You may have seen a question coming across your personal Facebook stream already, and wondered: “What third party app is this? What will happen if I answer the questions; will some inappropriate post appear on my own stream without my permission?”
There are so many gimmicky hacks on Facebook already making fans reluctant to click or comment on anything other than a plain and simple post.
But, reassured Facebook’s native “Questions” feature, is completely legit. Not only that, but it’s a very useful tool to prompt fan engagement in a new way.
How to use “Facebook Questions” in 3 steps
The best part is it’s easy to use.
- Just click on the “question” tab on your top nav. and the cursor blinks, waiting for you to ask a question.
- Next, click on “Add Poll Options” below the text field and type in choices to which your fans can respond.
- Third, hit the “Ask Question” button and off the poll goes to your fans.
The “Freedom” Factor
The neat thing about this polling tool, beside the fact that it lets social media managers engage fans in a brand new way, 
is that it allows users to add their own response to your question. One of the most frustrating things about polls is the fact that there aren’t responses that reflect the respondant’s feelings about the subject, so they either have to compromise by selecting the closest choice, or not participate at all. But with this new user-empowering choice system, you can just write your own answer in, instead of answering in a way that doesn’t really reflect your opinion.
Don’t you wish they had this kind of freedom of speech option for work personality tests or the education system’s standardized testing? Never again would you have to answer in doubt! (though test evaluators would have a job in front of them with a freewheeling system like this!)
Engaging Your Fans
Engagement has always been a main ingredient to successful social media marketing. Facebook Questions gives ecommerce businesses a new way to engage and interact with their fans and followers alike. Here are just a few ways that you can use these polls to engage your followers:
- New product launches
Engage the masses by soliciting their advice, this is also known as “crowd sourcing.” Thinking of adding a new product line, ask your followers for feedback – besides they’re the ones that would be buying these new products. It’s a quick way to gauge interest levels and subtle way to market the new products. - Related topics or news events
See a news event related to your industry? Ask your followers to see how they would react or ask what they would do in a particular situation. Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with it. - Promotions & deals
Ask your followers what kinds of promotions or deals that would like to see in the coming months. Who knows, you might even get an idea you haven’t thought of.
How would you use Facebook Questions to engage your followers?
