One of the options for our current Social Butterfly Effect game is t
o write a Recommendation for a chapter member’s business on their Facebook Business page. The Recommendation box is usually found near the top of the right-hand column; however, it has come to my attention that the box is not always displayed on every Business page.
The key to getting the Recommendation box to display appears to be having your business correctly mapped, and the key to that appears to be having it listed in a category that allows mapping. Following me so far? 🙂 Facebook’s a quirky place under the best of circumstances, and what works today could be changed tomorrow, but as it is now, here are some things to check if you do not see the Recommendation box on your Business page:
1) First, edit the About information for your page, which you can do by clicking the blue box where your contact info is listed, then clicking any Edit button you find on that (About) page. You should now see a page with your Business name at the top, Basic Information highlighted to the left, and a grey box in the center with Category, Official Page, etc.
2) Check the center of the page for Map Location. If you DO see a map there, but do NOT have a Recommendation box on your page, then you need to edit the address information for your business so that Bing Maps can figure out where you are. In essence, that means simplifying your information down to the basic street address, city/state, and zip. Leave off box numbers, suite numbers, etc. until your business is successfully located, then you can try adding them back.
3) If you do NOT see a Map Location, then you’ll need to try changing the Category boxes until you find one that describes your business and allows it to be mapped. You may need to choose a very generic category such as Professional Services or Local Business at first. Once you see the Map show up, make sure you edit your location information correctly as in #2 above. Then, you can narrow down your category to something more specific in the Place Sub-Categories box.
In addition to getting the Recommendation box to display on your page, you’ll get a bonus! Mapping your location correctly will also allow Facebook users to check-in at your location (including yourself) and check-ins mean more visibility on Facebook for your business. And that’s what we’re all working towards!
You might ask, “Why do I care if there is a Recommendation Box on my Business page?” The answer is simple: Due to the nature of Facebook, any other kind of post is going to be pushed on down (and eventually off) your page — it’s still there, but how many people are going to scroll through your older posts? The Recommendation Box is the ONLY “permanent” area on your Business page where your users can see all the good things people have to say about you. Now, doesn’t that sound important to you?