The way we optimize is about to change drastically.

Facebook and Bing are collaborating to put a larger dent in the world of social and search. PCs, tablets, and mobile devices are being used simultaneously to make purchasing decisions. Even the way we optimize our time with social media is changing due to the recent death of LinkedIn Answers.

Needless to say, there have been some big announcements this week. But don't worry, because this round-up will help you prepare for what’s ahead. Let's get started!

Facebook Announces New Social Search Feature Called 'Graph Search'

Do you recall last week’s round-up post where we mentioned our top predictions for Facebook's secret January 15th announcement? We heard  (or made some up ourselves) that Facebook would reveal a new design, a dating site, or even a gaming platform. But in the end, they whipped out a concept for a search engine called ‘Graph Search,’ which will be powered by Microsoft Bing. Just a couple days after Facebook’s hyped up “secret announcement,” Bing announced that its search results will now feature 5x more Facebook content. Look out, Google, the competition just got hotter!

So what is Facebook’s Graph Search exactly, and what makes it different from any other search engine? Essentially, Graph Search (which is currently in beta) will show you the information that matters to your life based on your network, instead of results based on what matters to a bunch of strangers. It’s kind of like what Google tried to do with Google+, except Facebook has just a tad more active users ;-) Marketers, get excited. It’s about to get much easier for new audiences to find your business’ content via Facebook. Interested in learning more about Facebook’s new ‘Graph Search?’ Read the full story here.

SEO For Facebook Graph Search? Facebook Has Some Tips, From Search Engine Land

Okay, so Facebook just introduced this new social search engine. Awesome. Now what? When (and how) can we start optimizing to gain visibility immediately? These are all valid marketing questions, to which Facebook and Search Engine Land have provided some tips:

1) Make sure you’re thoughtful about your company’s Facebook Page name, category, vanity URL, and “About” section. Information included here will help users find you.

2) If you want to take advantage of the benefits that come from local search optimization, make sure you update your company’s address. You want to appear in search results when someone searches for a specific location, right?

3) Engagement is important. Give your current fans a reason to interact with your Page, but also learn how to further attract the right kinds of fans. If you need some help, check out this Facebook guide.

Marketers, just note that “web searches with Bing’s search results may also be used if Facebook needs to find additional content not in its graph.” Want to learn more about how you can optimize for Facebook’s new Graph Search? Read the full story here.

RIP LinkedIn Answers, From Mashable

Here’s one that came out of left field … LinkedIn is scrapping LinkedIn Answers on January 31st. The company sent out an email to LinkedIn users on Thursday with the statement. In the email, LinkedIn said, “We will be focusing our efforts on the development of new and more engaging ways to share and discuss professional topics across LinkedIn.” It sounds like LinkedIn Answers simply wasn’t driving much engagement, and couldn’t compete with other question-and-answer websites like Quora.

So what does this mean for marketers? You might need to revamp your social media monitoring strategy. LinkedIn Answers has been a great tool for monitoring questions and conversations about certain companies and industries. Now, we’ll need to shift our focus to discussions in LinkedIn Groups, questions on Quora, or mentions through Google Alerts for similar results. To learn more about LinkedIn’s Answers repeal, read the full story here.

The Science of Twitter Webinar

Is your Twitter marketing strategy based around luck and doing whatever ‘feels’ right? Quit playing guessing games. There’s a science to understanding how users behave on Twitter. HubSpot’s Social Media Scientist, Dan Zarrella, has some cold, hard data related to what kinds of content people on Twitter want to engage with and what produces real ROI. As an attendee, not only will you get the chance to learn about the latest real world, actionable, in-the-trenches data, but you’ll also get a chance to participate in Dan Zarrella’s latest research, in real-time, through a new tool that collects marketing analytics. Curious to learn more? Join us on Wednesday, January 23rd at 1pm EST. Register for the free webinar here.

Study: Tablet Users Like To Shop, Buy, From MediaPost

Marketers, are you thinking about how tablets play into your overall marketing and optimization strategies? A new study by Adobe Systems found that 55% of tablet owners reported using the device for buying products, compared to 28% of smartphone users. If your business (or even your competitor’s businesses) relies on online sales in order to be successful, you’ll want to keep this on your radar.

Additionally, this Adobe research showed that 49% of tablet users want to see interactive images and slideshows, while 60% of smartphone users want location-based services. As a marketer, you need to make sure you’re considering user experience. Are you optimizing based on what your audience prefers or solely adapting to make the search engines happy? To make it easier on yourself, while you’re revamping your SEO strategy for Facebook’s new Graph Search, take some time to reevaluate and plan for users who are viewing your company’s content on tablets and mobile devices. Want to see more data? Read the full story here.

Justifying Smartphone PPC Spend as Tablet Results Soar, From Search Engine Watch

Based on the data reported in that last story, it’s clear that tablets are better for driving sales than smartphones. But that doesn’t mean you should forget about the smartphone entirely! We have to note that users don’t operate in silos. They use multiple devices simultaneously or hop from one to the next when making a purchase decision. In fact, Search Engine Watch reported that 57% of the time, survey respondents used a smartphone when using another device – 28% with a PC/laptop, 29% with television.

It’s important to think of this concept of silos in a broader sense, relating it back to everything you do in your marketing, sales, development, and beyond! Remember that everything is linked and you need to understand how it all works together to really drive results. Get your sales and marketing aligned with SMarketing. Improve user experience by coordinating design, development, and user testing efforts. Finally, optimize your website for not only search engines, but for PCs, tablets, and mobile devices too! Want to learn more? Read the full story here.

Did you come across any other interesting marketing stories this week? Share them in the comments!

Image credit: clasesdeperiodismo