Word-of-mouth (WOM) advertising has been around for centuries, in a sense it is the best form of advertising for two reasons (1) it is the most credible form of advertising because people do not gain personally or financially by recommending a brand, business, product or service to a friend - and they put their reputation on the line when doing so. And (2) technically it’s free! Word-of-mouth advertising is important for every business, as every delighted customer can potentially bring new customers to your business.
So what is Facebook’s new Graph Search?
Well basically it is Facebook’s answer to Google. Facebook users will be able to search for people, restaurants, bars, music, hobbies etc. that their friends like, or people in their area like. For instance you could search for restaurants near you that friends have been to recently. You could search for people who live near you that like a specific sport – to see if you could get a sporting team together. You can even search for photos or videos that have been taken at a location you have been to or are thinking of going to. The search options are endless, and so are the opportunities.
By utilising Facebook’s Graph Search businesses can expose themselves to more potential clients – who specifically want to find a business, product or service recommended by their friends. But don’t think that just because your business is on Facebook the new clients are going to flood in once Graph Search is launched. You will still need to strategically optimise your social media presence to gain the best results.
In our next post we will look at how you can optimise your Facebook presence for Graph Search. But for now, we’re just happy to announce the potential benefits and demonstrate that social media has changed WOM advertising – For the good? We’ll let you be the judge of that.
Let us know what you think of Facebook’s new Graph Search, and how you think it can help benefit your business and WOM.
Post written by
David Ligtenberg
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