SMBs are more cautious than ever about investing into Meta’s tools, such as Stories, Reels, Live, Personalised ads, Messenger and WhatsApp. They may have a basic set up with Meta technologies and programs already, but have yet to take advantage of any hero tools and see the results they can bring.
Many SMBs see Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp’s tools as a ‘nice to have’ or an afterthought when it comes to growing their business. They may say they believe they are too busy or too strapped for cash to invest in Meta tools. This stems from a lack of confidence: both in the true impact of the tools, and their own ability to navigate them.
Meta is committed to helping SMBs find new ways to connect with their communities and discover new customers through their platforms and tools. They needed to inspire the SMB audience to feel Meta technologies are the digital platforms that offer the best support for small businesses to help them recover and grow.
Our objective was to educate and inspire SMBs and drive them to use Meta’s tools to help grow their business. We wanted to prove that any business owner, no matter their product or sector, can become an overnight sensation with Meta’s tools. Our messaging needed to inspire real businesses with engaging stories about SMBs using Meta technologies and programs whilst highlighting the simplicity, scale and impact of these tools.
To tackle this challenge and to help small business owners get to grips with the tools that Meta for Business offers, we needed to tell the story of their benefits in a way that highlighted their simplicity and impact.
Taking the brand truth: ‘Meta helps thousands of UK businesses go from invisible to visible, every single day’, we developed two beautiful films that brought to life the magical way in which Meta’s tools provide a catalyst for businesses to get exposure, tell their story, and grow beyond local limits that stall SMB’s potential.
The films focused on two Meta products - Instagram Stories and Facebook Personalised Ads and demonstrated how:
Instagram Stories help SMBs get more exposure to customers in a highly shareable way
Facebook Personalised Ads reach the right people at the right time with a relevant message
The two films show the magic of using both these tools. Capturing the feeling of joining thousands of UK small business owners using the platform - all in their own unique ways to get their business found and connect with new customers. Whether it's an alocasia plant, a poncho or a toy for your pooch - making your customers' day is made possible through Meta for business.
As Meta tools can be a confusing and daunting space for SMBs, our creative approach aimed to humanise and simplify the tools through positive stories to inspire and explain how the tools can help grow businesses. We wanted to ensure we told the stories of the real people behind the SMBs, demonstrating how Meta can connect business owners with their customers on a human level.
We went against B2B marketing convention and instilled the films with authenticity, creativity and human connection. To put real businesses in the spotlight and to champion the people behind the SMBs, we embraced realistic, down-to-earth portrayals of businesses and people and featured real SMBs in the films rather than using fake businesses. While this was practically and logistically harder for production, the end result made it feel less transactional and more authentic.
We selected two real UK businesses, Seb’s Urban Jungle, a plant and coffee shop in Edinburgh and Cook my Grub, a home-cooked meal delivery service in Maidenhead to feature in the films and relay how their businesses can be discovered by relevant communities and customers. The idea was to dramatise the moment when a small business’s good idea comes together with a Meta tool to perfectly satisfy a customer’s need. The customer’s delight at their discovery is proof that this business – and their good idea – deserve to be found.
