First it was Facebook Business Pages. Shortly thereafter, independent developers started introducing really useful Facebook applications to truly make your business page meaningful and effective. Essentially, a viable new business social media marketing channel.
These 10 great Facebook apps are, what I believe, some of the most engaging for business page followers.
- Welcome Page
First thing’s first, you need a welcome page, and now Facebook makes it easy for your business page. Add some custom images and logos, and you have a branded Facebook entity. Most importantly, encourage people to click the “Like” button on your welcome page, and Facebook will track your popularity and reach. - RSS Graffiti
RSS Graffiti is a free app that checks user-specified RSS/Atom feeds and posts any new entries it finds to our Facebook business wall. This is essentially for automatically keeping your FB page relevant and fresh with your other related content sources. - Contact Me
The simple, yet critical Facebook application for you to convert browsers into engaged fans is via your Contact Me. Facebook business connections get in touch with you with this easily customizable contact information form. - Embedded YouTube, Flickr, Twitter
Embed YouTube, Flickr or Twitter steam on Facebook via its apps. You can enrich your Facebook business profile with useful links, video or images from the social media applications you already use. This content is transmitted systematically, saving time on double update publishing and sync all your social media channels. - SurveyMonkey
I love SurveyMonkey and so do most folks. That’s why it’s one of the leading polling applications. Integrated directly into Facebook, SurveyMonkey polls and surveys are a great way to learn about your fans and to give them something to do on your page. Simple to create, intuitive to use, and engaging all in one. - Promotions
Using the promotional apps available on Facebook is a favorite way to engage and reward followers. Contests, quizzes, coupons and sweepstakes can all be easily configured. These tools are essential for organizing contests or promotional events with word of mouth support. - Blog Feeds
Facebook blog feeds enable bloggers to announce fresh posts automatically to your business page. Several existing blog feeding and publishing tools support this blog content exchange. Business Facebook fans will be immediately notified after new posts release on your synchronized blog. - Jobcast.net
This tool is valuable to keep followers informed about opportunities with your company. Use it to link to your external candidates page or even accept applications. This app also lets fans like and share job listings, helping you find the perfect fit for your new opening. - Testimonials
Word of mouth captured via Facebook. Testimonial and reviews apps to help your customers share their opinion about your products and services. Each app allows people to post a short overview, a rating or a long testimonial. It is a suitable add-on for pages to prove business reliability. Real, relevant Facebook recommendations from real customer profiles help attract new customers. - Livestream
Somewhat more advanced than the others, Livestream is an application that enables streaming live content to your Facebook business page. This is an exciting way to broadcast a new product, release, conference presentation or other time-sensitive content.