15 types of facebook apps to enhance your facebook page
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15 Types of Facebook Apps toEnhance Your Facebook PageBy Andrea Vahl
Published March 2, 2015
Want to do more with your Facebook page?
Have you considered using Facebook apps?
Facebook apps let you customize your Facebookpage in many ways.
In this article I’ll share 15 ways Facebook appscan enhance and customize your Facebookpage .
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Discover 15 types of Facebook Apps to enhance your Facebook Page.
Note: Many of the apps listed here have some free options and some paid options, sobe aware of the pricing structure of each app. Additionally, some apps do multiplethings, so you may see them repeated several times throughout this article.
#1: Custom Tab AppsThe first type of app you should consider is a custom tab, because you can use themto create so many different things. For example, you could include an image, arestaurant menu, a video, and an opt-in form on a single custom tab tobasically install a mini-website on Facebook.
HeyoTabfoundryShortStackPagemodoTabSiteStatic HTML – ThunderpennyLeadPagesWooboxWishpond
#2: Email Capture Form or Contact Form Apps
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The lines between email capture forms and custom tabs are a bit blurred. You cantypically create any email capture form with a custom tab, but these app providers canmake the form creation a bit more seamless.
Constant ContactaWeberMailChimp
Use MailChimp’s Facebook app to allow you to add email subscribers right from Facebook.
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#3: Quiz and Poll AppsPolls can be very engaging. They can also help you gain valuable knowledge aboutyour customers. Use these tools to better integrate your quiz or poll with yourFacebook page.
SurveyMonkeyAgoraPulseWooboxAntavo
#4: Blog or RSS Feed AppsAgain, while many of the custom tab apps can bring in an RSS feed of your blog posts,these apps focus specifically on that feature:
Dlvr.itRSS GraffitiSocial RSSNetworkedBlogs
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Use Netw orked Blogs to bring your posts into a tab automatically.
#5: Automatic or Scheduled Posting AppsThese tools aren’t necessarily for automatic posting and scheduling solely toFacebook—they can also help with posting to several places at once.
Post PlannerBufferHootsuiteSprout SocialDlvr.itIFTTTShareistRignite
#6: Social Media Integration Apps
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If you’ve got a thriving pin strategy going, it makes sense to share those pins andboards with your Facebook audience . Here are some different possibilities to helpyou.
WooboxTabSitePagemodo
With Woobox, you can easily import your Pinterest boards onto a tab.
Would you like to put your Instagram photos on a tab on your Facebook page?Use one of these apps:
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IconosquareWooboxTabSitePagemodo
Use Iconosquare to put your Instagram photos on a tab.
Depending on what you want to do, you can integrate Facebook and Twitter in a fewways. You can use Facebook’s own Twitter app athttps://www.facebook.com/twitter/ to tweet out every post. This can be a nice way tobring your Twitter followers to your page, but make sure you’re monitoring Twitter andadding other content as well.
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Use Facebook’s tool to link or unlink your Facebook page to Tw itter.
If you want to be more selective about what you post to both sites, use one of thescheduling tools mentioned earlier, many of which work with multiple social sites.
If you’d like to add a tab of your tweets, here are some solutions:
WooboxTabSiteShortStackPagemodo
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Use the Woobox app to add your tw eets to a tab.
YouTube
Facebook’s own Video tab is gaining functionality with Featured Videos and Playlists.But if you have a YouTube channel with a lot of videos, you can use the YouTube Tabapp.
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Embed your YouTube channel on your page.
Woobox also has a solution for adding a YouTube channel to a Facebook page.
Podcasts
It can be tricky to import a podcast to a page , depending on how you deliver yourbroadcast. At Social Media Examiner, we use a custom tab to showcase thevariety of ways people can listen to our podcast.
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Use a custom tab to show case a podcast w ith several w ays to listen.
Alternatively, if you use the Libsyn service, you can easily add a tab with yourepisodes using the Libsyn Podcast app.
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If you use Libsyn, you can easily import your podcast to your page.
#7: Ecommerce or Page Storefront AppsOnce again, there are a lot of ways to integrate a storefront with your page. Typically Iwould recommend you spend most of your energy developing your own websiteas an ecommerce hub. But if you’re using a site that easily integrates with yourpage, you may want to feature your products on Facebook as well.
Many of these apps integrate with your website, so you can use them to build yourecommerce site, and then easily add it to your Facebook page .
EasySocialShopEcwidShopifyShopTabStorefront SocialStorenvyVolusion
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EasySocialShop w orks w ith a variety of products you might already be using such as Ebay, Etsy or
Shopify.
#8: Contest AppsContests are a great way to increase engagement, get leads for your business (if youuse email opt-in campaigns) and have a little fun. There are a lot of different contestand sweepstakes service providers out there. The good news is that if an app is usingFacebook integration, you can be sure it’s complying with Facebook’s contestterms.
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There are even a couple of different apps that help you run a timeline contest, butyou want to make sure you know the rules before you get started.
HeyoTabfoundryShortStackPagemodoTabSiteWooboxContest DominationOfferpopRafflecopterAgoraPulseAntavo
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EasypromosStruttaVotigoWishpondWizeHive
#9: Live Video AppsVideo is a great way to let people get to know you. One of my favorite video apps onFacebook is 22Social, which lets you integrate a Google Hangout on Air into yourFacebook page and saves it to your YouTube channel. People can comment onyour Facebook tab as well as the Google hangout, which allows them to participatewherever they like.
Facebook Marketing for Dummies used this tool for a book launch and had greatsuccess with hundreds of people tuning in live.
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Use 22Social to host a Google Hangout on Air that is streamed to Facebook.
Another great tool for live streaming video on Facebook is LiveStream. As a bonus, italso streams on websites.
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Use Livestream on Facebook or on w ebsites.
#10: Review AppsThe best review app is the one that’s integrated into Facebook, because the starrating shows up prominently on the timeline. To enable the Review app, all youneed to do is change your page category to a Local Business, and then add anaddress to your About section.
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Facebook’s ow n Review app allow s you to comment or like the review s.
A word of caution: Once a review has been submitted, it’s live. You can comment onthe review as your page and reviewers can edit their review later if somehow they’repersuaded to change their mind, but you cannot delete it.
You can remove the entire Review app by changing your category tosomething other than Local Business. But hopefully your first inclination is to workon resolving a complaint.
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A review er can edit his or her review .
If you want to create your own tab for testimonials, Tabsite has a Social Review app.
#11: Coupon AppsThere are lots of different ways to do coupons on Facebook, including usingFacebook Offers, sending people to an opt-in to receive the coupon or using a customtab. But these Facebook apps (some of which have options to increase engagement)offer easy-to-use solutions:
WooboxAntavoAgoraPulseWishpondOfferpop
#12: Appointment Scheduling AppsIf you want someone to be able to easily schedule an appointment with you, considerone of these apps. Each works both as a standalone appointment-setter, but can beeasily pulled into a Facebook tab.
vCitaAppointy
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SetMoreSchedulicity
vCita brings in your appointment scheduler to a tab.
You can also use tools like Custom Tabs to bring your appointment schedulertool into Facebook.
#13: Statistics and Measurement AppsMost of the Facebook measurement tools aren’t Facebook apps themselves; theyaccess your stats and can analyze them in different ways. You can do a lot withFacebook Insights, but sometimes you want to see the data differently or track multipleplatforms at once. These tools can help.
AgoraPulseSimply MeasuredSprout SocialZuum
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SocialbakersQuintly
Quintly compares your stats against competitors’.
#14: Customer Service AppsTypically people use social sites as a way to contact companies and get customerservice. If you want to track those interactions more specifically, you can use an applike Get Satisfaction to help you.
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Use the Get Satisfaction app to allow people to submit a request for service.
#15: Jobs Listing AppsIf you have multiple job openings and want to feature them on your Facebookpage , there are a few apps that can help you get the word out.
JobviteJobcastWork4
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Tools like Jobvite can make recruiting easier.
Facebook Apps BasicsThere are three apps that show up with an “app cover image” you can customizeon the left sidebar.
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Apps can enhance a Facebook page, but are less visible than they used to be.
All of the apps installed on your page are visible under the More menu just underyour cover image.
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Use the More menu to see a list of your apps.
You can manage and remove installed apps from your page dashboard by goingto Settings at the top of your page and then selecting Apps.
Edit tab cover images or remove apps w ith the x.
Remember that most people connect with your page through the news feed. Ifyou want more visibility for your app, try sharing a direct link to the app in anupdate on your page.
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That said, if someone is viewing your page on a mobile device, they can’t seeyour tabs. Even if you link to a tab and post that link in an update, mobile userswon’t be able to see it if the app isn’t mobile-compatible. If you use custom apps,make sure they’re visible on mobile devices.
Conclusion
One of the big questions people ask is, “Are Facebook apps dead?” While theirvisibility has decreased, I still believe you can add value to your page and yourcommunity with apps. If you can entice someone to learn more about you andyour services, opt into your email newsletter or connect with your othersocial sites without much effort, why not?
To find the direct link to the app, navigate to the app and then copythe URL.
Just remember, apps come and go frequently, so make sure the app that interestsyou is active and being updated regularly to comply with Facebook’schanges.
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How about you? Do you use Facebook apps? What are your favorites? Didyou see any surprising apps that you didn’t know about in this list? Share yourthoughts with us in the comments below.
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Tags: andrea v ahl, custom f acebook page, f acebook, f acebook app, f acebook custom tab, f acebook tool, social integration app
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, A ndrea V ahl
A ndrea V ahl is co-author of Facebook Marketing A ll- in-One f or
Dummies and also uses her improv comedy skills to blog as
Grandma Mary , Soc ial Media Edutainer . Connec t w ith her at
w w w .andreavahl.com. Othe r pos ts by A ndrea V ahl »
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 19 hours ago> Troy Johnson
Yes, it's definitely a balancing act between enhancing the Facebook experience and getting people to yourwebsite. Ultimately getting them to your website is the primary goal but if you can get them on your e-mail listor get more connection with your Fans, then that's a good thing too! Thanks for your thoughts!
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• Reply •
Suzanne • 14 hours ago> Troy Johnson
Mr. Johnson, while I see your perspective; there are many ways you can use this list of apps to "think outsidethe box."
If you consider all of the ways you could use the apps to collect information on your customers, and/orincrease the number of leads received - this could be incredible.
Example: use the live video app for live webinars, find new clients, etc. △ ▽
• Reply •
Emeric • a day ago
Thanks for mentioning Agorapulse Andrea! We also have a Youtube app by the way (or more a video app as you canalso add Vimeo channels). On our side though, we see less and less "static content" apps being installed as tabs,much more contest and promotions.
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• Reply •
Cindy King • a day agoStaff > Emeric
Thanks for sharing your insights about static content, Emeric! 1△ ▽
• Reply •
Emeric • 15 hours ago> Cindy King
You're welcome @Cindy King! Overall, Facebook app usage is not on the rise. Facebook has alsoconfirmed "unofficially" to many friends of mine that they don't like apps. So I assume that they willcontinue to release features that are not app friendly, as they've done consistently over the last 3years... Time to invest in other Social Media management features :-)
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 19 hours ago> Emeric
Absolutely Emeric! And sorry I missed your video app! This post took on a life of it's own by the time I wasdone :) Thanks for your thoughts on the tabs too.
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• Reply •
Emeric • 15 hours ago> Andrea Vahl
Hey @Andrea Vahl, I'm sure this kind of post took you a loooong time to put together! Great job :-) △ ▽
• Reply •
Riyaz Alam • a day ago
This is an awesome collection for facebook page promotion. it teaches each and every aspect of business viafacebook. thanks a lot for the contribution
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 19 hours ago> Riyaz Alam
Glad you enjoyed it :) △ ▽
• Reply •
Sara Piccola • 18 hours ago
Great list of apps here Andrea. You can actually create all 15 of these Facebook apps using ShortStack! I like all thedifferent options you've listed here though, lots of tools for marketers to choose from!
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Andrea Vahl • 16 hours ago> Sara Piccola
Hi Sara - I know it became super difficult to break these categories down! ShortStack does fit into every one
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• Reply •
and I think I mention that somewhere - that there are a few of these apps that can do it all :) △ ▽
• Reply •
Phyllis Khare • 17 hours ago
wow. This article is a great resource Andrea! I will be pointing lots of people here when they ask me about Facebookapps! Sharing.
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 16 hours ago> Phyllis Khare
Thanks Phyllis :) △ ▽
• Reply •
Jenny Brennan • 16 hours ago
Wow! Andrea, this is a great resource for people. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together. Great resource andI'll share, share share :-)
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 16 hours ago> Jenny Brennan
Thanks Jenny!! 1△ ▽
• Reply •
Angela Ponsford • 14 hours ago
Another excellent post from Andrea Vahl. I've clipped to Evernote for future reference and will of course be sharing itaround :)
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 11 hours ago> Angela Ponsford
Thanks Angela!! △ ▽
• Reply •
Aimee • 14 hours ago
Do you know of any apps that enable you to show store locations? △ ▽
Andrea Vahl • 11 hours ago> Aimee
For that I would maybe suggest making a custom tab - you could do something like this:https://www.facebook.com/BAMCo... Or you could use http://www.mapcustomizer.com
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• Reply •
http://zeemaps.com/ and bring that into a tab. Hope that helps! △ ▽
• Reply •
nathanlatka1 • 13 hours ago
Hey Andrea, what a WHOPPER of a post! Thank you for including Heyo :)
We'll link to this as a resource to our subscriber base for everything they need to know about FB apps. △ ▽
• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 11 hours ago> nathanlatka1
Thanks Nathan - happy to include Heyo - it can do just about everything :) △ ▽
• Reply •
Kellie Crowe • 13 hours ago
Andrea, in light of Facebook's recent announcement that pages that asked for likes or shares would be penalized byFacebook in the newsfeed, will any of the above apps (rafflecopter, shortstack, offerpop, etc.) that are built on thepremise of contests, offers, likes and shares … harm page views in the newsfeed? Does Facebook treat appsdifferently?
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• Reply •
Andrea Vahl • 11 hours ago> Kellie Crowe
Good point but the Facebook announcement was more directed towards the "Like this post if you agree" typeof posts. Contest posts are a little different and most likely wouldn't be penalized. Facebook may consider acontest promotion and so it would be good to boost that post just to give it more visibility.
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• Reply •
Kellie Crowe • 11 hours ago> Andrea Vahl
Thank you for the clarification. Then, I'll just need to be careful to choose images for the contests thatwould comply with the 20% text rule, so that we can still boost the posts. (So much to remember!)
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• Reply •
Mike Gingerich • 12 hours ago
Yo Andrea!! A real MASSIVELY useful list and appreciate the TabSite inclusions! Lots of friends on this list too. Asyou note, when used well for engagement and lead capture, apps add lots of value to web marketing on Facebook,web, and mobile!
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Andrea Vahl • 11 hours ago> Mike Gingerich
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• Reply •
Thanks Mike! Happy to include Tabsite - great app that does a lot! △ ▽
• Reply •
Downtonian • 11 hours ago> Mike Gingerich
I love this list and am patting myself on the back because I'm already using a couple Tabsite apps, andgetting ready to add the new Pinterest one. Love that you've integrated Canva now, too! I do worry that peopledon't see my tabs... really hate that they are invisible on mobile, too. But I figure having them is better thanNOT having them so I cheerfully install. Thanks, Andrea and Mike!
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• Reply •
Ranjith Kumar • 10 hours ago
Awesome apps... △ ▽
• Reply •
Manny Cortez • 9 hours ago
With the majority of Facebook users being on mobile, and mobile not being able to access Facebook, layered withmajority of users engaging with brands on newsfeeds, and not on their actual page, why create these on Facebookinstead of linking users to your owned site that you control? There's a reason why companies like Wildfire have beenshut down, I just no longer see the value of these now that mobile trends are moving farther and farther away fromthis. Open to be convinced otherwise ;)
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