Facebook continues to be the undisputed champion of social media sites and one of the most powerful marketing tools out there. It’s a great space to keep your customers informed, develop your brand identity, and broaden your reach.

But Facebook’s platform is constantly evolving — sometimes it seems like they add a new update every week! That’s why we wanted to make sure you know the top Facebook trends for 2021 and how to use them in your floral business. Here are seven of the most important Facebook trends this year:

1. Longer Captions on Posts

Gone are the days of short captions to go with your Facebook images! Longer posts are performing better than their shorter counterparts these days. That’s mainly due to these long posts having more information, which creates a desire to act.

When creating a long post:

• Add emojis as bullets since this will capture attention.
• Add testimonials whenever possible, as this brings more credibility to your offer.
• Write your post persuasively, so it leads the reader to take the next action.

2. Facebook Shopping

One of the fastest-growing 2021 trends is Facebook Shops. Any business that sells products online can create a Shop on their business Facebook page, where customers can view and buy products without ever leaving to go to a website. Facebook makes it easy to create, customize, and design your Shop, and you can set it up to work across Facebook and Instagram.

Once you’ve set up your Shop:

• Tag products in the photos you share on your feed so customers can quickly identify them.
• Create floral collections in your Shop, arranged by event or holiday.
• Enable in-app checkout so customers don’t have to leave Facebook to purchase their flowers.

3. Chatbots

If you’ve seen a Facebook Messenger popup when you click on a company’s business page, you’re looking at a chatbot. They’re an automated tool that provides information and answers questions, and they’re everywhere in 2021! There are many apps available that make it easy to put a chatbot on your Facebook business page, and your customers will certainly appreciate it.

Here are a few ways to market with chatbots on Facebook:

• Use your chatbot as a 24/7 customer service tool.
• Have your chatbot direct customers to the right arrangement for their needs.
• Program the chatbot to answer the most commonly asked questions about your products.

4. User-generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is short, customer-created content that you share on your feed, and it’s a fantastic way to increase customer engagement. UGC provides authentic content which your audience will love since they can see how others have used and enjoyed your flowers.

When sharing user-generated content:

• Ask for permission from your customer to share their post on your Facebook page.
• Create a hashtag that your customers can use when sharing photos of your flowers.
• Whenever you hold a contest, make sure to ask for UGC and share it on your feed.

5. Facebook Stories

Stories are becoming increasingly popular, particularly since businesses can share their stories on Facebook and Instagram, saving time and effort. Facebook offers many ways to create engaging stories, from music to stickers to polls, so that you can get even more audience engagement.

Here are some ideas to take advantage of Stories:

• Use tools like Boomerang to create fun, looping videos showing off your design skills.
• Upload photos of new arrangements and start a poll to ask your audience which design they prefer.
• Since Stories only last 24 hours, they’re the perfect way to announce a one-day flash sale.

6. Augmented Reality (AR)

AR on Facebook was big in 2020, and it’s even bigger in 2021. Facebook’s Spark AR platform lets businesses create AR-based ads to give potential customers a chance to virtually try on glasses, makeup, hairstyles, and more. Companies also use AR to show customers how items would look in a particular room of their house. Spark AR is more challenging to learn, but it can be well worth it because it can set you apart from the competition.

With this tool under your belt, you can:

• Create interactive Facebook ads that allow users to see flower arrangements in different settings.
• Build a branded filter for all your Facebook and Instagram stories.

7. Facebook Advertising

Facebook ads have been around for a long time, and they continue to be one of the top forms of digital advertising. For 2021, the most significant trend is newsfeed ads, which are more popular than column ads or display ads. Newsfeed ads give you a lot more creative space to work with, and you can quickly test different copy, visuals, and offers to make them even more successful.

Use Facebook ads to:

• Create brand-awareness campaigns to get the word out about your flower business or new offerings.
• Collect leads by getting email addresses when customers sign up for a free offer.
• Link your ads to your Facebook Shop so customers can purchase right there.

There you have it! The top Facebook trends for 2021. You can focus on just one or two trends in your marketing strategy or go all-out. Whatever you choose, knowing and using these trends can take your floral business to a new level in 2021 and beyond!