A word-of-mouth recommendation of your business from a trusted friend or family member is by far the best way to win over a potential customer. And now, Facebook Recommendations is allowing users to poll their network of friends to find the best local businesses. Is your small business’s Facebook Page ready for the spotlight?
As reviews continue to become more dominant online, the most common (and trusted) way people find new products and services remains the same — they ask their friends for advice. It’s no wonder that 83 percent of consumers say that the opinions of their friends and family directly affect their purchasing decisions.
Facebook Recommendations has made it easier than ever for existing customers to introduce your business to their friends who may be looking for a service. Here’s how it works and what your brand can do to ensure you make a solid first impression when a customer recommends your business.
Getting Facebook Recommendations is as Easy as Writing a Post
Introduced in late 2015, Facebook Recommendations was rolled out as a new way for people to find and share their favorite local businesses with friends. The feature automatically activates when users post something indicating they’re looking for a service, store or event. For example, when you include phrases like, “I’m looking for” or “I need a,” Facebook will allow users to add a map to the post which friends can fill-in with their business suggestions. From there, friends can leave a comment with their recommendation as they would on any other post.
But, here’s a fun twist: when Facebook recognizes the name of your business in one of the recommendation comments, it will automatically provide a link to your page with some other basic contact information. This typically includes your profile picture, business’ review score, hours and address. That’s just one more reason to always keep your business page updated with current, accurate contact information, post content consistently and encourage top customers to leave Facebook reviews.
Check out our blog for more useful tips on obtaining customer referrals and reviews to make a great first impression online as well as how to turn a negative review into a positive.
Help Potential Customers Find You Through Their Friends
With nearly 2 billion users, Facebook is often the first place people will go to find out more insider information and now Facebook Recommendations easily allows current customers to introduce your business to everyone in their social network.
When people start looking for the specific services to meet their needs and they get recommendations from their social connections, make sure you’re there to capture their attention. One way to do that is through call-to-action buttons. Facebook allows businesses to display a call-to-action button on their page, which makes it easy for potential customers to call you, schedule appointments or message you with one click.
Next, make sure you’re maintaining a strong social media presence by sharing industry-relevant content as well as engaging and entertaining posts. Be the industry resource they go to first and recommend to their friends.
Maintain a Strong Social Media Presence
Don’t have time to generate all the professional content needed to post on Facebook and stay top-of-mind? Let the experts at Post Café help you start your social media journey; call us at 732-218-9377 to learn more!
