Over the years, customer experience and engagement have become an increasingly integral part of online marketing for small businesses.
There are several ways to communicate with your customers to improve their experience, including via a well-optimized social media page.
Facebook, in particular, is extremely useful for small business owners and has changed the game for many.
The social media company has 1.93 billion daily active users, and two in three Facebook users claim they visit a local business page at least once a week.
Because of the accessibility of Facebook business pages, paying more attention to your star ratings and asking for recommendations on Facebook can go a long way in boosting your profile.
Let’s look at some other advantages of getting Facebook recommendations.
The advantages of Facebook Recommendations
As you probably know, word-of-mouth is a cornerstone of attracting new customers to try out your business, and Facebook recommendations are no different.
Here are some advantages of asking customers for Facebook reviews:
- Creating a strong sense of trust between your business and potential customers
- Improving customer service and engagement
- Generating greater organic reach
- Ranking higher in Facebook Professional Services
Not to mention, Facebook recommendations can be seen by the reviewer's entire network, making it a whole lot easier for your business to target potential new customers.
You're probably wondering: how do i ask for recommendations on Facebook?
Let's start by understanding Facebook’s algorithm and how it can help you promote your business.
How do Facebook Recommendations work?
Facebook will ask your customers whether your business is worth recommending to others with a simple yes or no question.
The platform then makes personalized recommendations to its users, depending on their preferences.
If your reviews are favorable, Facebook may recommend your business to a larger group of people, increasing your reach. Facebook recommendations examples include "Pages You May Like" and "Suggested For You" posts in the News Feed.
How to turn on recommendations on Facebook
Setting up Facebook recommendations for your business is a simple process involving these four steps:
- Go to Settings: Open up your page and select the settings tab at the top right corner of your screen, next to the help button.
- Click on Templates and Tabs: After accessing your settings, click on the Templates and Tabs option in the top left column (below general settings, messaging, and page info).
- Click on Add a Tab: Scroll down and click on the 'Add a tab' option to find Facebook recommendations in the list of Templates and Tabs.
- Select Recommendations and click Add Tab: The recommendation tab will be added, enabling people to write reviews on your page.
How do I ask for Recommendations on Facebook
It is vital to market how customers feel about your business and share their experiences with others.
Getting recommendations isn't all that hard; all you have to do is ask. To help you get started, here are six great ways you can ask for recommendations on Facebook:
Incentivize your users to check in on Facebook after making a purchase
Customers love to check in and share updates with their Facebook network, which you can leverage for your benefit.
For example, you can offer small perks or discounts for customers who share their feedback or drop a recommendation on your business page. This will boost your visibility and engagement by reaching the reviewer's social network.
Ask your regular customers to recommend you
If you have old, loyal, and regular customers who swear by your products, you can encourage them to add a recommendation through Facebook recommendations.
Their honest, positive, and often personal recommendations will quickly garner lots of trust and visibility for your profile.
Make sure to customize all of your messages when reaching out. Personally chat with each of them the next time they visit or send them individual emails, rather than sending a mass message under your company's general mailing list.
Follow up with customers
One of the best ways to boost recommendations is by checking in with customers after interacting with them.
Soon after any purchase or customer service experience, you can follow up with customers via email, phone call, or other marketing channels to ask them for their feedback or a review using Facebook's Recommendation feature.
If you feel like you often forget or don’t have the time to ask for reviews, you can automate follow-ups with your customers through NiceJob’s reputation marketing software.
Share signs promoting your Facebook presence
Little efforts and reminders go a long way in enabling customers to help you along your journey of building a successful online reputation.
You could print signs and slogans and place them strategically across your counters, windows, display racks, etc., asking customers to share a Facebook review if they enjoyed your service and product.
You can also embed a ‘Review us on Facebook’ button on your website in order to boost your presence on the social media network.
Promote the most favorable recommendations extensively:
One of the best ways to encourage other customers to share their recommendations is by actively promoting and celebrating your existing Facebook recommendations.
By sharing them on your website and across various online and offline channels, you can increase your brand's credibility and visibility and invite other consumers to leave their reviews online as well.
A great way to measure your online popularity is through the Facebook local app, which allows you to check your recommendations and provides good insight into your strengths and weaknesses.
And don't worry if not all your reviews and recommendations are positive.
Responding to negative reviews gives you a chance to display your strong customer service and change the reviewer's mind. It also lets customers know you care about their experience and will try to improve.
So what are you waiting for? Start asking for Facebook recommendations with NiceJob’s world-class reputation marketing software today.
With a free 14-day trial, you can see for yourself how easy it is to leverage customer reviews for your marketing efforts.
