Around 2010, apps began to take over everyday life. Social media platforms like Myspace and Facebook began to dominate people’s internet usage.
It quickly became apparent that this was where technology was headed. It paved the way for a brand new field of marketing for businesses: digital marketing and e-commerce.
Social media was a breakthrough, providing more interaction between consumers and businesses. Facebook eventually launched business pages, Instagram started monetizing posts and accounts, and all social media platforms began allowing advertising on the apps themselves. Today, these platforms are rolling out even more tools that cater to businesses.
New features on Facebook Business Suite
In a recent announcement, Facebook detailed how their Facebook Business Suite (formerly the Pages Manager App) was getting an upgrade. While scheduling posts has always been an available feature, the app would soon allow businesses to schedule Stories, too. Their new scheduler can be used for Facebook and Instagram Stories alike.
Another exciting feature businesses can look forward to is being able to save and create Facebook and Instagram Stories as drafts. This would also let them edit these Stories before they go live, making social media management easier.
These features all make sticking to a posting schedule easier for businesses, which is crucial for engagement with potential customers. Several studies featured on The Drum have shown that the time of posting matters, and it varies across different platforms, too. To maximize these posts and Facebook and Instagram’s new features, businesses also have the option to use more advanced Instagram schedulers that provide highly specific, personalized insights such as information on what the best time for posting is. These schedulers draw precise insights from factors like the time when followers are most active and are most engaged.
More than just raw data, advanced schedulers also present actionable insights. You can even track story metrics, including the average view per user and the completion rates (indicating the rates of when your Stories are watched completely, from the first to the last frame). Having these schedulers is truly a game-changer for businesses. It allows them to plan and produce content ahead of time. Scheduling Stories in advance also gets posting tasks out of the way, allowing digital marketing specialists to refocus their efforts on other business activities.
Social media for businesses
These days, social media is a business essential. This comes at a time when increasingly more consumers spend time on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. More importantly, social media allows businesses to track accurate data and metrics— something that can’t always be said for traditional marketing.
A column by marketing writer Larisa Bedgood shows that 30% of American consumers are likely to make a purchase through social media – this figure rises to 51% among millennials. However, these consumers are also likely to unfollow a brand if it posts irrelevant content. There are nuances to social media for businesses. It’s not just about posting, it’s about creating engaging content— and insights from schedulers and similar tools can help identify just the right content.
Moreover, businesses need to be on the right platforms. Each platform has its own market. Facebook and Instagram, specifically, have more of a millennial audience. Platforms with shorter-form content such as Twitter and TikTok have users that are dominantly Gen Z-ers. Fortunately, features like Facebook Business Suite’s Stories scheduler can be used on Instagram, too, a platform that shares a similar market demographic.
It’s not uncommon for platforms to adapt to new demands, especially from businesses that also generate income for them. Instagram has even incorporated new Shops and Reels tabs which let businesses post more branded content. Businesses can leverage these features to boost their sales.
Social media for business is more than a trend. In fact, it is shaping up to be the primary way for businesses to reach consumers.
About the author
Lena Peters is a freelance writer with a passion for digital marketing. She has been closely following the developments in the field since its inception and is thrilled to see its increasing popularity. She is also an avid trekker, always on the lookout for exciting new trails.
Last Updated on May 2, 2021 3:36 pm CEST by Markus Kasanmascheff
