With all this interest in Facebook apps for churches, I thought I'd post some notes on best practices for getting your app to spread. These are notes I compiled from making 10 apps for clients and for myself on Facebook - from Fantasy Football to Daily Bible Verses.
There are (at least) 15 channels for your app to be discovered on Facebook. Each channel has its own optimization strategy.
1) The Application Directory
Your description should be treated like ad copy - it needs to be short and sweet, and include calls-to-action. 2 short sentences at most to describe your app. And pack it with lots of action verbs.
2) Application Invites
An application can send out 10 invites per user per day. I've seen a couple clever tactics to maximize this. Some apps ask you to invite immediately upon installation. And they randomly pre-pick 10 of your friends so that you have to put in some effort to deselect 10 friends.
3) The mini-feed update when an action is taken within the app
You can spam update the mini-feed when the user does something within the app. An eye-catching 75x75 image makes the update stand out in a crowded sea of mini-feed updates. Include a little note on the update along with a clear call-to-action (in this case, a question).
4) The left-hand link under a profile picture
Put a clear call-to-action link pertaining to your app. This link can be different for the host versus the visitor. Deliver an enticing CTA depending on perspective.
5) Profile view from a visitor's perspective who doesn't have the app
Developers can control how an app looks on a profile depending on host versus visitor. For the visitor's perspective, provide a clear a call-to-action to add the app.
6) Profile view from a visitor's perspective who has the app
Developers can even vary the profile view for a visitor depending on whether he already has the app or not. Most Facebook users look at their friends' profiles more than they look at their own. So put a call-to-action to remind them that they can interact with an app they've already installed.
To recap #5 and #6, an app can have 3 different views on a profile depending on perspective. Host; visitor who has the app; and visitor who doesn't have the app. Tailor the CTA's to the viewer's perspective.
7) Cross-promotion on another app's canvas page
I can't count how many inquiries I've gotten from other application developers trying to get a link to their application on one of my popular app's canvas pages. Find another app that has your target audience, and get that app's owner to link to yours. Ad networks are forming to facilitate this process.
8) Cross-promotion on another app's profile space
Advertisements aren't allowed on an application space within a profile. But apparently links to other apps are allowed. Same ideas as #7 - leverage another application's audience
9) Cross-promotion on another app's installation process
If you ever install an app like Top Friends, the end of the installation process is yet another app installation. Another example of leveraging another popular app.
To recap tactics 7, 8, and 9 - cross-promotion is why just a handful of companies own all the apps that have more than 1M users. They use their portfolio of apps to cross-promote new apps. You can actually buy your way into these networks of applications, and pay per install.
10) The app logo on the left-side of your profile
Pick a catchy icon that will stand out in a crowd. 16x16 isn't much to work with. But if it's recognizable and distinguishable, you've got a chance of catching a visitor's eye.
11) The mini-feed update when adding an app
Again your logo has little real estate to work with. So pick a good one from the start and stick with it. You can't change the text in this feed item. So the only text to be creative with is the name of your app itself... but don't get too creative!
12) The mini-feed update when the Share button is used
Facebook's share button is great. Make it easy for users to share any piece of content that they come across in your app. Shared items are prominent in a crowded mini-feed.
13) The Facebook email attachment
Facebook's got a great email messaging system. Applications can let emailers include a piece of their content in the message itself
14) The Search Button
The ubiquitous search button within Facebook searches not just people and groups. It searches applications as well, looking at both the application name field and the developer's name field. So take advantage of this by including keywords that your target audience might be looking for in both fields.
15) The SuperWall API
RockYou's SuperWall application has 9 million users. They released an API for it that allows other developers to integrate and leverage SuperWall functionality (yes, this is an API inside another API). This means your app's users can post your app's content on all their friends' walls at once.
Look for other popular apps to offer API's in the future. We'll see a more creating mash-ups and integration between Facebook apps. They're not just cool, they allow for massive distribution of your app.
This may seem like a ton of info (it is!). But I'm only scratching the surface, and I'm sure I've missed some tactics. If you're really interested in creating highly viral applications, there are 2 awesome upcoming conferences: CommunityNext and GraphingSocial. They're both in Oct in the Bay Area, and I'll be attending at least one of these.
You are the "Facebook Answer Man"!
Posted by: Cynthia | September 23, 2007 at 08:56 AM