Most users don’t pay much attention to the Facebook search function.
While may seem like an afterthought, it actually holds a land of opportunity. Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today reveals why Facebook search will be important to marketers in 2017.
In 2015, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was indexing over 1.5 billion searches per day. Last July, Zuckerberg revealed that they are seeing over 2 billion searches per day – a 33 percent increase in less than one year. Most searches weren’t for peoples’ names, but rather for businesses or products that could result in a significant opportunity for advertising and revenue. This leads to the question of how search activity can be monetized.
Given Facebook’s pattern of rapid adaption, we can expect to see upgrades in their search processes very soon. How exactly can Facebook capitalize on search data? They would start by optimizing the search function to draw people to it. Once more people are using the search feature, Facebook can deliver more targeted options, highlighting relevant brands or content based on user algorithms and location data.
As more people search, Facebook can implement search ads similar to what Google does with sidebar matches and sponsored ad slots that show up higher in the search results. The possibilities are endless, and Facebook is clearly positioned for serious revenue potential.
