When I was doing some reading on a Monday and looking to find my #GoodReadMonday for my Twitter channel. I came across an article by Later.com where they had explored the topic of managing appointments directly through Facebook or Instagram.

This made me want to explore this topic in further detail and also provide you with some valuable use cases. This might be the perfect feature if you are a service-based business and just don’t have the money to spend each month on a booking management software.

If you use this option you save on having to guide your clients to download a brand new app just so they can book appointments with you, which can be one of the biggest issues when it comes to getting your clients to book a service with you. 95% of Facebook visits are made on smartphones and tablets, making booking your services on the go even more important.

Keep reading if you want to know how to get set up.

How to get set up on this service - Facebook

In order for you to get started, you will first need a Facebook page. If you haven’t set one of those up then I suggest doing so as it only takes a few minutes.

Once you have a page then click on the blue button that says “Add a Button”. Here you will be given a few options on what kind of call to action button you can apply.

Click on “Make a booking with you”.  Then choose “Book Now”.

You will then be given the option to either choose Appointments on Facebook or Link to website. Now select Appointments on Facebook.

Facebook then provides you with a little more clarification on what exactly this feature can offer you. Make sure to check this over so that it can align with your business goals. If you are happy with that then click “Start Setup”, then click “Next”.

You will need to now select the possible times that you will be available for bookings during a typical week.

Once you have set up your availability then you can start to customise some of the settings for this service. Choose to make sure that each booking is sent to you so that you approve it before going ahead with the booking. You can choose to let clients book you in advance. What could be a true time saver is to sync these appointments via your Google Calendar.

Then select Next to proceed. Now comes the time where you show your clients what kind of services you can provide for them. Click “Add a service” and then “Done”.

Be sure to add as much information as possible when listing your services, this helps the clients make their decision before booking with you.

Once you have added your first service it’s now time to list your availability. So select the service you wish to list and click on “Create Appointment”.

You are all set up. If you wish to set up more services in the future, click on “Appointments” then “Appointment settings” under “Services list” you can add more services if you provide anymore.

How to get set up on this service – Instagram

In order for you to get set up on Instagram first, you will need to add a Facebook page to set this up. With Instagram, you will be able to set up this button with a third party such as Acuity Scheduling, Appointy or Booksy. Below is a full list of the third-party options.

Acuity Scheduling

Appointy

Appointments by Square

Avec

BeautyDate

Bookatable

Booksy

Chope

Eventbrite

Fresha

Genbook

GetSquire

Gettimely

GlassGenius

Gopanache

Gurunavi

Jasper’s Ristorante

MyTme

OpenTable

Quandoo

Reserve

Restorando

Resy

Salon Iris

Schedulicity

Schedulista

Setmore

SevenRooms

Shore

StyleSeat

TheFork

Tock

Treatwell

Vagaro

Yelp

I have to be honest I didn’t know what link to provide when adding Appointments via the Instagram app so I would suggest following the instructions below which are done via the Facebook page for your business.

If you have a Facebook page set up, go to your page settings and choose “Instagram”. Connect an Instagram account to your page if you haven’t already done so.

Then head to the Appointments tab Scroll down to see “Instagram” then you will be able to Add Book Button.

Check your Instagram account to see the button in action.

Examples of the button in action

If you need a little bit more convincing from this post then check out some of the use cases I found on Instagram.