Category FACEBOOK APPS

Facebook recently introduced a new type of video ad, which focuses on driving mobile app installation. This feature is a part of Facebook Mobile Apps which brings more interactivity to the newsfeed, where customers can click and play the video before installing a particular app.

Now, developers can use videos to drive customers to a Google Play Store or Apple Apps Store within Facebook. This allows users some preview on the product before installing the app.

Videos are proven to boost engagement in the Facebook news feed, so it seems natural to test this out for app installs as well.

The brand Double Down Casino was the first partner to test the advantages of the new feature. John Clelland, Vice President, Interactive Marketing for DoubleDown Casino says that using videos on the ads resulted to increase in installs, while the company costs per install has decreased. This is indeed a proof of greater opportunities in mobile app marketing.

Lately it’s becoming a trend for developers to utilize Facebook as an alternative channel to Google Play and the Apple Apps Store to widen reach among target users. This is particularly true to free-to-play games.

Successful Facebook ad campaigns requires the most compelling copy to drive leads. Facebook recommends videos that showcase the best characteristics of the app, user experience, game instructions or screenplays.

Bonus: The videos are not set to play automatically on the newsfeed, just like other shared video contents, so it is less likely to receive negative comments.

Facebook Ads has also simplified the way advertisers buy mobile app ads. This is by providing options for bidding and optimizing mobile app installs. Facebook has now introduced the cost per action (CPA) bid, which helps advertisers manage their ad budget better, maximizing costs per installs. Through this bidding, advertisers are only charged when a user downloads and installs the app, providing more control on spending in mobile app campaigns.

Based on beta tests, buying on CPA costs per install is 20% cheaper compared on buying on CPC or Cost Per Click. In order to start bidding CPA, advertisers will need to track the number of installs on a ad campaign. You can do this by integrating the ad campaign with Facebook SDL or get a mobile analytics partner.

As of now these new features will be gradually introduced to developers and advertisers who are promoting mobile apps installs and not yet to general users.

So what do you think? Excited about this latest news? How will you use this for your business?

Are you a local business?  Do you have a brick and mortar store?  Then you’ll definitely want to keep reading!!

Check-ins is a Facebook mobile feature which allows users to discover and share their favorite locations to friends. This feature is great if you have a physical location and you want your shop to be talk of the town. It’s also a great way to get your store noticed by people who might have not otherwise known you had a retail location.

You can best utilize Facebook checkins by doing this:

First: To allow people to check in at your Business Page, you will need to select Local Business as page category. Then add a business address on the Page settings. If the page has already been created, you can still change the page category.

1. From the top of your Page, click Edit Page and Select Update Page Info
2. Edit Category
3. Select Local Businesses from the first dropdown menu, then select a more specific category (ex: Restaurant/Cafe) from the second dropdown menu.
4. Click Save Changes

Second: Edit your business address to your Page:

1. At the top of your Page, click Edit Page and select Update Page Info

2. Edit Address

3. Enter your business address then check the box next to Show this map on your Page

4. Click Save Changes

Third: People can also check in at Pages with locations they are into. Even if you’ve never made a Page for your business; people may still be able to check in by creating a new location. If you happen to see duplicate Pages regarding your business, it is because people has added your location so they can check in. To fix this, you as an administrator can claim and merge the duplicates, by making your page as an Official Page. Click here to learn how…

Checking in is just one of the cool Facebook features you can use if you have a local business. There are also Facebook Reviews, Facebook Offers, and Facebook Promotions that you can use to get your store noticed.

Have you seen the new star ratings review on your Facebook business page?

They previously were shown on the right hand side of your business page and you typically had to scroll to see it.  However, the new star reviews are shown directly under your timeline cover image for all to see.

The Good…
The stars are placed in a more prominent place –just beneath the page name. They are now more prominent than any other element of a brand’s fan page such as the number of Likes and “talking about this” metric. This can be great for some brands, as it is much easier to showcase positive reviews.  Page admins will now need to focus on and pay special attention to improving the quality of their pages, thus naturally encouraging positive reviews from fans and potential followers.

This also makes monitoring metrics more simplistic. It leaves out the focus on geeky statistics –like counting number of reach or virality. Page admins can promote a more positive and authentic engagement by simply making fans happier.

The Bad…
The stars can be too prominent because it can appear, not only on the page itself but could also end up on other apps such as Like boxes, Profile badges or anywhere else on the web through embedding codes. If you are able to ensure great reviews, then your less likely to have issues, But let’s face it, it’s not always easy to get a 5-star rating!  For instance, I only have 5 star ratings on my page but Facebook is only showing 4 stars. Therefore, we have to assume they are using additional algorithm scoring such as fan engagement to determine the star rating,

Let’s talk about how the rating is determined..

A like is only counted as one vote, whereas star reviews count into averages.

If your page does not allow fans to post on your Timeline, the review feature can be the easiest, most convenient way to leave poor feedback. When people want to contact your brand on Facebook, they can only send you a message, leave a comment or better yet leave a review. If they are trying to reach you over a customer-related issue, then chances are you will accumulate some bad reviews.

How to enable or disable reviews on my Brand Page?

Based on Facebook’s Helpdesk, admins can only allow reviews by adding your address. If you would like to disable reviews on your business page, you can remove the address which will remove the reviews option entirely.

If your Page has a location, star ratings and reviews will appear once you have updated the page info with a business address.

1. At the top of your Page, click Edit Page
2. Select Update Page Info
3. Click Address
4. Edit your address
5. Click Save Changes

How to add a review to other Facebook Pages?

1. Just visit the Facebook page of the business you want to review.
2. Find the review section by scrolling down, on the right hand side of the timeline.
3. Fill in the number of stars (total of five) that reflect your experience with the business.
4. Write a written review on the space that says “What do you think about this place”.
5. You can select your review to go public or select the friends, acquaintances or other connections so they can see it as well.
6. Click “Review” when done.