Who Really Uses Facebook Apps?
When Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard University buddies first launched Facebook in February 2004, it was an incredibly tiny, yet functional social networking service. In its earliest days, Facebook was only available for use by Harvard students, then was quickly introduced to – and thoroughly embraced by -students at other universities.
Who really knows whether Mr. Zuckerberg envisioned that his social platform would become so wildly popular?
Because when fast-forwarding to the present, you can see there is little resemblance to the Zuckerberg’s original Facebook, which he first called “FaceMash,” then “The facebook.”
For another thing, today’s Facebook is used by people – and businesses – from all over the world. In 4Q15, Facebook revealed it has over 1.64 billion monthly active users on their site, and 65% are daily users.
As such, is it really surprising that businesses of all sizes and industries have flocked to Facebook, built pages, and started engaging with potential clients? Many marketing experts agree this platform is one of the best and most effective places for jump-starting their sales and marketing efforts online.
And even though brand pages, in general, have experienced significant drops in their organic reach percentages over the past couple of years, Facebook still remains the platform of choice for many small business owners, entrepreneurs and startups.
With so many different types of people using Facebook, it really is an easy place for small and/or new business owners to begin gaining exposure, building their brands and developing their reputations.
Are you thinking about building a Facebook page for your new business? Or perhaps you already have a page, but you are not seeing the sales and marketing results you need?
One way of reaching your audience is with Facebook apps. Many of these apps are free or have free trials while others have costs associated with them. (These are known as paid apps).
Either way, Facebook apps help a variety of brands customize and enhance not only their pages but also their visitors’ Facebook experiences.
Are you ready to get started? With a little research and testing, you can find and start using the app or apps that will make your business page pop today!
Which businesses are really using Facebook apps? Here are some ideas you may consider using for your business page:
1) Custom Tab Apps
As Andrea Vahl states in her article for Social Media Examiner, “15 Types of Facebook Apps to Enhance Your Facebook Page,” the first app you should probably consider for your business page – regardless of the type of business – is an app which helps you build custom tabs.
Many page owners choose to use custom tabs on their Facebook pages because of the versatility they offer. For example, businesses might want to create tabs which link directly to their other social media accounts (i.e. Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram), and/or their website content.
This makes it easier for page visitors to quickly hop on over to (and hopefully, follow!) those sites without having to leave Facebook.
Here are three well-known custom tab apps:
2) Contest Apps
In the same Social Media Examiner article referenced above, Vahl talks about how contests are not only fun but how they can also help businesses drive engagement and acquire leads:
There are a lot of different contest and sweepstakes service providers out there. The good news is that if an app is using Facebook integration, you can be sure it’s complying with Facebook’s contest terms.
Although Facebook no longer requires businesses to administer promotions/contests through third-party apps, many businesses still prefer using them.
The advantages of using a third-party app for contests include the following:
- You can grow your email base.
- You can capture information about your fans.
- You can leverage the power of referral features.
- You can drive conversions.
Source: Second Street Promotions Lab
These are all important activities for businesses whether they are just starting out or when they need to focus on filling their sales pipelines.
Here are three Facebook apps for running contests which comply with Facebook’s contest terms:
3) E-commerce/Page Storefront Apps
Are you are a business owner or startup that sells tangible products? If so, you can use Facebook apps which will let you both display and sell your products from your Facebook page. Imagine how much easier this makes the online shopping experience for your Facebook followers.
Chances are you are working on or that you already have a business website. It turns out many of the Facebook apps for E-commerce seamlessly integrate your page with your website.
Here are three popular E-commerce/Storefront apps:
As you can imagine, there are many, many different apps you can choose from for your business page. However, when you start using the right apps for your business, this will not only help make your business page more appealing to your targeted audience, but it will enhance your visitors’ Facebook experience as well.
So once you find and start using the right app or apps, get ready to see more engagement on your Facebook page. This translates into more followers – and sales opportunities – for you.
And that’s a win-win situation for both sides.
Are you thinking about using Facebook apps for your business page? Which ones would you consider as best for your brand? I would love to hear your thoughts – please feel free to leave a comment below.
Lead/Featured image: Multiple sources – origin unknown
http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/14816/app-review-great-contest
Jennifer Hanford
Latest posts by Jennifer Hanford (see all)
- Business Travel on a Budget: 13 Tips for Savvy Entrepreneurs - September 8, 2016
- Who Really Uses Facebook Apps? - March 31, 2016
- Boost Social Media Marketing by Hosting Offline Events - January 31, 2016
