For years, we have been posting and sharing information about our companies and ourselves through the Internet. Among all of the outlets available on the Internet today, Facebook is among the most popular, used to help deliver detailed and sometimes over the top information to the public.
As of January 2013, Facebook released a new search tool, called Graph Search, allowing Facebook users to find almost whatever they want on Facebook, including people and places and which people like which places. This information has always existed, however, now Facebook is making it easier for the public to access. Graph Search is currently in limited beta testing, allowing only a certain amount of people to have access until it integrates into the mainstream platform for all Facebook users.
Graph Search is very easy to use, as it resembles Google Instant, showing you various possible results as you type. For example, if you were interested in finding a barbeque joint in Florida that your friends have “liked” on Facebook or checked into, you would type into the search box “my friends who like barbeque.” In a sense, this tool is not only giving you access to data that people have entered into Facebook, but directly also related to their connections and likes.
Graph Search can also be used to find people who like the same hobbies as you, music, or even places that your friends have visited that you might be interested in traveling to as well. This same search will also allow Facebook users to find friend-recommended doctors and other healthcare suppliers, stores, hotels, travel locations and more.
It eliminates the hassle of “Googling” and allows you to find more of what you’re looking for and which is probably more relevant to you, by using your network of friends and connections. It’s more likely that you will try something new if you see that your friend has visited or shopped there too.
This is a big deal for small businesses because rather than having to wait for a customer to recommend your company, you may find that searches are naturally leading new customers directly to your Facebook Page, which in turn can help increase leads.
