Tag Archives: graph search

5 ways to use Facebook’s Graph Search to attract visitors

If you haven’t got it already, you’ll soon be seeing a sleek new search bar at the top of Facebook. You’ll be able to find everything more easily than before. So easy in fact, that you will probably end up using the new search a lot more than you do now. For example, you’ll be able to search, “Cheltenham restaurants my friends go to”. From a business point of view there are plenty of benefits as explained in How your business can benefit from Graph Search.

1) Set up a Facebook Page - A combination of Graph Search and increased use of mobile phones and tablets makes it even more important for your business to have a Facebook Page. If you’re not on Facebook you’re not going to be found in the Search. If you’re a bricks and mortar business you’re not going to be found when people are searching for a restaurant, shop, pub etc when they’re out and about. It’s also worth noting that your Page will also appear in Google and Bing search results. Facebook also uses Bing search to provide additional information in its Facebook search results and will continue to do so.

2) Add your business address and phone number - Make sure your postal address is complete and up to date - go to Edit Page/Update Info/Basic Information then Address. This is particularly important if you have a bricks and mortar business as people will be able to find you when out and about plus they’ll be able to ‘check in’. This helps spread the word about your venue and will help you show up in search results. You should also add your Phone number on this page.

3) Include key words and URLs in description fields - On the Basic Information page you should also include keywords relating to your business that will help Graph Search and other search engines find your Page. Web addresses become hyperlinks in the sections on this page so take advantage and add them. Adding a hyperlinks to your website can help it rank higher in search engine results and it will also encourage visitors to visit your web site.

4) Create your own Facebook Page URL - To help people find you and to create an easy to remember web address you should have a custom URL that includes your business name. For example, facebook.com/intranetfuture. Watch this video on How to set your own Facebook Page address.

5) Encourage interaction - Last but not least a tip from Facebook on how to be found on Graph Search. Because the new search will be influenced by ‘social factors’ eg Likes, Comments and Shares it’s more important than ever to encourage interaction, particularly sharing. This means adding content such as posts, photos and videos that your fans will want to share. Make your content timely, interesting and valuable. Read 5 ways to encourage interaction on Facebook and 5 tips to get more shares on Facebook.

If you need help with setting up or improving your Facebook Page for business give me a call on 01242 639023 to discuss consultancy. Sessions in Cheltenham, at your office or online can be as little as one hour.

How your businesses can benefit from Graph Search

The announcements from Facebook at the launch of their new Graph Search understandably focused on the benefits to users but make no mistake, the new Facebook search will have massive advantages for businesses.

Important enough to be described as Facebook’s third pillar after Newsfeed and Timeline, Graph Search will enable users to find people, places, and things that match specific characteristics. Users currently obtain information and content from their Newsfeeds and the Timelines of others. Graph Search will become the third way that information and content is obtained.

For example. you could search for ‘photos of the Cotswolds taken in 2009′, ‘books read by Manchester United fans’ or ‘single men who like yoga’. The possibilities are endless. You’ll also be able to search the web from within Facebook using Bing.

An improvement to Facebook Search is long overdue with the current search being rather clunky, lacking the ability to index status updates plus it’s also historical; Google Search is real time. If you would like to be one of the first people to try Graph Search go here, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Join Waiting List.

The advantages to businesses are considerable. For example, people will be able to use Facebook to find products, services and venues that have been liked and recommended by their friends. Right now you will see friends who have liked a Facebook Page in your newsfeed or activity stream but Graph Search allows you to directly search and collate this data.

So if you wanted to find ‘Italian restaurants liked by my friends in Cheltenham’ you’ll be able to. Facebook will display results according to your friends interaction with Italian restaurants in Cheltenham eg Likes, check-ins, ratings. recommendations, comments and shares. So for consumers to find your business you need to be on Facebook with an up to date, completed and optimised Page AND make it engaging and popular Page with lots of interaction - here are 5 ways to encourage interaction. For more on this read my previous article on the recently launched Facebook Nearby which is using some Graph Search functionality on mobile apps for bricks and mortar based businesses.

The difference between Nearby and Graph Search is that the latter will be available on  facebook.com as well as mobile and will search all businesses and profiles. It is likely to be become part and parcel of our everyday use of Facebook and will be easily accessible on the top left hand side. Regarding the search of personal profiles with Facebook have stated that only content you currently have access too will be displayed in Graph Search results.

In addition to being found by consumers wanting to buy from you, there’s plenty of other uses that businesses could make of the new tool. For example, market research and competitor analysis both spring to mind. A wedding photographer could obtain a listing of all engaged men and women in their local town or a tennis club could find local people interested in tennis. Both business owners could also find out which of their friends had liked a competitor. Plus these results could be combined too! There are an unlimited number of possibilities and therefore there’s a huge amount of potential.

So make sure you have a Facebook Page, it is fully completed, set up correctly and that you’re engaging with your fans and customers. This is important now for raising awareness of your business and your products or services but once Graph Search has launched the benefits will be magnified.

For more on how you can set up your Page and use Facebook to benefit your business, give me a call on 01242 639023 or check out my Facebook for Business and Advanced Facebook for Business workshops - full schedule and booking.