Facebook Graph has been big news this year, as the world's second-largest website introduced new search and advertising functions. Naturally, this leads to a lot of question marks for marketers, so we have answers for the most frequently asked questions about Facebook Graph. 
Facebook uses the term in reference to its massive database of social connections. If all of these connections between people, businesses and applications were put into visual form, they would create a web-like graph.
Why is Facebook Graph important?
Because of all the connections and types of relationships, it is possible to reach many "friends of friends" with your message. You can target such messages based on factors such as what people "like" or places they have been.
What is Graph Search?
Graph Search replaces Facebook's old basic search function with one that allows users to search the connections of the Graph. For instance, you can search for "friends of my friends who like skiing" or "restaurants in Houston, Texas that my friends visited." Search results are personalized based on the user's own network of Graph connections.
What is Open Graph?
Open Graph is a structured data markup protocol that allows outside web pages to be indexed by Facebook's Graph. It is a set of metadata codes used to describe different aspects of your business in a way that Facebook understands. For example, you can use Open Graph to tell Facebook your business type, business description and contact information. Facebook can then integrate that information into its own pages, such as by automatically creating individual fan pages for each location.
What are Facebook Graph "stories"?
A "story" on Facebook is a simple description of an activity taken by a user. Much like the subject-verb-object structure of a sentence, Graph stories always include a user, an action and the object of that action. For example, "John Doe likes Acme Consulting" would be a story created when John Doe clicks the "like" button on Acme Consulting's page.
Stories can get slightly more complex than that, especially if you create an Open Graph app. You can then create custom actions for the stories. Someone might have "earned a high score" on your game, for instance, or "saved 50%" on a purchase through your app.
What are sponsored stories?
A sponsored story is a new type of Facebook advertising. By sponsoring a story involving your page or app, you can ensure that all of a user's friends--or a targeted subset of users--see the story at the top of their News Feeds.
An interesting aspect of a sponsored story is that it has no call to action. It is presented as a story, similar to any other News Feed story (except for the "Sponsored" label hidden in plain sight). With a sponsored story, you are buying visibility and counting on the power of social connections and similar interests to get people to click on the story and perform a similar action.
How can a company optimize for Facebook Graph?
Besides using Open Graph markup and effectively targeting sponsored stories, you can optimize your Facebook presence for the Graph by:
- Improving your Facebook page. Include terms and details that people might look for through Graph Search.
- Create more connections. With more "likes" come more friends who can see your stories.
- Encourage Facebook interactions. Each interaction becomes a story. And more interactions improve the EdgeRank of your posts.
Facebook is still developing its Graph functions, so we have yet to see the full impact it could have. By becoming familiar with it now, marketers will be well-positioned to utilize whatever new features may come.
* Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
