One of the most underutilized tools that Facebook has to offer is their Graph Search. This feature is a powerful tool that will help you gather useful information about your competition.
This gives your brand a big opportunity to analyze your competition’s social media efforts.
Facebook Graph Search is the long white bar at the top of the Facebook page that follows you around Facebook wherever you go.
Graph Search only works when you are performing it from your personal Facebook profile. If you are managing your company page, you will not be able to access Graph Search.
We have three ways you can use Graph Search to spy on your competition so you can gain a competitive advantage and unique insight into your competition.
Interest
One of the first things you can do is search for the interests of people who like your competitor’s page.
Simply type, “Interests liked by people who like brand name” in the Facebook Graph Search bar.
This information is useful because it helps you identify what content may resonate best with your audience and potential clients. This will also be useful when you are running Facebook advertisements because you can target users by interest.
Groups
Another way you can research your competition is by finding out what groups they are active in. Searching “Groups joined by people who like brand name” will give you a list of groups that fans of that page have joined.
You can target people in these groups by joining the group and participating in discussions. Being an active member of a group and offering solutions to other member’s problems is a great way for you to become an authority figure in the group. This will help increase your company’s credibility, and other users will turn to you when they need help.
Connections
Facebook Graph Search also allows you to find common connections between different brands in your industry. The combinations are limitless. You can use this feature to research a specific location or tie two brands together.
For example, you can search “People who like brand name and live in a specific state.” You could also search “People who like brand name and brand name” or “People who like brand name and brand name and are in a relationship.”
Researching your competition using Facebook graph search is a great tool for understanding your audience. You can use all of this information to develop a potential buyer persona or target your ads more effectively.
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