In most cases, an efficient Web strategy requires a mix of communication media. Each medium must be chosen strategically, and intended for a specific goal.
Today, with the Internet, there is no limit to what marketers can achieve. From direct sales, we went to one-way communication like television commercials and newspaper ads. Then, the Internet arrived on the scene, derailing every traditional marketing reference point, and introducing a new, previously unknown aspect: interactive, two-way communication.
Among the most popular trends among companies in recent years has been campaign gamification, with all kinds of contests featured.
Today, I want to focus on a few interesting activities and apps that will enable you to improve your marketing campaigns through Facebook integration.
Let’s examine 12 tested and approved Facebook apps that will enhance your online user experience.
Online stores directly accessible via your Facebook page
Those who know me will tell you that I am not a big Facebook sales fan.
This social network’s audience is prone to seek distraction, chat with others, and relay information. Oftentimes, users who are on Facebook want to stay on.
What to do when your prospects won’t come to you? Go to them! Something to consider, which may be interesting to a lot of companies and online merchants, is to offer an online store, directly on Facebook. It is possible through an app, accessible via your company’s Facebook page.
For this approach, here are two easy-to-use apps:
Facebook Community Management
Keeping a Facebook community engaged often requires a great deal of commitment from community managers. With the social network’s recent algorithm updates, the reach, also known as visibility of posts, becomes increasingly problematic for the most part. Before resorting to paying to promote your posts as Facebook kindly suggests, consider using a few tricks to help you increase your audience’s level of interaction and ensure greater visibility for your posts.
Here are two Facebook apps that will enable you to have a better reach through mini contests designed to keep your community interested and reward your most active fans. This strategy often provides positive reinforcement to promote interaction with your brand on Facebook.
Increase the number of Facebook fans through a Fan Gate or a Facebook portal
Exclusivity is still in vogue, and provides a sense of added value to the content. A good idea to increase the number of Likes is to offer exclusive content to your community.
PS: I am not promoting intrusive pop-ups that show up 1 second after a click. You have to keep in mind the importance of a good user experience when you use this kind of approach, and when and where to use it. Here are two Facebook apps that will enable you to do this easily:
Become accessible via your Facebook page
One positive aspect every company with a Facebook page should consider as a priority: Facebook feedbacks. Being present on a social network does not only mean to post and receive comments, Likes, and Shares. In reality, you are on Facebook to be accessible to your clients and prospects. Why shouldn’t they be able to send you their questions and comments? Here are 3 apps that will help you easily create and incorporate contact forms directly on your company’s Facebook page.
Incorporate contests to enhance your Web campaigns
What I find interesting in integrating social platforms in a marketing campaign is the gamification aspect. Oftentimes, companies will create one or several contests that work really well, without necessarily adding value to the campaign. In other words, holding a contest just for the sake of it is not necessarily a good idea. Using a contest to promote a landing page: I love it.
Having tested several types of contests for companies in different fields over the past years, I find combining a contest with a PPC campaign (Adwords) to be an excellent idea. The simplest way is to incorporate your contest in the “Thank you” page. This significantly increases the participation rate because, by then, your prospect’s attention is at its peak. You can prompt users to share your landing page in return for a contest entry or even a certain discount rate. Here are 3 Facebook apps that will enable you to do this in a few simple clicks.
These are a few apps that I recall testing in several situations. Don’t hesitate to send me your questions and share your best and worst efforts on the Internet. I will be more than happy to discover your favourites.
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