Tech Feature: Should you build a Facebook App?
Facebook has more than 500 million active users on its network. That is an incredibly big number. Even better – more than half of those users log in on any given day. There is no doubting the popularity Facebook has in our culture, and how much it has changed how people interact with each other. For most of us, Facebook has become an integral part of how we communicate with others in our networks, and has allowed us to reconnect with old friends which may not have been otherwise possible. I, for one, know that I never go one day without logging in to Facebook at least once a day, and most days I log in several times.
What implications do these stats have for businesses wanting to expand their reach through a Facebook app? Well – the Facebook Platform is undoubtedly one of the largest. According to their website, 10,000 new websites integrate with Facebook every day since the launch of social plugins in April 2010 and users on Facebook install 20 million applications every day.
Those numbers are pretty compelling, and the potential is clear. But what kind of application can your business build on Facebook? Well, the obvious answer is a game that users play while interacting with others. You may have heard of some of the more popular games such as FarmVille™, Texas HoldEm, Bejeweled Blitz™ and Mafia Wars™.
But games are not the only application a business can build. Currently the following categories of apps exist on the Facebook App Directory:
- Business
- Education
- Entertainment
- Friends & Family
- Games
- Just for Fun
- Lifestyle
- Sports
- Utilities
Facebook Application Development Approaches:
The possibilities of the type of app you can build are pretty much endless. But there are also different approaches to developing your app. For instance, many companies choose to run Canvas Applications, which are completely integrated in the Facebook Platform and users don’t leave Facebook when using the application. This option is great for gaming apps. Also, this option is good when you want your application to utilize the user interface that Facebook users are already familiar with for pretty seamless adoption.
Another option is called Facebook Connect. This is a way of integrating a standalone web application with Facebook. Facebook Connect allows your application to create a more social experience, as well as have access to the public data that your users publish about themselves and their friends. Additionally, this is a great way to distribute content using the same integration points and social channels as Facebook, and enable your users to easily share content and actions they take on your application with their Facebook friends.
What about if you want to create a mobile application? Fortunately, Facebook has made this pretty easy as well to create mobile apps that leverage the Facebook Platform. The Facebook Platform provides software development kits for Android™ and iOS™ apps, as well as an application that uses a mobile browser.
So there you have it. Facebook is a pretty powerful tool for a company interested in engaging with its users in a social network setting. One key thing to remember, however, is building that app alone isn’t enough. You have to be willing to put in the time to manage the application and stay engaged with users, or they will abandon your application. You must also be offering something of interest to users, or your application will never get noticed in the first place. Some Facebook application development companies (like Amadeus Consulting) have an experienced social media marketing team to help your company manage your Facebook presence to ensure that your investment in a Facebook application is worth the cost.
If you have an idea for a Facebook app and want to talk it over with an expert, contact our business development team and we can help you get started.
