Ready for the latest in social media reviews? Facebook announced new tools to help people connect with local businesses, and Facebook Recommendations took center stage. Facebook business pages have always been an easy way for business owners to connect with their customers through social media. To date, more than 1.6 billion people are already connected to a local business on Facebook.
The update to Facebook Business Pages includes a new mobile experience, improved ticketing for local events, the addition of Facebook jobs, and the newly minted crown of Recommendations. These new tools will help make Facebook easier to use for local business owners and their customers, but the update to Recommendations will likely have the greatest impact on your bottom line.
How to Set Up Facebook Recommendations
As Recommendations have replaced the Reviews function, you don’t need to change anything if you’ve activated your Reviews. However, if you haven’t yet done so, setting up Facebook Recommendations is very simple.
1. Enable Recommendations for Your Page
Ready for the step-by-step? To enable recommendations and reviews on your page, open your Facebook account in the Facebook app. Go to your small business’s Facebook page. Click “settings,” then select “Templates and Tabs.” You’ll find the Reviews tab and be able to activate it here.
2. Customize Your Recommendations Tab
Enhance your customers’ online experience with you by customizing your Recommendations tab. Load a secure URL for your web page and set your web page width to 100% for a prime experience. (Keep in mind that you typically need at least 2,000 followers to customize your tab).
3. Monitor and Manage Your Recommendations
Keep an eye on the reviews and recommendations you receive, taking care to respond to each one and resolve issues quickly. You can promote recommendations on Facebook and in person with your customers, taking time to ensure they know exactly how to review you. Try using QR codes, texts, links, and more for a more successful invite.
Benefits of Facebook Recommendations
So, why should you care about Facebook Recommendations? According to the update, 1 in 3 people on Facebook use the platform to look for recommendations and reviews. Facebook states, “Local business Pages have always been able to feature ratings and reviews on their Page, and now we are updating reviews to Recommendations.” That makes Facebook Recommendations the new Reviews. And reviews constitute some of the most influential marketing in the world.
Along with an updated UI, Recommendations combines some of the functionality of reviews into a more streamlined process including:
1. Rich Communication
Instead of asking users to rate your business on a five-point scale, Facebook asks your customers “Yes” or “No” if they recommend you. Customers then see a list of suggested tags to explain their recommendation as well as the option to input text or photos.
2. Authentic Recommendations
The new tools don’t just make it easier for your customers. Facebook’s updates to reporting help you flag content that is fraudulent or spammy with a variety of auto-generated tags, making it easier to have inauthentic feedback removed from your Page.
3. Greater Reach
In addition to higher quality recommendations, you may notice Facebook Recommendations showing up more frequently on your newsfeed. That’s because Facebook is making them more discoverable across its entire platform.
Increased Visibility
Want to get seen? Get Recommendations. Facebook Recommendations increase your visibility significantly, helping you show up in feeds relevant to potential customers. You can also target key demographics.
4. Social Proof and Trust
As a customer yourself, you know that nothing delivers social proof and establishes trust like an iron-clad positive recommendation. By actively displaying your number of followers, positive recommendations (and your responses), and negative recommendations (and how you’ve successfully resolved issues), you can win customers over quickly.
How to Ask for Facebook Recommendations: 8 Tips
The transition to the Facebook Recommendations feature is an exciting chance for your brand to build a stellar online reputation. Since Recommendations are set to show up on more newsfeeds and showcase clearer feedback than star ratings, every rating you receive on your Facebook page will matter all the more. If Facebook Reviews weren’t a part of your marketing strategy before, the updated Recommendations feature needs to be now.
Don’t worry if you’re brand new to collecting reviews for your company. Getting a strong flow of Recommendations can be a simple process. All you need to do is ask. To help you get started, here are eight great ways you can ask for Recommendations on Facebook:
1. Offer Incentives
Most of your buyers are willing to leave online reviews if asked, but sometimes they just need a little push. You can encourage customers to leave you a Facebook Recommendation by offering a small incentive whether it’s a gift card, coupon, free drink, or something else. This little gift can lead to a huge increase in Recommendations all while making your buyers feel important and even more positive toward your brand.
Amazon is an example of a brand that does this well. Through its Early Reviewer Program, the company offers select customers $1-$3 gift cards in exchange for real reviews. Similarly, you can make your incentives part of an ongoing program so the amount of reviews you receive never really dies down.
2. Reach Out to Loyal Customers
Some of your best customers may also be your best reviewers—and you definitely want their voices heard by potential customers. They already love what you’re doing, so when they’re willing to give their endorsement, you’ll get a Facebook Recommendation paired with glowing comments about your brand.
When reaching out to these buyers, make sure to personalize all your messages. Personally chat with them or send them individual emails if you can rather than sending a bulk message under your company’s general email. Make the buyer feel like the VIP they truly are so they take the time to give you the most positive review they can.
3. Follow Up with Customers
While focusing first on your most loyal customers can help you collect some great Recommendations quickly, you don’t want to forget about your other buyers either. Soon after any purchase or customer service experience, you can touch base with the buyer through email, phone call, or any other marketing channels to ask them for a real customer review using Facebook’s Recommendation feature.
Better yet, if you’re able to, we recommend following up with customers in person—perhaps immediately after checkout or the end of an appointment. In-person asks can be substantially more persuasive, so they can help you fill up your Facebook newsfeed with Recommendations.
4. Reach Out to Your Network
Your customers aren’t the only ones who may be willing to leave you a solid Facebook Recommendation. Don’t forget to reach out to your network, which includes your professional and personal connections. Invite people who have directly experienced your brand—including partners, vendors, families, and friends—to leave their thoughts on your Facebook Business Page.
As with your customers, you’ll want to send the most-likely reviewers in your network personal messages, chatting in person or over the phone if you can.
Connections who fall under your “might review” list should still receive a text, email, or direct message on Facebook Messenger since your outreach may inspire them to leave great recommendations. (However, if you’re short on time, feel free to spend less time personalizing your messages for these lukewarm connections.)
To ensure you don’t miss a willing reviewer, don’t forget to make a Facebook post on your personal profile with a great call-to-action (CTA). This status update may be enough to get some Facebook friends you never even considered to leave a recommendation.
5. Make Your Recommendations Tab Accessible
Some customers would give you a Facebook Recommendation in a heartbeat, but perhaps they don’t check their email often, miss your phone call, or simply forget. Making your Facebook page’s Recommendations tab accessible through a variety of channels will help you drive those users straight to your review site.
You can link to this Reviews tab on your website, in your newsletters, on other social networks, and more—all paired with a CTA. This will ensure recommending your business is an unmissable ask.
6. Automate Recommendation Invites
Personal outreach is always the most persuasive approach when asking for reviews, but it can take time. Your business doesn’t have unlimited resources, so odds are you’ll end up reaching out to those loyal customers and connections without much time to spare. However, when you automate your Recommendation invites, you can rest assured that no opportunity will be missed.
Many businesses use automation tools like Podium Reviews to multiply the reviews they expect in any given week whether they’re aiming to gain Facebook Recommendations, Google ratings, or star reviews on any other platform. When you do so too, Podium will automatically send your review invites for you via text so customers can easily leave Facebook ratings using their smartphones.
As Facebook Recommendations start coming in, make sure to use Podium to keep up with your online reputation management. At the least, respond to both the positive and negative reviews you receive so shoppers know you care.
7. Leverage Facebook Groups
Leveraging other Facebook Groups can be one of your most powerful moves. To do so, identify relevant groups and join them (look for groups where your target customers are active.) Participate actively and become a valuable member of the group by engaging in discussions, answering questions, and providing helpful information. Build relationships, and share success stories with other members in order to build genuine connections.
Once you’ve established some rapport, you can tactfully ask for reviews. Be transparent and honest, and focus on celebrating the positive experience a potential recommender has had with your product or service. Don’t forget to abide by Facebook’s community standards.
8. Create Posts
Our last piece of advice? Post post post! Make sure that your posts invite others to review or recommend your business in a positive, inviting way. You can also highlight glowing recommendations from previous customers, awards you’ve won, or the latest updates to your products as services with an invitation like: “Show some love if you’ve tried our new sneaks!” or “What’s been your favorite experience at Sycle Shakes?”
Feature pictures, videos, gifts, and recommendations for higher engagement. Study your target demographic to discover what they look for in their social media content and what leads them to click on a post and engage. (Always aim to optimize your posts so that they show up well whether someone is using an android or iphone to engage with you.)
How to Manage Facebook Recommendations
Recommendations are obviously the next big thing. But how do you manage them? With the right platform, managing and maintaining your online reputation is a breeze for a marketing team of any size.
Podium has helped thousands of businesses manage Facebook Recommendations and improve their online reputation. With the right tools, you can take advantage of this fast-growing marketing tool and leverage social media better than your competitors.
Already using Podium? Read our complete update for more information on how Facebook Recommendations will affect your Podium account. We’re working closely with Facebook to make sure your experience, and that of your customers, is as seamless as possible.
What do Facebook Recommendations Mean for Business Owners?
If you appreciate the influence of reviews on your local Business Page, then you probably have a few questions on how your business—and online reputation—might change. It’s important to keep in mind that Facebook is rolling out Recommendations gradually, so you shouldn’t be overly concerned about any sudden changes.
However, it’s important to keep up with optimization and trends in order to stay ahead of the game. Want additional information? Need a tutorial or a check in for a specific area? We’ve got you covered. For help on adding an administrator to your Facebook Page, choosing a category for your Page, and optimizing your Business Page for the right algorithm, check out the included links.
