Facebook have rolled out an update to their Questions feature and have made it far more social than it has ever been. Instead of you posting the question to strangers – you can now post it to your friends. For example, I could ask for recommendations on consumer products and get friends to vote based on their own experiences. Features like this are empowering the consumer, making them even more of an ‘armchair expert’.

 So what does this mean for business? Customers no longer have to go on the hunt for reviews of products – the reviews will come to them…and in real time. In an instant a customer could be prevented from a purchase after a friend responds with their experiences. Yes, we’ve been looking at reviews on sites such as Amazon for a long time now…but who do you trust more for a recommendation? Joe Smith from 100 miles away, or your friend of 5 years who has never done you wrong? Consumers can now make judgment from their knowledge of their social circle as to who will be giving the right review – far more useful than trusting reviews from a stranger. Being able to be specific with the question will prevent having to trawl through hundreds of reviews to find one which mentions, for example, battery life. Add on the fact that the question can be shared by friends to their friends and you’ve got opinions on your products all over Facebook.

Handy for tagging Business Pages.

 With this feature rolling out, businesses need to jump onto Facebook and start representing themselves as consumer friendly and open for engagement and discussion of products. There are hundreds of websites out there declaring Social Media isn’t a fad…but the time for jumping up and shouting the same thing is over and it’s time for action.

Drop me a line in the comments section below with your company’s Facebook Page or let me know what challenges are facing you with making the move!