As members of Gen Y, it is fair to say most of us have been conditioned to head straight to Google when we’re looking for specific information. But what if the next evolution of the search engine actually provided direct answers to our questions rather than just spitting out results?
That is exactly what Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has in mind and something which could eventually pose a significant threat to Google. Lucky for Facebook, Google has failed to create it’s own successful social network, leaving Facebook with the huge advantage of vast amounts of personal data (check-ins, photos, biographical data, stories published to friends, etc.) that could serve as the perfect means to answer specific questions rather than solely providing facts and links.
So what would this look like? While it seems doubtful that a separate Facebook search site will be launched anytime soon, it is certainly possible that Facebook’s current search bar could be improved to be able to include this added functionality. I mean how incredibly cool would it be if Facebook could provide answers to questions like, “What are the best restaurants my friend’s have visited in the past month?” or, “Which of my friends, or friends of friends knows that contact I met at an event last night?”
These are exactly the types of socially related searches that could be extremely relevant to people and something that Google is certainly missing at the moment. Investors and businesses are also particularly intrigued by the potential for increased ability for paid ads both in the search typeahead, as well as next to or above search results. And in my opinion, after quite the controversial IPO, this could be Facebook’s much needed solution to generate a totally new stream of revenues and help increase their stock price.
So what does this mean for marketers? This could be the perfect way to further tap into Facebook’s 845 million active user base by positioning ads at exactly the right time and place when people are hungry for answers and most likely to be influenced.
Reference: http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/16/faceboogle/
