Introducing New Ads and Messaging Tools for Small Businesses

(Update on November 21, 2022 at 9:00AM PT & March 11, 2024, 4:00PM PT): This page has been updated to link out to relevant resources.)

Today, as part of National Small Business Week, we’re announcing new tools for businesses to manage conversations and ads, as well as more ways to generate leads and share more about their business. These tools can improve how small businesses (SMBs) connect with customers and identify higher quality leads.

New Ways to Start and Manage Conversations

People’s preferences for how they talk with businesses are evolving. In this digital era, nearly 71% (7 out of 10 people) want to be able to communicate with businesses in the same way that they message with friends and family.¹ To make it easier for businesses to start conversations, we’re announcing:

Easier ways to create Facebook and Instagram ads that start a WhatsApp chat

Many businesses are finding Facebook and Instagram ads that open to a WhatsApp chat the best way to get discovered by new customers and have a conversation. To make it easier to create these ads, starting soon we’ll make it possible to create the full ad directly from the WhatsApp Business app. This will make it faster for small businesses looking to find new customers and grow.

New features coming to Meta Business Suite

We’re also bringing 2 new features to Meta Business Suite that will deliver even more value.

WhatsApp comes to Inbox: Businesses using Inbox are already managing customer messages across Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct all in one place. Now, we're excited to bring WhatsApp to Inbox as well, starting with a small test. By centralizing communications and allowing multiple people at the business to manage messages in Inbox—from the same WhatsApp number on multiple devices—Inbox will save businesses time and increase productivity. As we test and learn, we’ll share more details.

Marketing messages in Meta Business Suite: We’re testing a new capability that will allow businesses to send promotional message campaigns via Messenger to customers who opt in. For example, a customer may opt in to receiving notifications about upcoming sales, allowing businesses to keep customers in the loop about future sales. SMBs have long told us that Meta Business Suite enables them to respond more efficiently to customer inquiries, but they’ve often relied on other solutions for customer reengagement. With this feature, SMBs will have a new tool to drive sales and customer loyalty in Meta Business Suite.

Expanding Lead Generation and Customer Acquisition Tools

Lead generation tools can help small and medium businesses grow their customer base by finding new customers and initiating and nurturing relationships with them.

To improve end-to-end management of lead generation on our platform, we’re launching:

• Quote request on Instagram: Currently testing with select businesses, this free product allows businesses to put a "Get Quote" button on their Instagram profile and use "Get Quote" stickers in Stories. With this button or Stories sticker, businesses can set up custom questions to ask customers prior to starting a conversation. By filling out this short questionnaire, people are then able to easily and quickly request a quote from a business.
• Lead filtering with Instant Forms: Businesses will soon be able to pursue leads that are most promising with lead filtering in Lead Ads Instant Forms. Responses to a multiple-choice question can be used to filter leads that may not be as good of a fit for them.
• Creative flexibility: We're testing a more flexible and personalizable Instant Form, allowing businesses to add visuals and content in the form. This way, they can share more visual information about their business and nurture people's interest.
• Gated content: Businesses will soon be able to offer exclusive, relevant content for people who complete the Lead Ads Instant Form. For example, businesses will be able to provide additional resources (e.g. downloading a brochure for a car or product pricing) directly from the Lead Ad Form, without redirecting to their website.
• Partner integrations: You can now download lead info directly to your own CRM to follow up with potential customers quickly.

For small businesses looking to learn more, please join us virtually on May 19 for Conversations, our inaugural conference dedicated to building better and faster experiences on the most popular messaging platforms—all with the goal of meeting people where they want to be met. Click here to register and receive event updates.