There's a wide variety of Facebook apps to chose from for your Facebook Page and Profile, but which ones will give you the most bang for your buck and keep your audience coming back for more? Let me walk you through five Facebook apps that get my seal of approval.
What Apps Can You Use To Create A LIKEable Brand Page On Facebook?
If you've spent any time at all on Facebook, it seems like there are always new apps coming out to enhance our experience. If you're fairly new to Facebook Pages, you may be swimming in options and curious how to sift through the confusion and move on to a clean start. This post is meant for the latter group.
Lets first begin with a solid canvas...
You As Your Top Brand Ambassador
Just as your Facebook Page is "mission control" for all business interactions on Facebook, your personal profile is your passport to everything you do on Facebook. While Facebook has strict terms of service for conducting business, you are able to identify yourself as the top ambassador of your brand via your profile.
A quick video how-to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYVlmLxtJnU
Pretty simple, eh? :)
Branding Your Facebook Page
You need a cover banner and a version of your logo that you feel confident representing your business brand with each status update. Cover banners should be 851 x 315 pixels and logos should be 160 x 160 for best visual effect.
Only about 2% of your fans will ever return to your page, unless driven there by you. So, you should certainly make good visual impression on your Facebook Page, but work harder at reaching your fans in the news feed with attractive posts and updates.
While we're talking about Timeline Cover Images - New uploads here do reach your fans in the news feed, so be creative and feel free to change the cover image from time to time. Here are 18 creative tips and examples of making the most of your Facebook Page's cover image space.
Also important - Your "About" Panel. Optimally, you should include your key words and a clickable website link. A Twitter link too if you can fit it and plan to be active on Twitter.
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Idea Girl Media: Note the About Panel & Custom Tab Images[/caption]
A "Welcome Tab" helps potential fans understand what makes your brand special. Lujure makes a great FREE tab that allows 810 pixels across, and includes tons of really easy features: hot spots, social links, counters, really...many cool features! Ultimately, you want customized tab images that reflect your brand - 111 x 74 pixels. Here are details and video that speak to customization at Social Media Today.
Special Note: You can also customize the names for each tab/app!
Being Fancy With Your News Feed
It's no secret: People are becoming more visual. So, video, photos, and infographics will bring more interaction. Think of it as setting out "eye candy" for your fans to nosh on. Fans will spend greater time looking at albums of 3 images or more.
Top 5 Apps To Create A LIKEable Facebook Brand Page
The following are recommended to get you optimal "bang for your buck":
ContactMe
An easy way to capture inquiries from fans if you do not have a Constant Contact or MailChimp account. I'm currently using it, and receive pretty consistent messages from fans with questions and wishes to subscribe to my Email newsletter.
Networked Blogs
If you're serious about social media, you should be blogging! A great way to bring your blog to your Facebook Page and create optimal "Facebook SEO" is this tab. The link provided leads you to my tab, and you will see a feed of my most recent blog posts as example. You can also reach the Networked Blogs site directly so you can connect your blog and install your own tab.
Tip: Do not auto-syndicate your posts; Post the link directly to your Facebook wall.
Pinvolve
Ohhhh... This one will make you cry pretty purple velvet cupcakes!
You AND your fans can pin your Facebook posts right to Pinterest!! It's like a stealth weapon for attracting fans to your page. Remember my recommendation for creating eye candy? This is the catalyst connector for all things visually delicious!
A red "Get Pinvolve Now" button can be found via the link above. ;)
YouTube by Involver
Really nice interface, and more "plush" than the Facebook version. It provides a feed of your most recent or preferred video clips to show off. PLUS -- It offers the "Like" & "Send" buttons AND Facebook Comments right on the tab!
Edit your settings right from the tab, and reach the Involver website for more great options too. :D
Booshaka
Looking for a nice way to recognize fans and encourage more interaction? This app is as unique as it's name!
You can recognize:
- Top Fans.
- Top Posters.
- Top Commenters.
- Top Likers.
- Top Movers.
Consistently see who is interacting most on your page.
The nice thing about this app is it automatically tags those you wish to recognize so they get a notification to visit your page and/or respond.
Look for the "Get This App" button at the top of the page via the link above.
Extra Bonus Time
The apps mentioned above are easy to install and bring good interaction on-page or directly to you.
Not tickled enough? They're all FREE!!
Talk about "bang for your buck!" :D
What apps are you using on your Facebook Page?
Did I leave any really good ones out?
Please tell me in the comments box below...
