Get ready for Facebook Graph Search. It may change the way you do business online
You may not believe it but Facebook Graph Search will soon change the way customers find businesses online. While it may still be too early to tell just how much this new feature will affect small businesses, there is a great indication that Facebook Graph Search will play a vital role in moving your business forward.
Facebook Graph Search – How Can It Affect Your Business?
The power of Facebook Graph Search lies on word of mouth recommendations. It is basically a search engine that allows users to gather information regarding the likes, recommendations and check-ins of all the people in their network.
With this new feature, you can search for businesses your friends like in real time. You can likewise search for existing and potential customers who are willing to patronize your brand and focus your efforts in reaching them. With such an information goldmine in your hands, there is no way to can get your marketing strategies [3] wrong.
Preparing Your Business for Facebook Graph Search
As mentioned earlier, there is no telling how this new feature will affect small businesses but there is nothing wrong with trying to get on top of things. To make your business more Graph Search-ready, here are some tips you may want to consider:
Optimize your Facebook business page [4]. Let your target customers find you. Keep all information accurate and up-to-date. Use the right category, add a Facebook Place Topics (if available) to provide more information about your products and services, and use a vanity URL that closely matches your business name. These steps will significantly increase your chances of showing up on relevant queries.
Try to improve your EdgeRank score. The better your EdgeRank score (exposure within Facebook) is, the more likely you are going to show up on your friends' and fans' news feeds. Will Graph Search use this to display results? Well, no one knows for sure but there is a great indication that it just might. So, for now, you better improve your interaction with your past, existing and potential customers. Ask them to like your business page, check your site and/or leave reviews. Start posting useful and interesting content and engage your customers in an interesting conversation.
Optimize for Bing. Why should you do it? Well, in cases where Facebook cannot find any matching results for a particular query, it turns to Bing.
Use "FaceWash". Purge unpleasant content from your business page by using FaceWash, an app designed to clear any embarassing content from your profile.
Facebook Graph Search can be good for your business so take the necessary steps to make sure your business page is ready for it.