Nine Ways You Can Use Facebook Graph Search to Learn About Your Fans

One of the most critical aspects of an effective content strategy is to understand your audience. When you understand your audience – really get them – your content strategy becomes crystal clear!

Nine Ways You Can Use Graph Search to Learn About Your Facebook Fans (Tutorial)

In this video, I show you nine ways to use Graph Search to understand your Facebook community.

1. My friends who like [your org]
2. Favorite interests of people who like [your org]
3. Favorite interests of people who like [your org]  and Susan G. Komen
4. Groups of people who like [your org]
5. Pages liked by people who like [your org]
6. Pages liked by women who like [your org]
7. Pages liked by men who like [your org]
8. Fans of [your org]  and [another org]
9. Restaurants in [your city] visited by people who like [your org]

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Facebook Graph Search Now Lets You Search for Posts, Status Updates, Check-ins, Comments

Facebook's Graph Search has been updated to allow people to search in greater depth on Facebook. The new Graph Search now allows users to search for not just the usual people and places, but also to search posts, status updates, check-ins, and comments on Facebook.

Yet users also now allows you to search within a period of time, such as posts within the last month or year:

You can also search for comments made by people posting from a specific location. Users can also search specifically for posts that they have commented then and search their own posts, and narrow those searches within a specific time period.

Facebook's privacy settings do apply to the newly added search features in Graph Search. This means that you can search for things posted by people you are friends with, as well as things been posted publicly. However, if you aren't friends with someone, you can't search for their posts and comments unless they are shared publicly.

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6 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2013: New Research

#1: Media Fragmentation

Consumers are everywhere, all at the same time. According to the Edison report, there are 256 million U.S. users on TV, 243 million on radio, 232 million on the Internet, 182 million connected at home via broadband, 177 million connected at home via wi-fi, and 139 million smartphone users.

Media multitasking is the new normal.

In this age of multimedia consumption, consumers are using more devices across a common set of platforms to do more things than ever. That means marketers have to play catch-up and shift away from strategies of the past. Today, the “e” in ecommerce means “everywhere.”

Your goal as a marketer should be to distribute content across as many types of media and platforms as your budget can allow. Make fast, confident decisions that give digital consumers opportunities to buy.

Keep in mind that capturing your customers’ attention will become harder as media multitasking becomes the new normal. Your digital content will need to be smarter, more creative and more visual to connect and engage today’s audiences.

#2: Smartphone Device Adoption Has Reached Half of U.S. Population

With 139 million (53%) of Americans owning smartphones, mobile use has reached critical mass in the United States.

Research by eMarketer shows the amount of time people spend on a mobile device is growing at 14 times the rate of desktop usage. The same research indicates thatmobile is becoming a more prominent channel for commercial transactions.

In the second quarter of 2012, mobile sales accounted for 15.1% of total B2C retail ecommerce sales, compared to only 1.9% for social ecommerce sales.

Smartphone usage has reached critical mass presenting unparalleled opportunities for digital marketers.

What this means for marketers is that a mobile-first strategy is the new priority.

The significance of location-based marketing, which has been around for a couple of years, will only continue to grow in importance.

Finally, with a growing number of users downloading apps on their smartphones, a focused app strategy will help ensure that your brand remains forceful and relevant.

Post social media content that is easy to consume and interact with on the go; for example, more images, brief posts, easy-to-execute calls to action.

#3: Content Marketing Is Still King

There’s no argument that content is still king. A 2012 survey conducted by Outbrain and research firm eConsultancy showed that 91% of in-house marketers use content marketing to sell their products and services. Additionally, 90% of all digital marketing professionals believe content marketing will become even more important over the next 12 months.

Digital marketers believe content marketing will become more important than ever.

The same research pointed to the top 3 types of content that are working best for marketers: social posts and updates (83%), email newsletters (78%) and news or feature articles (67%).

Focus on content marketing rather than advertising because consumers interact with content first, giving brands ideas or insights about what is important to them. Brands can then use these insights to craft their ads.

#4: Facebook Is Still Dominant

Despite all of the changes that continue to take place on Facebook such as Graph Search and hashtags, the number of users on Facebook is rising, giving marketers opportunities to interact with audiences in innovative ways.

Despite constant changes to the platform, Facebook remains top dog among social networks.

Brands that use hashtags in their posts may have slightly higher reach than brands that don’t use them, according to Edgerank Checker. Hashtags will also open up new advertising opportunities for marketers, including the ability to advertise directly to users who have used or clicked on a particular hashtag.

On the other hand, Graph Search is a valuable tool for helping you find people who like your Page. If you’re a local business this means you can create content, ads or free giveaways just for fans in your geographical location, thus encouraging a more vibrant local community.

To stay ahead of the game, marketers must learn and master the Facebook environment in spite of unexpected and often frustrating changes to the platform.

#5: Users Notice More Branded Content on Their News Feed

A majority of Facebook users (62%) noticed more branded content on their news feed. Most users don’t visit a brand’s Facebook Page. They interact with brands on their news feed, which is where opportunities and challenges lie for marketers.

Branded content on users' news feeds presents significant opportunities and challenges for marketers.

On the bright side, users who want to interact with brand content will be more engaged and open to brand messages. The opposite is true for users who just want to hang out with their friends. They’ll simply hide any brand content they don’t want to see (especially if those posts are frequent and intrusive).

We know that photos already make up 50% of news feed stories, and that images will continue to grow in importance. To get consumers to interact with branded content on Facebook, marketers should make posts more visual and provide interesting yet relevant insights about your company.

Invest in eye-catching, high-quality photos that will be pulled into users’ news feeds when they interact with your Page.

#6: Twitter Getting More Popular

Although Facebook is at the top of the social media world, the Edison report shows that Twitter is getting more popular. Notice that only 11% of Americans “Have not heard of Twitter,” which means 89% have!

The hidden potential of Twitter is bigger than most people think.

You might say, “But only 15% of Americans actually use Twitter!” (See Fig. 4). True. However 44% hear about tweets on other media “Almost Every Day” and 84% have seen or heard of tweets in other media at some point (green, plus blue, plus yellow, plus purple slices = 84%). This means that an overwhelming majority of Americans have been exposed to Twitter via multimedia consumption.

This statistic justifies the conclusion that Twitter is a much bigger platform than most people give it credit for, and marketers should be the first to recognize its hidden potential.

Take advantage of the current Twitter-friendly multimedia environment andpromote your brand among non-Twitter audiences. Encourage them to talk about you online using tweets, and in particular, using your brand’s hashtag.

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17 Ways Marketers Can Leverage Facebook Graph Search

What Can I Do With Facebook Graph Search?

With Graph Search, you can do much more than meets the eye.

Facebook Page owners can use Graph Search to:

• Identify their own fans
• Learn about favorite interests and hobbies of fans
• Identify employees of a business who have liked a business’s Facebook Page
• Identify interests of competitors’ fans
• Identify potential business partnerships
• Improve the quality of Facebook contests

Examples of Facebook search queries.

To help you dig deeper into what Facebook Graph Search can do for you, here are 17 ways you can use Facebook Graph Search queries to improve your Facebook marketing.

Note: To use these Graph Search query examples in your own searches, replace the bold text in all caps with the Facebook Page, location, etc., that you’re looking for.

Build Your Personal Network

Here’s an easy way to grow your personal network on Facebook by connecting with people you know from work.

#1: Find Colleagues to Connect With

Graph Search will show you people who aren’t your friends who like a particular Page.

This can help you find colleagues whom you’ve met but haven’t connected with on Facebook and grow your personal network. Remember that your friend request should always include a note that helps your colleague place you with where you met—an experience, a conference, etc.

• Facebook Search Query: People who are not my friend who like PAGE NAME
  

  Example of people who are not my friends who like Mashable.

Build Your Page Audience

Here are two searches you can use to build your Page audience.

#2: Find Friends Who Like Your Page

While you can go to your Facebook Page, click on See Likes and spend hours searching for your individual friends who like your Page, Facebook Graph Search offers an easier, quicker way to identify them.

Compare the results of this query with your friends list to target friends who haven’t liked your Page with a personalized message to invite them to check your Page out.

• Facebook Search Query: My friends who like PAGE NAME
  

  The old way of identifying your friends who like a particular Facebook Page.
  

  The new way of identifying friends who like a particular Facebook Page.

#3: Network Within Facebook Groups Based on Shared Interests

Search for groups of people who have an interest related to your business Page and join a relevant group to interact with.

The basic rules of participating in groups apply here, so don’t blast everyone with self-promotional links. Be helpful, and if it’s appropriate in the context of a conversation,share a link to your Page with the group at large, which will grow your fan base.

• Facebook Search Query: Groups of people who like TOPIC and like PAGE NAME
  

  Example of groups of people who like Mexican food and also like the Christian Karasiewicz Facebook Page.

Learn About Your Fans to Provide More Value

Here are a few searches to help you learn more about your fans. Use this information in your communication and provide more value to them.

#4: Find Your Fans’ Interests

Learn more about your fans without asking them to complete a survey.

If you find that a large number of your fans also like traveling, you can integrate related content into your editorial calendar.

• Facebook Search Query: Favorite interests of people who like PAGE NAME
  

  Examples of interests of people who like the P.F. Chang’s Facebook Page.

#5: Identify Pages Your Fans Like

Identify other pages your fans like to learn about new types of content you could share to keep fans coming back to your own Facebook Page.

• Facebook Search Query: Pages liked by people who like PAGE NAME

You can add additional pages to this search query by adding “and PAGE NAME” to the search query.

• Facebook Search Query: Pages liked by people who like PAGE NAME andPAGE NAME
  

  Facebook Pages that fans of Social Media Examiner like.

#6: Identify Pages Liked by Specific Fans

Locate the influencers in your fan base and search the Pages they like to learn about the other brands and businesses that influence them.

• Facebook Search Query: Pages liked by PERSON or PAGE
  

  Example of pages I like.

Find New Opportunities

Are you interested in delving deeper? Here’s a search to help you discover more opportunities.

#7: Compare Fan Bases to Identify New Prospect Markets

Quickly find out which of your fans also like related Facebook Pages.

Query fans who like your Page and the Pages of events or conferences. Narrow the next cycle of your presentation pitches to events or conferences with Pages that share a high percentage of your fan base.

• Facebook Search Query: Fans of PAGE NAME 1 and PAGE NAME 2
  

  A comparison of fans of one Facebook Page who also like another Page.

Attract New Customers

Use these two searches to help you discover potential new customers.

#8: Find Your Customers

If your business is in close proximity to a company or business, you can use Graph Search to find out which employees of that business like services or products related to yours.

Use the commonalities that are revealed to run a Targeted Facebook ad or create Facebook check-in deals to entice them to try out your establishment.

• Facebook Search Query: People who work at PLACE and like SOMETHING
  

  Example of people who work at Dell who also like Chinese restaurants.

#9: Reveal Intersecting Interests

Create different combinations of queries to learn more about the topics that interest your fans, the fans of colleagues or the fans of competitors.

A blog that hosts guest authors can use the search results to promote a guest author’s post using Facebook ad targeting.

This will improve your ad targeting and ensure you’re reaching the right Facebook fans with your Facebook ads.

• Facebook Search Query: Favorite interests of people who like PAGE NAME 1and PAGE NAME 2
  

  Example of interests of people who like Social Media Examiner and Mari Smith on Facebook.

Increase Brand Loyalty

This search can give you the insights you need to improve your brand loyalty.

#10: Identify Your Competitors

Find out where your customers do business when they aren’t doing business with you so you can focus your loyalty campaign.

• Facebook Search Query: TYPE OF BUSINESS in LOCATION visited by people who like PAGE NAME
  

  Example of restaurants located in Orlando, Florida visited by people who like TooJay’s restaurant.

Learn What Prizes Are Prized by Your Fans

Are you interested in learning more about what your fans like? These searches can help you find out more.

#11: Find Your Fans’ Interests

Prizes are an important part of any promotion. If the prize doesn’t appeal to your audience, your promotion will get very little play.

Search for the movies, music, sports teams, etc., that appeal most to your fans andchoose a contest prize that’s sure to pull entries.

• Facebook Search Query: Movies liked by people who like PAGE NAME
• Facebook Search Query: Favorite music of people who like PAGE NAME
• Facebook Search Query: Sports teams of people who like PAGE NAME
  

  Examples of movies liked by people who like AMC Theaters.

#12: Sort Your Fans’ Page Likes by Gender

Another way to make sure you have the right promotion prize is to find out which products will most interest a specific gender set within your Facebook fans by researching the other brand Pages they like.

• Facebook Search Query: Pages liked by GENDER who like PAGE NAME
  

  Example of Pages liked by women who like Paula Deen.

#13: Reveal Your Fans’ Page Likes by Age

Identify the average age of your own fans in your Facebook Insights and use it to find prizes or incentives that will appeal to a specific age demographicwithin your fan base.

• Facebook Search Query: Pages liked by people over the age of NUMBER who like PAGE NAME
  

  Search results for pages liked by people over 40 who also like the Christian Karasiewicz Facebook Page.

Build a Better App

Here’s how you can discover which games your fans play on Facebook.

#14: Build Your Game App

Before you build an app for a specific audience, find out what type of games have been most successful with them in the past to save valuable time and resources.

• Facebook Search Query: Games played by fans of PAGE NAME
  

  Facebook Graph Search query showing games played by fans of American Express.

Market by Proximity or Affinity

Are you interested in location marketing? Here’s an interesting search to use.

#15: Optimize for Location

If your business is located near museums and places that get lots of visitors such as the Washington Monument, make sure your business shows up when someone searches for businesses near them.

If you don’t show up under this query, run a Facebook ad that mentions the landmark or offer a check-in deal that will appeal to visitors who are close by.

• Facebook Search Query: Places near PLACE visited by people who like SOME ATTRACTION
  

  Example of places near Washington DC that were visited by people who like the Washington Monument.

Identify Brand Ambassadors

Do you want to identify potential brand ambassadors? You’ll find these searches useful.

#16: Find the Right Fan to Help You Spread a Specific Message

You can quickly identify fans of a specific age or from a specific region andreach out to them on behalf of your brand for help in sharing promotions, product launches, etc.

• Facebook Search Query: Fans of PAGE NAME over the age of NUMBER
• Facebook Search Query: Fans of PAGE NAME who live in COUNTRY
  

  Example of fans over the age of 50 who like Metamucil.

#17: Combine Facebook Graph Search Queries

While there are certainly a lot of different search queries, remember you cancombine queries to produce more detailed results.

Instead of using the basic query of ‘Fans who like PAGE NAME’, you can add terms to find the right fans you’re looking for.

Here’s an example of an improved Facebook Search Query: Fans who like PAGE NAME who live in STATE and are over the age of NUMBER.

Example of a combined search query for fans of Apple who live in California and are over the age of 32.

The Wrap-up

While Facebook search queries will identify traits of fans and Pages, there are a few things to remember.

• Facebook Graph Search doesn’t work on mobile (yet).
• You can’t sort the results of a search query.
• Facebook profile privacy settings can limit some results.

There are literally hundreds of possible search combinations and the information returned from them can be used to help you learn about your fans, improve your Facebook ad targeting, do market research and even create contests that your fans are more interested in.

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