New Delhi– In view of the support the micro and small businesses need in order to recover from the pandemic-induced crisis, Facebook on Wednesday rolled out a dedicated offline to online “SMB Guide” and other new resources to help make this journey frictionless for them.

The offline to online SMB Guide for India is free and publicly available but the social networking giant is also proactively reaching out to nine million small businesses across the country to ensure it reaches the businesses who need it the most.

The Guide has been designed to provide a step-by-step direction on how the smallest of businesses can build a digital presence quickly, and reach potential customers online.

It covers Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and key themes such as building an online presence, mobile storytelling, social media advertising, and creative and performance strategies.

The Guide is available in Hindi as well as in English in order to support a large number of businesses across distinct geographies.

“Our new resources are geared to helping the smallest of businesses across geographies to move from offline to online with minimum effort,” Archana Vohra, Director Small and Medium Businesses, Facebook India, said in a statement.

“While the offline to online SMB Guide is publicly available, we are proactively reaching out to 9 million small businesses across India to ensure timely support.”

Facebook said it is also rolling out the next leg of “Boost with Facebook,” a skilling and learning programme for scaling young businesses.

The programme went virtual earlier this year, and is now going vernacular, and will be delivered primarily in Hindi through Facebook Live sessions.

One of the key themes discussed during Boost with Facebook will be how small businesses can build for Diwali and the festive season beyond it, the company said.

To provide support during the festive season, Facebook has also launched “Season of Support”, a dedicated resource to boost business and build sales for small businesses during this time.

Recently Facebook had announced a grant of Rs 32 crore in order to support Indian SMBs with funding at this crucial time.

This was part of the $100 million global grant for small businesses across 30 countries. (IANS)