Facebook Graph Search: 3 Reasons Why Lawyers Should Tap in

In building your online marketing efforts, you might have overlooked a tool that has been staring you in the face — namely, Facebook.
Sure, you know the social site is huge, with more than one billion users worldwide. You might have a personal Facebook page yourself. But Facebook is more than a place to post family photos. It’s also a serious marketing platform. People on Facebook not only socialize with other people — they also connect with businesses they “like.” And by doing so, they let their friends know about those businesses. And that includes the lawyers they know, trust and even recommend.
U.S. law firms are catching on to this, albeit slowly. A 2012 American Bar Association survey found that 55 percent of its attorney respondents were on Facebook, and that 38 percent were using Facebook for professional purposes. Now Facebook has the potential to become even more useful for legal marketing, thanks to Graph Search, a new search tool that launched in January 2013.

Internet word of mouth

Unlike familiar search engines Google and Bing, Facebook’s Graph Search taps into “social graphs,” which are the webs of connections between Facebook users. Very simply, Graph Search is looking for results from its users’ “likes” and comments. You type in a phrase — say, “DWI attorney” or “Italian restaurant” — and Graph Search digs through your connections’ likes and comments for matches. You could think of it as an Internet-style word of mouth.
Because it’s still new, it’s quite safe to say that Graph Search won’t put Google’s search dominance in danger anytime soon. Still, there are three good reasons to keep tabs on it.

1. It’s Facebook

True, you don’t need to reach all of its one billion users. But Graph Search does plug you into hundreds of local prospects. And if your practice extends beyond your local area, it can reach even more.

2. It’s another way to build your brand and reputation

Graph Search’s results are based on what people say about a business, and how highly they regard it. So if your firm is highly respected by Facebook users, that puts you ahead of competitors who aren’t so well regarded.

3. It’s a work in progress — that’s also loaded with potential

When Graph Search beta-launched in early 2013, its focus was primarily a kind of extension of online reviews and recommendations — restaurants, bars, books and so on. And right now, it’s available only to a small group of users. But it will become more widely available over time, and thus useful to other businesses.
Another point to consider when it comes to that potential: A recent study by Web analytics firm comScore found that mobile users searching for local businesses are more likely to use Facebook than search engine apps. In other words, Facebook is becoming the Internet to mobile users.
Given the continued growth in mobile usage, Graph Search could make Facebook even more powerful before long. How can you tap into that potential? Make sure your firm has a presence on it — and make sure your clients are happy to vouch for you online.

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