Facebook Launches ‘Season of Support’ to Provide a Boost to SMBs, Including New #BuyBlackFriday Push

Facebook has announced a new ‘Season of Support’ initiative to provide a boost SMBs in the last quarter of the year, which will include free resources, education, and training to help small businesses make the most of the holiday season.

The new initiative will also include a specific focus on black-owned businesses, with a new #BuyBlackFriday push in the US, focused on promoting black-owned brands during the traditional Black Friday retail event.

As explained by Facebook:

“Black-owned businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic, closing at twice the rate of other small businesses. But we know that millions of people want to help. More than 3.5 million people on Facebook in the US have joined new groups created to support Black-owned businesses since March.”

Facebook says that it will be adding features which will encourage people to create posts supporting Black-owned businesses, while it’s also launching a new business directory for Black-owned stores.

As you can see here, Facebook’s also releasing a new gift guide that will showcase products from US Black-owned businesses across various categories.

There’ll also be dedicated events and assistance offerings on Facebook’s ‘Lift Black Voices Hub’ and on the Facebook App Facebook Page.

“This will include the #BuyBlack Friday Show, which will air live every Friday from Oct 30 – Nov 27 and will feature Black businesses, musical artists, and entertainers like stand-up comedian and New York Times best-selling writer and actress, Phoebe Robinson.”

The initiative is part of Facebook’s broader effort to help support the Black community in the US in the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, while also, as Facebook notes, aligning with data that shows the Black community has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Following on from this, in the proceeding months, Facebook will add even more tools to assist SMBs as part of the broader ‘Season of Support’ push, which will include additional training, tools and other promotional assistance, which could help in that final holiday drive.

You can read more about #BuyBlackFriday here.