customize your audience

From lookalike audiences that aid organisations to discover more customers, to custom audiences that specifically target those customers you already know of, Facebook provides no shortage of opportunities to customize your business page’s audience and constantly engage with your customer base.

Create a community of super fans

If you are talented at real-time communication with your customers, it may be worthwhile considering having a Facebook group associated with your organization’s page. This could be your chance to create a powerful community of super fans, as more than one billion people use Facebook groups regularly, providing your customers with a chance to talk to each other and interact with the brand itself.

Focus on quality

Social media moves pretty fast, as Ferris Bueller might attest, so if your brand isn’t able to constantly publish eye-catching content or ads, your customers won’t stop and look. Furthermore, when it comes to platforms like Facebook, there’s no time for sub-par content. You’re more likely to keep your core customer base engaged if you put out higher quality content as consistently as possible. Obviously, the more engaged your customer base is, the better your business will be.