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How Facebook Recommendations Will Affect Your Business

Did you notice a slight change in your Facebook page recently?  Facebook officially announced new improvements to Facebook to better help users and local businesses connect.  Your page is more mobile friendly, helps with local job searches, and the new Facebook Local app helps find local businesses.  Most importantly for businesses, the review button has become a recommendation button.

Local businesses use Facebook’s business pages to build a public face to their company.  Reviews help users find local businesses in online searches as well as get advice on purchases. Online reviews are the word-of-mouth marketing online.  Most users look for reviews to help them choose which business or product to buy.

That’s all changing now, and it seems like for the better.

According to Facebook, the new recommendation feature will allow customers to share richer feedback.  A simple “Yes or No” recommendation gives a quick answer to the question of whether or not you think it’s a goo business to go to.  The ability for customers to add tags, categories, photos, and text reviews will all enhance this feature. This allows customers to set a theme, as Facebook describes it, to what your business is to known for locally.

As an added bonus, businesses can now report fraudulent reviews, spam, or paid content.  This new feature has been a long overdue request by business owners.  It’s a huge win for businesses.

Pros for Facebook Recommendations

  • Facebook recommendations allow for greater visibility in searches.  More people can find your business through the tags, categories, and text used to recommend your business.
  • More exposure to your customer’s friends list as a referral source.  Potentially, this will offer better lead generation.
  • The ability the combat fraudulent reviews.  Businesses never had that direct option before.

Cons for Facebook Recommendations

  • Can’t see anything so far.  The only possible downside is what the customer says in their recommendation.  You still need to coach your customers to tell as much about their experience with your business as possible (why they chose you, what they bought, etc).

In Summary

Facebook reviews left in the past will still remain; however, the option to add more information about a local business is available.  This can help your local business be found more in searches.  There is also the added bonus of lead generation and review fraud protection. Facebook has made a solid win-win situation for both customers and local businesses.

Learn how to have your customers create the ideal online review.