Social Networking Platforms like the Facebook Platform allow developers to create applications that can run on the social network. Such applications have extensive access to the user data available with the social network, and can expose new functionality to the users of the social network that engages them and allows them to interact with other users in new ways. Social Applications can be very effective marketing tools because of these reasons:
1. Social Networks give application developers a lot of freedom as to what they can do within the application. Typically, a social network will allow an application to do anything as long as it does not have any inappropriate content, and does not bother users by forcing them to invite other users to use the application. What this means is that as long as the developers play clean, they can go ahead and engage the users any way they want to.
2. Social Networks, typically, allow the applications access to all user data as long as the user has no issues with it, and the application does not try to “steal” data from the social network. Stealing would mean storing the user’s data on a server other than the social networks’ servers.
3. Social Networks provide applications numerous viral possibilities to expand their user base and grow very fast. Intelligent use of viral features like activity feeds, invitations and notifications can ensure fast spread of the application at very small costs.
A social network application can carry the marketing message in various ways, but there are some fundamentals that should not be missed. The marketing message should not be shouted out, but should be subtly presented after the user has been engaged by the applications’ functionality. The message presented in an overt and loud way can spell doom for the application.
As it turns out, quizzes and games are very effective ways of engaging users on Facebook. A marketing message cleverly intermingled with a game can turn out to be a powerful tool to reach out to people. More on this later!
