Yes, you can still do recommendations on Facebook in 2023. Facebook’s recommendation feature allows users to recommend pages, places and services to their friends and connections on the platform. Here’s a quick overview of how recommendations work on Facebook currently:
What are recommendations on Facebook?
Facebook recommendations, also sometimes called Facebook suggestions, are a way for users to suggest pages, places, events, groups and more to their connections on Facebook. When you recommend something on Facebook, it may show up in your connections’ feeds or in other places on Facebook. Recommendations can help users discover new businesses, events, groups and other content that might interest them.
Where do recommendations show up?
Here are some of the main places users may see recommendations on Facebook:
- News Feed – Recommendations may show up in your connections’ main news feeds.
- Right column ads – Suggested Pages and Groups may appear in the right column.
- Notifications – Connections may get notified when you recommend something to them.
- Page like recommendations – Facebook suggests Pages to like based on user data.
- Friend recommendations – Facebook suggests new people you may want to connect with.
- Invite recommendations – Recommendations to invite friends to events or groups.
How to recommend something on Facebook
Here are the basic steps to recommend a Page, place, event or other content to your Facebook friends:
- Go to the Facebook Page, place, event or content you want to recommend.
- Click on the 3-dot More button next to the Like button.
- Choose “Recommend” from the dropdown menu.
- Check the friends you want to recommend it to.
- Click “Recommend” to send.
Limits on recommendations
Facebook does limit the number of recommendations you can send to control spam. Some key limits include:
- You can only recommend a Page to each friend once.
- You can recommend to a maximum of 100 friends at a time.
- Pages have limits on how many recommendations they can send each week.
Do recommendations still work?
Yes, recommendations are still a functional and used feature on Facebook as of 2023. However, some users report recommendations having less visibility and prominence than in Facebook’s earlier years. Here are a few key points:
- Recommendations may not show up prominently in the News Feed.
- Friends may not get notified or see recommendations readily.
- Facebook focuses more on algorithmic recommendations now.
So in summary – yes, you can still manually recommend content to your friends and connections. But Facebook’s own AI recommendations based on user data now take priority over user-submitted recommendations.
Why use recommendations on Facebook?
Here are some of the potential benefits for businesses and users in still using Facebook recommendations in 2023:
- Increase visibility – Getting recommended can increase reach.
- Rally supporters – Turn fans into advocates for your brand.
- Boost engagement – Recommendations can lead to more likes, shares, comments.
- Low cost marketing – It’s free to ask fans to recommend your Page.
- Peer validation – Friends may trust recommendations more than ads.
- Discoverability – Helps users find new brands, places and content.
Tips for getting recommended on Facebook
Here are some tips on how businesses and brands can potentially get more recommendations on Facebook in 2023:
- Add a recommendation button to your website to make it easy for visitors.
- Have a clear call-to-action asking followers to recommend your Page.
- Run contests and offers for users who recommend your brand.
- Use Facebook ads to target fans and prompt recommendations.
- Engage followers by responding to all recommendations received.
- Craft recommendations copy that is personalized for each recipient.
Facebook recommendation guidelines
If you plan to use Facebook recommendations for a business or other purpose, be sure to follow Facebook’s recommendation guidelines:
- Don’t spam or overwhelm friends with recommendations.
- Personalize recommendations for each recipient.
- Recommend things relevant to your connections.
- Have a genuine recommendation reason.
- Don’t offer rewards or compensation for recommendations.
Risk of getting recommendation rights revoked
Facebook will revoke your ability to do recommendations if you violate the guidelines. Some actions that can lead to revocation include:
- Sending automated or overly frequent recommendations
- Offering rewards for recommendations
- Recommending irrelevant content
- Creating fake or duplicate accounts to recommend your own content
- Focusing only on sending recommendations rather than engaging socially
Check your Facebook Page’s recommendation status
If you run a Facebook Page, you can check on your current recommendation abilities and status:
- Go to your Facebook Page
- Click “Settings” in the top dropdown menu
- Go to the “General” tab
- View the “Show Recommendations” status
This will tell you whether your Page still has the ability to have followers recommend it to their friends.
Conclusion
While not as powerful as in Facebook’s early days, recommendations are still a functional feature that businesses can potentially use as part of their Facebook marketing. Focus on relevant, personalized recommendations sent to genuine followers rather than spamming acquaintances for maximum benefit. And be sure to follow Facebook’s guidelines to avoid losing your Page’s recommendation abilities.
In 2023 and beyond, Facebook recommendations can still help businesses increase discoverability and engagement at a relatively low cost. But marketers will likely need to utilize recommendations as just one part of an overall Facebook marketing strategy, rather than relying on them alone to drive growth.