On Monday, Facebook will be introducing a new feature called Graph Search, allowing people to more easily find your business. Facebook has been making many changes lately which will directly help many businesses. Aside from Graph Search, Facebook has recently made adjustments to their Cover-Photo Settings. Graph search is personalized to each individual user on Facebook based on information they have shared. It essentially answers questions asked by users rather than giving them a list of links. On a regular web search, people searching for the same keywords will most likely get very similar results. Facebook has become so personalized that your result can be catered to you and yourself only. This has the potential to change the way consumers search online. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said “Graph Search isn’t Web search. We aren’t duplicating what Bing does and what Google does, but rather we are making things easier for people to find on Facebook.”
Have you noticed that people are more willing to try something if their friends have done it in the past? I am sure we can all agree that a little nudge from our friends can make us trust something more. The same thing goes with users on Facebook and that is exactly what Graph Search is all about. Users can now search for activities, events, companies, and restaurants that their friends have interacted with. For example, if I am on vacation in Los Angeles, I can do a search for friends of mine who are a fan of certain sushi restaurants in the area. From there, Facebook will generate a list which only includes sushi restaurants my Facebook friends are a fan of. Before your business can benefit from Graph Search there are some things you must do.
Getting your Business Ready for Graph Search
- Create a company Facebook Page.
- Regularly update your page and engage with community.
- Encourage existing customers to “like” and “check in” at your business.
- Post status’ that are share worthy and engaging.
What This Means to Marketers
With Graph Search, Facebook is going to share businesses that are very active in regards to gaining likes and being talked about by your friends. If you simply have a page set up and don’t maintain it on a regular basis then you will not succeed with Graph Search. Facebook wants to show pages that your friends have interacted with. Building relationships with your current customers will be crucial in your success with Graph Search. Below are some ways in which you can increase your chances of appearing on Facebook searches.
Ways to be Successful on Facebook Graph Search
- Understand what your fans want to see from you.
- Research what your competition is doing.
- Know your Buyer Personas.
- Provide lots of visuals such as pictures and videos.
Like many new things on the internet, Graph Search is likely to make many changes after its initial launch. We will be sure to update you with anything new that may affect your business in any way. The future of Graph Search is currently unknown at the moment but it is important to be ready. Privacy issues for individual users are a potential concern that should be monitored as Graph Search is introduced. The chances of it becoming widely popular are fairly high and we would not want your company to miss out on the potential benefit.
If you have any questions regarding Facebook’s new Graph Search please comment below and we will be sure to help out!