Facebook & Meta Platforms - complete business guide

Through its subsidiaries Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, the parent company Meta Platforms, together with Meta Business Manager, is the central intersection for linking the communication platforms. A professional approach is needed to optimize communication and marketing via these platforms. Mateo's Messenger experts are happy to support you in this.
In this article, we explain the role Meta plays in the entire WhatsApp API setup process and how you can fully set up, verify and link WhatsApp Business API, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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Meta Platforms Basics

Meta describes itself as a "social technology company". Founder Mark Zuckerberg himself announced on Oct. 28, 2021 at the Facebook Connect conference that his company Facebook (Thefacebook LLC) will be called Meta from now on. Earlier, Facebook had already bought the companies Instagram (April 2012) and WhatsApp (February 2014), which are still parts of Meta.

Just one month later, in March 2014, Facebook also acquires Oculus VR, a manufacturer of virtual reality goggles. The development of the so-called metaverse becomes one of the core goals of Meta, which wants to create a link between the real and online worlds.

Meta Platforms and the four subsidiaries Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp & Oculus

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The importance of Meta Platforms for the use of Mateo's messaging software

With Mateo, in addition to email and SMS, the meta platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp can of course also be used as communication channels. All messages end up in a central inbox - this leads to a better overview and a more efficient way of working.

The role of Meta products in Mateo is therefore relatively self-explanatory: Since Facebook, Instagram, and especially WhatsApp , three of the largest digital communication platforms, belong to Meta, the connection of these channels also takes place via Meta Platforms. Mateo uses a so-called application programming interface (API) so that you can send and receive messages in compliance with the GDPR.

On the one hand, this offers the great advantage that all three can be verified and managed via Meta Business Manager. On the other hand, a missing or even failed company verification quickly results in restrictions taking effect on all platforms. Accordingly, it is important to comply with the Meta guidelines and to verify the company completely.

Furthermore, the meta platforms can be linked quite easily, which allows you to refer well to your other channels in the profiles. You can learn how this works in the following quick guides.

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Instructions on how to create, verify and link Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp business accounts.

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Create a Facebook Business Account

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Prerequisite: A private Facebook account

To be able to create a Facebook account for your company, you first need a private account for verification reasons. This account is not publicly visible on your company page. If you already use Facebook privately, it makes sense to use this account directly - in this case, you can continue with step 2.

If you don't want to do that, or don't have a Facebook account yet, visit the Facebook homepage and register there by clicking on the "Create new account" button. When creating a new private account, there may be a short waiting period for security reasons before you can connect a company page.

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Quick guide: Create a Facebook Business Account

To create a Facebook account for your business, click "View All" in the menu on the left, and from there click "Create -> Page".

Creating a Facebook Business account starts with your private Facebook profile

Now a view opens in which you can create and complete your company profile step by step. In addition, you can see in parallel how your Facebook page will be displayed later in the browser and on the cell phone. Simply save your information at the end and your new company page is already available on Facebook.

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Create an Instagram Business Account

Step 1: Create account

To create a new account, access the Instagram homepage and click on 'Register'. Alternatively, you can sign up here directly from your Facebook profile.

In the mask that now appears, you can now fill out the displayed fields, click on 'Next', and your new account is already created. Via the settings you can add further information about your company, as well as a profile picture and links to other channels.

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Step 2: Switch to professional account

Instagram accounts are always initially created as personal accounts and can be subsequently converted into professional accounts. In turn, there are Creator and Business accounts, whereby the latter is necessary for working with Mateo.

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Instructions for the browser version of Instagram:

In your profile settings, which you can access via the gear wheel, you can select 'Professional account'. There, at the very bottom, click on 'Convert to Business Account', add your data and submit it via the button.

You can convert your private Instagram account into a professional one via the profile settings

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Here you can change your account type at any time

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Tip: Since the current account type is often displayed incorrectly in the Instagram web view, we recommend checking it in the mobile app. To do this, go to your profile, open the settings, and click on 'Account'. If there is no option to switch to the professional account under the 'Switch account type' item, your account is already set up as a corporate account. Otherwise, you can also switch directly to the professional account here.

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Instructions for the Instagram smartphone app:

First click on "Settings", then on "Account" and scroll down. Clicking on "Switch to professional account" will convert your account. If the process was successful, the button will change to "Switch to personal account".

If you see these options, your Instagram profile is an enterprise account

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Link Instagram and Facebook

Linking your company's Facebook and Instagram accounts is only possible if Instagram has been set up as a business account. It is also required that you have admin or editor access (Facebook Business Manager), or full or partial control over new pages (Meta Business Suite). Accordingly, go through the previous steps carefully and check if your accounts meet all the requirements.

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Facebook Business Manager

Open your Business Manager and select your page settings there in the "Accounts" item. There you can now add a new account, are allowed to log in to Instagram once again, and are then automatically redirected back to Facebook.

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Meta Business Suite

Open your Business Suite and select in the menu on the left side the Company settings from the menu on the left. Using the icon in the upper-right corner, make sure you're on the go in the desired company profile. If this is the case, select Linked Accounts and then Instagram. In the automatically opened window, sign in to Instagram and your two accounts will be linked.

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Link WhatsApp with Facebook & Instagram

To make it easy for your new and existing customers to find your WhatsApp number on social media, it makes sense to link WhatsApp to your Facebook and Instagram pages. The prerequisite for this is successfully set up Facebook and Instagram business accounts.

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Instructions: Link WhatsApp with Facebook

To use WhatsApp effectively in Facebook, the two channels must first be connected. To do this, open the page in Facebook 'Linked accounts' and select WhatsApp there. Enter your area code and phone number there, request and confirm a code, and the two accounts are linked. Right after that, Facebook suggests a few ways to use the WhatsApp number in Facebook. We think it is advisable to use these options.

In the Facebook settings you can enter your WhatsApp number and thus link your accounts.

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You can create the most visible reference to WhatsApp for customers by including the number on your profile page. To open the WhatsApp chat with just one click, we recommend using an action button. Either activate this directly after linking the number with Facebook, or subsequently, also on the "Linked accounts" page.

You can add a WhatsApp button in the Facebook settings on the Linked Accounts page.

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Using the Click2WhatsApp link, which you can find directly on the respective message channel in Mateo, you can equip organic posts or ads with a button that leads directly to the chat with you. Just add it under the "Call to Action" item when you create a new post or ad.

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Tutorial: Link WhatsApp with Instagram

On Instagram, you have several options to point out the number.

To add a button to the profile that redirects visitors directly to WhatsApp, you need the WhatsApp Business app. There, click on 'More options' (Android), or 'Settings' (iPhone), then on 'Business tools' and finally on 'Facebook and Instagram'. After selecting 'Instagram', the login page opens, where you can log in with your credentials or via Facebook. Here you may once again confirm your account information and return to WhatsApp via the 'Add' field.

To add the number directly to your profile, you can include a Click2WhatsApp link in your Instagram profile description. This is stored in Mateo at the corresponding WhatsApp message channel.

With a Click2WhatsApp link in the Instagram profile description, your customers will get to your WhatsApp business account with one click

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Besides adding the Click2WhatsApp link to the profile description, it is recommended to make this link public via an Instagram story. To do this, you need to create a story (preferably with the image of the WhatsApp logo) and share the link with a Sticker so that it can be clicked within the Story. Then simply add the Story to the Highlighted Stories section and rename it with the name "WhatsApp" or "Contact us on WhatsApp". The Story will be permanently displayed on your Instagram profile, allowing potential customers to easily contact your business.

With the sticker "Link" you can add the Click2WhatsApp link in an Instagram story

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Facebook Business Verification

With Facebook Business account verification, you can both increase your account quality and more easily cooperate with meta policies, allowing message templates to be accepted more frequently and enabling multiple numbers to be connected.

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Instructions for checking the verification status and starting the verification process

To check the current status of your Facebook account, visit the Company Settings in the account settings. There you can either submit a request for verification, or track whether your account has already been fully verified.

You start a new verification process in the Security Center. There, simply follow the steps displayed in the Company Verification item. If this field is not present, you can contact directly the Facebook Support to open a ticket. To verify your company, you need documents that confirm your registered company name, as well as your business address or telephone number. For example, an excerpt from the commercial register, but also electricity or gas bills are suitable for this purpose.

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Check account quality of Facebook Business account

In case of difficulties with verification, it is worthwhile to contact the account quality to check. Occasionally, disabled ads, as well as any other actions that have violated Facebook policies, can limit verification. To fix these entries, simply follow the steps required by Facebook, which are usually listed right next to them.

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Dealing with Meta Platforms support

If the verification of your company account does not work directly or you have questions about Facebook, direct contact with Meta is often required. Therefore, it is important to know to what extent Meta offers support, how you can reach them and where you can manage your support tickets.

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General questions

For common questions, Facebook has created a series of posts that summarize the most important information in each case. You can find a page with all these topics here. The information listed on Meta's company and advertising policies can also help you understand the background of poor account quality or potential sources of problems.

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Support in the Meta Business Suite

In addition to this page, you can also go directly to the Meta Business Suite search for articles. To do this, select the "Help" item in the menu on the left-hand side and click "Help" there again. In the bar that now opens on the right-hand side, you can now search specifically for your question. Most of the time, the articles provide a good basis for solving the most common problems and explaining necessary steps to you.

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Support tickets

If you are in the Meta help area for companies scroll down, you can also create a support ticket. There you simply click on "Let's go", which will redirect you to a page where you can define the problem. Describe there as precisely as possible what you need help with and add screenshots, links, or requested ID numbers if necessary. Facebook Support will then take care of your request; the response time varies depending on the workload, the subject area, and the accuracy of your description.

If at any time you need your company ID, you can find it under the item 'Account Quality'.

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Mateo customers receive support for problems related to Meta Platforms

Mateo's messaging experts will be happy to support you if you encounter difficulties in setting up, linking or verifying Meta Platforms communication channels. We offer a comprehensive service on all aspects of optimizing your customer communications.

With Mateo, the messaging software not only allows you to centralize communication channels such as Instagram and WhatsApp in one inbox. Furthermore, message templates for quick processing of customer inquiries and the optional dispatch of newsletters as well as various other tools not only ensure highly efficient and at the same time very personal customer service, but also effective marketing. Mateo is 100 percent GDPR-compliant thanks to an API connection, unlike the standard version of WhatsApp Business.

Mateo's customers particularly appreciate the choice of the following functions:

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Central user interface

In addition to WhatsApp Business API, Mateo bundles many other communication channels such as email, Instagram, SMS or Facebook Messenger in a central inbox. The intuitive and clear user interface offers various helpful tools for particularly efficient customer communication.

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Custom Message Templates

Thanks to various message templates that can be created individually, the amount of paperwork is minimized and the efficiency of customer communication is increased. This means that personnel resources in the service area can be deployed elsewhere.

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With Mateo's WhatsApp API solution, newsletters can be sent in a GDPR-compliant manner. Due to the first-class open rate of 98% for WhatsApp messages, marketing can thus be carried out significantly better than via email or other channels.

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Privacy

Mateo's messaging tool is compatible with all German and European legally binding data protection requirements. If necessary, the software will be revised accordingly in the event of any changes to the law. For absolutely secure customer communication, all WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end. All info on the GDPR when using WhatsApp can be read in this article.

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Scalability for all company sizes

The scalability of the messaging tool has been confirmed by the large number of companies already using Mateo with high satisfaction. Whether customers have just a few employees or many hundreds, the software works smoothly and, depending on the package, with an unlimited number of end devices and users. The fact that Mateo significantly reduces the workload in the customer service area opens up new growth opportunities for many companies.

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Low cost provider for WhatsApp Business API

With an entry-level price of just 79 euros per month, Mateo is a cost-effective provider for WhatsApp Business API solutions on the German market. Combined with the integration of additional communication channels and various helpful tools, Mateo offers excellent value for money. Mateo's personal customer support assists companies with every step of the integration, ensuring very low barriers to entry.

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Introduction to Meta Platforms for Business - how to fully set up, verify and link WhatsApp Business API, Facebook and Instagram accounts.