Introduced March 2013, Facebook Graph Search is a great way to improve local connections with businesses. In this article we will discuss how you can get the most out of this particular tool in order to reach more potential clients in your local area.
Simply put, Facebook Graph Search allows you as a physical therapy clinic to unlock a treasure trove of actionable data and insights about the fans who like your Page and engage with your business.
Performing searches and experimenting with a varied combination of keywords can give you a much clearer idea about what your fans prefer and expect to see on your Page – or from your clinic – and can also provide you with key demographic data that can help you better target your services.
Let’s look at a few ways to leverage Facebook Graph Search for your physical therapy clinic.
Search: ‘People who like Your Clinic and….’
This is perhaps one of the more generic searches you can perform. Test different keywords for the ‘and…’ portion – perhaps general keywords like ‘gyms’ or ‘sports,’ or even more specific words like the name of a local gym chain or certain sports like CrossFit or yoga. These searches will give you insight into what other interests your fans have, and can help you consider additional marketing channels or creative ideas.
Search: ‘People who like Your Clinic and Facebook Page X’
Performing a search like this can give you additional affinity information, but can also allow you to see what other Facebook marketers are doing with their Pages. You can also click around that other Page, and like/comment/share as your business, thereby promoting your physical therapy clinic in the process.
Search: ‘People who like Your Clinic and are….’
As with the previous option, this also gives a wide variety of options, and can serve as a way to capture demographic data, such as age, gender, and other details. Try using keywords in the search string like ‘married,’ or ‘over age 40,’ and analyze the results.
Search: ‘People who like Your Clinic and live…’
This will show you were your fans live, which is crucial for geotargeting and identifying more about your local audience. Data such as this can be helpful if you’re curious about running a print/mail campaign, or hosting a live event.
Search: ‘Groups about….’
This is more of a general search to try and understand the types of communities that people join, and the interests they share. You will need to do this search using your personal profile, and join certain groups as appropriate, since a business profile cannot join a group. As a physical therapy clinic, you may be interested in exploring groups related to sports or athletics, or perhaps those for the elderly.
Be sure to experiment with the refine search option on the right-hand side of the screen for additional results and insights.
The Facebook Graph Search will also deliver listings of friends who haven’t liked your physical therapy clinic Page. You can always invite them to like your Page with a personalized message to invite them to check your Page out. However, you will need to exercise judgment, as too many unsolicited invitations could result in them reporting you or marking the messages as spam.
And even if you do send strangers messages, it is quite possible that the message will be placed in their ‘Other’ mail folder, which most Facebook users are not aware of. Again, exercise caution – and also be patient.
However, sending out these gentle invitations is certainly a good way to engage with those who are not yet familiar with your physical therapy clinic. This is definitely a cost-effective way to reach new audiences, and an alternative to Promoted Posts or paid advertising on Facebook.
If you are still dissatisfied or frustrated with the results – say, you aren’t finding enough users interested in physical therapy within your geographic area – there may be nothing you can do for the time being. Results are based on personal information or activity users have shared on Facebook, in addition to the individual privacy settings users have set for their profiles.
As your Page continues to acquire likes/fans, and as your users share and engage with your content, your Facebook Graph Search results for your physical therapy clinic will change dynamically – which is a good thing.
Relax, give it time, and continue to utilize Facebook Graph Search for continued insights into your physical therapy patients and prospective patients. If you do not utilize Facebook Graph Search to understand more about your existing fan and customer base, or potential customer base, you are missing out on an enormous opportunity.