Is Your Business Ready for Facebook Graph Search?

The new Facebook Graph Search gives companies a powerful opportunity for businesses to reach prospective customers, build loyalty and drive news sales.

Facebook rolled out Graph Search as a small private beta earlier this year so it is not available to all users yet. When it becomes available to all of the social network’s billion-plus users it will be much easier for people to discover and learn more about your business.  

Facebook says its one billion monthly active users share 350 million photos, 2.7 billion likes, and 2.5 billion items of information daily. This is a lot of data to navigate and Facebook Graph Search makes it a lot easier.
Unlike Google and Bing, where web search is by key words and links, Facebook’s new search is more personalized.  It is powered by what people are liking and sharing and is more about social connections than webpage inter-connections. 

By using personalized data and natural language sentences Facebook finds richer search results. You can search for anyone and anything if the information is public or shared with the user. For example, “Restaurants in Kingston my friends have been to” or “Movies my friends like” or, if you are planning a UK vacation,  “Alumni from my alma mater who live near London.”

Graph Search Director Tom Stocky notes that early usage patterns show people using it the same way they use the social network: looking at friends and photos. But “Places” is third, which is an encouraging sign for businesses.

Graph Search makes your business Facebook page easier to find and give it greater visibility.  It is also handy for demographic research, giving insights about the likes and tastes of your customers.
Here are some ways to leverage Facebook Graph Search for business advantage:

• Make sure your page is listed in the right category. If you’re a club but chose “Restaurant” as your page category, people searching Facebook for local clubs will not find you.
• Claim your Facebook place. If your business has multiple Facebook pages (rogue pages) with different spellings of your company name and different addresses claim these pages and amalgamate them as necessary.
• Optimize your profile. Make your “About” section as comprehensive as possible; include address, phone number, website URL and hours of operation.
• Create a strategy to engage customers and build your fan base with great content, interesting activities, and special offers.  This is important because Graph Search is all about how many likes, shares, comments and recommendations you get. The more likes and check-ins you receive on your business page, the higher up in the results the page will appear.
• Spread the word about your social presence on and off Facebook, including your website, online advertising/promotions and word of mouth.

If you put all these steps in place your business will be well ahead of the game once Facebook Graph Search has its full rollout.