Facebook graph search tutorial
6 Facebook Graph Search Tricks No One Talks About [Tutorial]
Facebook graph search isn't just one of the most under-leveraged tools on Facebook, but also in the entire social media world as a whole. When used right, it can give you unparalleled insight into your audience as well as your competitors' audiences...if you ask the right questions.
I think one of the most confusing things about Facebook graph search is that it's much more complex than it looks and there are more ways to use it than could possibly be listed in one article.
This article is going to share some of my favorite Facebook graph search tricks that I've stumbled on during my experiments.
1. Pages Liked By People Who Like X Page
This trick is an advertising and market research goldmine. This will tell you the pages most commonly liked by people who like your Facebook page. Very handy when deciding targeting for your Facebook ads!
Search: Pages liked by people who like PAGE NAME
You can also do combinations of pages too (pictured below). For example, here's what it looks like when I see the pages liked by people who like both Top Dog Social Media and Mari Smith. As you can see, the results are pretty convincing which demonstrates the effectiveness of Facebook graph search to me.
Search: Pages liked by people who like PAGE NAME 1 and PAGE NAME 2
2. Posts (or Photos) Liked By People Who Like X Page
This can sometimes be useful to see what types of posts and photos your audience is engaging with. I say sometimes because it will often have a lot of irrelevant posts as well, but this is Facebook after all!
Search: Posts liked by people who like PAGE NAME
You can get more specific and add a city to the end if you want.
Search: Posts liked by people who like PAGE NAME and live in CITY NAME
3. Friends of My Friends Who Like X Page
This trick will help you see if there are people connected to your friends that have shown interest in something that may indicate they're a potential strategic partner or prospect. This is great because it's much easier to meet new people when your have mutual friends in common.
HINT: Facebook will load a bunch of your friends before they list friends of friends. I'm not sure if this is intentional or a bug but I thought it was worth mentioning. If you know what's going on here, let us know in the comments!
Search: Friends of my friends who like Top Dog Social Media
4. Friends of My Friends Who Work at X Company
Trying to connect with someone that works at a specific company but don't know who to ask for an introduction? Facebook graph search can come to the rescue, especially when you are struggling to connect via LinkedIn, which is often my first choice in this circumstance.
Search: Friends of my friends who work at COMPANY NAME
Fans of X Page That Live In Y City
Whether your goal is market research or to connect with targeted contacts, this Facebook graph search trick is among the handiest.
Search: People who like PAGE NAME and live in CITY NAME
Don't forget to try experimenting with different combos! Here's an example search I did for people who live in London, UK that like Pepsi and Social Media Examiner. When it comes to Facebook graph search, your imagination tends to be the greatest limitation.
Search: People who like PAGE NAME 1 and PAGE NAME 2 and live in CITY NAME
And if you're a hockey fan, you'll be pleased to know that there are no results when you search for people that live in Toronto who like both the Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadians.
Don't worry, Montreal. The feeling is mutual!
5. Pages Liked By Employees of X Company
Want to know where your competition is focusing their attention on Facebook? One way to find out is by seeing the most popular pages among their employees.
Search: Favorite pages of COMPANY NAME employees
Are you creeped out yet?
6. Pages Liked By OCCUPATION
This is one of the greatest Facebook graph search tricks for market research because it gives you insight into the interests of people that identify with a certain occupation. Let's say you know that your demographic is nutritionists but you're stuck trying to figure out what content engages them most.
Search: Favorite pages of current OCCUPATION employees
NOTE: Notice how it says "Favorite pages of current Nutritionist employees" and not "Favorite pages of Nutritionists". This is because many people will tag a generic Facebook page for their occupation if they haven't created one for their business yet. This method isn't always perfect so I encourage you to search pages liked by a particular company's employees where possible.
Try a combination this time:
Tell Us How You Use Facebook Graph Search
Are you experimenting with the range of possibilities that Facebook graph search offers your business? We want to hear some of the combinations you're trying and the results you're getting from it.
Facebook graph search isn't just one of the most under-leveraged tools on Facebook, but also in the entire social media world as a whole. When used right, it can give you unparalleled insight into your audience as well as your competitors' audiences...if you ask the right questions.
I think one of the most confusing things about Facebook graph search is that it's much more complex than it looks and there are more ways to use it than could possibly be listed in one article.
This article is going to share some of my favorite Facebook graph search tricks that I've stumbled on during my experiments.
1. Pages Liked By People Who Like X Page
This trick is an advertising and market research goldmine. This will tell you the pages most commonly liked by people who like your Facebook page. Very handy when deciding targeting for your Facebook ads!
Search: Pages liked by people who like PAGE NAME
You can also do combinations of pages too (pictured below). For example, here's what it looks like when I see the pages liked by people who like both Top Dog Social Media and Mari Smith. As you can see, the results are pretty convincing which demonstrates the effectiveness of Facebook graph search to me.
Search: Pages liked by people who like PAGE NAME 1 and PAGE NAME 2
2. Posts (or Photos) Liked By People Who Like X Page
This can sometimes be useful to see what types of posts and photos your audience is engaging with. I say sometimes because it will often have a lot of irrelevant posts as well, but this is Facebook after all!
Search: Posts liked by people who like PAGE NAME
You can get more specific and add a city to the end if you want.
Search: Posts liked by people who like PAGE NAME and live in CITY NAME
3. Friends of My Friends Who Like X Page
This trick will help you see if there are people connected to your friends that have shown interest in something that may indicate they're a potential strategic partner or prospect. This is great because it's much easier to meet new people when your have mutual friends in common.
HINT: Facebook will load a bunch of your friends before they list friends of friends. I'm not sure if this is intentional or a bug but I thought it was worth mentioning. If you know what's going on here, let us know in the comments!
Search: Friends of my friends who like Top Dog Social Media
4. Friends of My Friends Who Work at X Company
Trying to connect with someone that works at a specific company but don't know who to ask for an introduction? Facebook graph search can come to the rescue, especially when you are struggling to connect via LinkedIn, which is often my first choice in this circumstance.
Search: Friends of my friends who work at COMPANY NAME
Fans of X Page That Live In Y City
Whether your goal is market research or to connect with targeted contacts, this Facebook graph search trick is among the handiest.
Search: People who like PAGE NAME and live in CITY NAME
Don't forget to try experimenting with different combos! Here's an example search I did for people who live in London, UK that like Pepsi and Social Media Examiner. When it comes to Facebook graph search, your imagination tends to be the greatest limitation.
Search: People who like PAGE NAME 1 and PAGE NAME 2 and live in CITY NAME
And if you're a hockey fan, you'll be pleased to know that there are no results when you search for people that live in Toronto who like both the Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadians.
Don't worry, Montreal. The feeling is mutual!
5. Pages Liked By Employees of X Company
Want to know where your competition is focusing their attention on Facebook? One way to find out is by seeing the most popular pages among their employees.
Search: Favorite pages of COMPANY NAME employees
Are you creeped out yet?
6. Pages Liked By OCCUPATION
This is one of the greatest Facebook graph search tricks for market research because it gives you insight into the interests of people that identify with a certain occupation. Let's say you know that your demographic is nutritionists but you're stuck trying to figure out what content engages them most.
Search: Favorite pages of current OCCUPATION employees
NOTE: Notice how it says "Favorite pages of current Nutritionist employees" and not "Favorite pages of Nutritionists". This is because many people will tag a generic Facebook page for their occupation if they haven't created one for their business yet. This method isn't always perfect so I encourage you to search pages liked by a particular company's employees where possible.
Try a combination this time:
Tell Us How You Use Facebook Graph Search
Are you experimenting with the range of possibilities that Facebook graph search offers your business? We want to hear some of the combinations you're trying and the results you're getting from it.