3 Facebook Changes that Help Businesses

1. Status Update Editing Capability

First, the bad news: Although they can edit photo captions, Facebook brand page administrators are still not able to edit their plain-text status updates. That means that misspelled words cannot be corrected and bad information cannot be changed unless the status update is deleted altogether.

Now, the good news: Facebook is said to be currently testing a function that would allow page administrators to edit posts on their pages, rather than delete them. Hopefully, this capability will be introduced soon. If it is, that would be a welcome change for businesses on Facebook. In the meantime, brands can at least still edit their photo captions as needed.

2. Private Message Alerts for the “Other” Folder

When an individual or brand sends a private message to someone they are not connected with (i.e., not a friend or fan), that message gets sent to the recipient’s “Other” folder rather than the traditional message folder. Significant time has passed since Facebook introduced that, and some users are still confused. Fortunately, Facebook has a solution: Now, the sender will receive an alert before his message is sent, warning him that the message will land in the recipient’s Other folder.

Here’s a scenario where this can be helpful. Let’s say the sender is a brand, and the recipient is a disgruntled customer that refuses to “like” the page. Therefore, any private message the brand sends him in reply to his complaint will be going to the Other folder. On the public page (under the customer’s complaint), the brand page administrator can tell the customer he is going to respond on private message, and that the message will be located in the Other folder. That way, the customer cannot accuse the brand of dismissing him or lying to him about sending the message.

Some may ask why Facebook doesn’t do away with the Other folder altogether. The answer is, because this folder can be likened unto a spam folder. It is designed to catch and store messages that may be spam, and many of them are. But because of exceptions like the scenario described above, Facebook implemented the alert notification – a very business-friendly move.

3. Advanced Graph Search Features

Facebook Graph Search allows users to search for brands, of course – but it also enables searches for friends who have liked a certain brand, photos of the brand and status updates featuring the brand. For users who make decisions about who to buy from based on who their friends buy from, this feature can be highly influential – and great for brands.

Making the Most of Facebook for Businesses

Facebook may never be exactly the tool we want it to be, but at least the company is focused on making updates that can benefit the brands that use it for marketing. To start making the most of Facebook for a business, contact the Austin advertising agency professionals at Crest Media.