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How to Search Facebook for PRICELESS Info on Competitors & Fans

Posted 14 September, 2014

How_to_Search_Facebook_for_PRICELESS_Info_on_Competitors__Fans-lshow to search facebookGraph Search is hands-down one of Facebook's most powerful features.

You can research just about anything with it -- and learn priceless info about your Facebook fans & competitors.

But here’s the problem: Graph Search is sooooo complicated!

And many people don't use it because of that.

Not good. Everyone should be using this wonderful tool!

I recently used Graph Search to find fan pages for an article I wrote about pages entrepreneurs should Like -- and it helped tremendously!

Below are some of the tricks I used. Hopefully these are ways Graph Search can help you too.

How to Search Facebook for PRICELESS Info on Competitors & Fans

1. Research Competitors

There are 2 main ways to search for competitors on Facebook:

Local Search

These are examples of search terms you can use when looking for local businesses:

  • Restaurants in ______
  • Cafes in ______
  • Seafood restaurants in ______
  • Gyms in ______
  • Clothing stores in ______
  • Shoe stores in ______

screen-shot-2014-09-08-at-1.53.04-pm

Page Search

You can also search for Facebook pages using search terms like:

screen-shot-2014-09-08-at-1.55.02-pm

2. Search for Interests

Most of your fans have many interests -- and they make these interests public on Facebook.

So why not use the interests of your fans to appeal to them with certain kinds of content?

>> Click to Tweet <<

For example, if you know they like rock climbing & scuba diving, ask questions like:

  • When was the last time you went rock climbing?
  • Rock climbing or scuba diving?

Asking questions is a great way to start conversations on Facebook. And you can use Graph Search to learn more about the interests of your fans.

Check out these search term examples:

how-to-search-facebook

Or this one:

how-to-search-facebook

3. Search for Groups

Facebook groups provide great ways to show off your expertise & strengthen your brand.

>> Click to Tweet <<

Use this search term to find Facebook groups relevant to your business:

  • _______ (insert name of friend) groups

how-to-search-facebook

And this search term will show you the Facebook groups your friends have joined:

how-to-search-facebook

Graph Search will show you group names that contain the keyword you searched for.

4. Connect with Others

Facebook's not just for marketing your products.

It’s also a great way to connect with people who have the same interests as you. And Graph Search can help you find people with similar interests.

>> Click of Tweet <<

Try using the search term:

how-to-search-facebook

Key Takeaway

There's so much data about your fans & competitors available on Facebook -- and you can easily create content based on this info.

In addition to all the use cases above, you can also use it to target Facebook ads toward audiences you haven't reached before!

So what about you? Have you used Graph Search to research your competitors & fans?

If so, what search terms worked best for you?

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