Something I spotted last week that caught my attention was Facebook’s new ‘Search Suggestions’ feature. Essentially based on content that you engage with, you are near instantaneously served a suggested search topic. I’ve demonstrated it further in the example below:
The steps I followed in this interaction were as follows: I liked a post from my newsfeed (in this case an article for Abercombie) and within a minute a ‘suggested search’ popped up in my search bar. This ended up leading me to explore more about the brand (below).
Implications?
My first reaction was this was sort of creepy, but also if done correctly might customize my experience on site even more. Thinking about it even further, for a company or media outlet on Facebook this has some notable considerations:
Where a brand/product gets mentioned: In the example above I had engaged with GQ, a publication I enjoy from time to time. Making sure that brands are visible on publications that their consumers are on ensures a higher likelihood of a ‘suggested search ‘ to your own or further related content. When the user also clicks through to the search they will also have content they may enjoy on the subsequent search result.
How consumers discuss a brand: Clicking through the search also means that mentions from a user’s friends along with other related mentions are displayed. A positive or negative statement may have an effect in swaying a person’s opinion one way or another. Managing issues and encouraging your fans to advocate and share positive experiences about your brand will be key in this regard.
SEO/SEM ramifications? On top of ensuring that content is engaging (moving it higher up in search), optimizing branded content so that it appears in relevant conversations is also a consideration. Facebook search isn’t as measurable as Google (yet…) but being mindful of where content appears outside of the fan page newsfeed is also important.