Using Facebook Applications to Engage Users

No brand can ever ignore the potential of Facebook applications. In order to build your brand presence on Facebook, you can use a variety of these applications. Each application has its own unique value.

If you want to drive social momentum, it’s crucial to use Facebook application which provides consumers a specific value. Brands can use applications to achieve a wide range of purposes. However, all these purposes lead the brand towards a potential goal – drive social momentum.

A Facebook application can focus on the following goals –

• Consumer Engagement
• Consumer Entertainment
• Consumer Convenience
• Reputation Management
• Client Retention
• Traffic Generation
• Lead Generation

When a company is looking to build its presence on Facebook, it needs to choose applications that offer compelling value to the target audience. Applications must always be used to enhance the user experience and entice them to engage more with a particular brand.

Types of Applications
There are a wide range of applications that brands can employ to connect with their target audience or consumers. While choosing applications, companies need to make sure what goals they are looking to fulfill. Depending on the specific requirements, brands can use effective applications and integrate those applications into the fan page or brand page on Facebook.

Whether you want to promote user engagement, provide fans with a dose of entertainment, drive traffic to your company website, acquire new customers or retain existing clients, applications must be developed in a way that they are simple, attention-grabbing and fun.

Before integrating an application into a brand page or fan page, companies need to very clear about their business strategy and position. Though the common goal of a Facebook application is to enhance consumer engagement, each application has a specific goal to connect with a different group of consumers.

General Guidelines of Using Applications
In addition to achieving specific goals that you want to fulfill, companies should follow some general guidelines regardless of the nature of their business. Brands are recommended to use at least one Facebook application which engages consumers without requiring much time investment. Another general guideline brands need to follow is use or develop at least one Facebook application that keeps the fan page fresh with content. Such applications help integrate updated content from various online resources. Another must-use application is one that enhances the value of company’s products or services.

What applications are you using to build your brand presence on Facebook? Is it working well with your target audience? Please feel free to share your comments, feedbacks and experiences in the comment section below.