Benefits of a Custom
Facebook Page Application

Why a default Facebook Page doesn’t cut it.

Facebook Pages by default will provide the generic features, which all Facebook Pages have, such as, Wall, Info, Photos, Videos, etc., and while these are really important and useful features, they lack the depth required to truly engage your users on the level you would like. Since all these features are available to everyone who signs up for a Facebook Page (which is free), they are not unique and users are no longer interested in interacting with them. For this reason, customization is required.

Custom Tabs and what they can offer

A tab is another name of a segment of your Facebook Page, which performs a particular feature. In some cases they can be referred to as modules or widgets (semantics may vary). All the default features we spoke about above (Wall, Info, Photos) are tabs, which serve the feature they are built for.

Application developers (such as ourselves) can create custom tabs unique to a particular Facebook Page. The functionality & design of these tabs can be customized to create a user experience unique and, more importantly, relevant to that particular page.

Some examples of custom tab applications are Polls, Sweepstakes, Coupons and News Feed applications. They are designed and developed to perform that functionality defined by the social media strategy for that particular Facebook Page.

How custom tabs add value

If you are a famous electronics devices manufacturer coming out with the newest line of laptops and are looking to promote them, a simple way to gain widespread buzz is by utilizing the power of Facebook Pages to spread the word. One strategy that can be utilized is to create a Sweepstake through which you plan to give away three laptops as grand prizes. To be eligible to win the prize, a user must perform the following features:

• 'Like' your Facebook Page – This enables you to stay in touch with this user. Even if they don’t become your customer, you can continue to engage them in discussions and send them specials.
• Sign-up for your contest (provide their e-mail address) – This allows you to send more targeted information to the user via e-mail in the future about upcoming product and campaign.
• Watch promotional material – A video or print material can be displayed to the user in order to tell them more about your product. This helps you define your product to the potential customer.

Leverage viral elements for widespread growth

Continuing with the example provided above, we can now try to enhance the strategy even further still by trying to get it to spread amongst the social networks of the users who are signing up for a chance to win the laptop.

A referral system is just one of many examples that helps to accomplish this. The sweepstake system we mentioned above can be tweaked to allow users to enter their name into the hat multiple times simply by referring their friends to the sweepstake. For each friend that joins through a user, that user gets a bonus entry into the system. Quite a simple concept – extremely viral as everyone is self-serving and they will want to get multiple entries into the contest to increase their chances of winning.