Giving Small Businesses the Tools to Succeed on Facebook

It's National Small Business Week which recognizes the incredible impact small businesses have on our communities and the economy. And with over 90 million small businesses on Facebook, we're proud to play a role in helping businesses of all sizes grow and create jobs.¹ We know small business owners are strapped for time, which is why we're committed to building tools that save you time and enable you to focus on the parts of your business you love. Today, we're making it easier for you to manage and promote your business across our platforms through tools such as Automated Ads, appointments and new video editing tools.

We know small businesses don't always have the time or resources to gain marketing expertise, but that shouldn't prevent you from creating ads that drive results. That's why we built Automated Ads to take the guesswork out of creating effective ads that can run on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. With Automated Ads, we ask you a few simple questions about your business and your goals, and then we develop a customized marketing plan for you.

Some of the most helpful features of Automated Ads include:

• Multiple versions of your ad: You can create up to six different versions of your ad automatically. We'll suggest call-to-action buttons, text and other creative details based on information from your Page, and once your ad is active, we'll automatically show the best-performing version.
• Tailored audience suggestions: We'll provide audience options or recommendations based on information from your Page.
• Recommended budget that generates results: We'll recommend a budget most likely to get you results based on your goal. You can also provide your own budget and we'll share the estimated results that you can expect.
• Timely notifications about your ads: You'll receive notifications to help you understand how your ads are performing and how you can improve them. These can include suggested changes like refreshing an image or notifications when your ad starts generating results like a lead or sale.

Businesses such as Koala Clip are already seeing results using Automated Ads.

We're also expanding our free tools for businesses, allowing you to book and manage appointments on Facebook and Instagram. You can use appointments to enable new and existing customers to book services with your business. You can accept appointments online and send reminders to customers through Messenger or text message. You can also customize your business' menu of services, display availability and accept and manage all appointments directly from your business Page. And to keep things organized, you can also sync appointments with your personal calendar or another appointment management tool. Appointments on Facebook are free for all businesses on Facebook and Instagram, including SMS and Messenger reminders to customers to prevent no-shows.

We're introducing new ways to easily edit existing videos with three new video editing tools: automatic cropping, video trimming and image and text overlays. These tools, available in Ads Manager, can help reduce the resources needed to create compelling video content for your business. Visit our Ads Help Center to learn more about automatic cropping and video trimming.