For brands, your Facebook presence is as important as your website - your customers are there and its where they spend a lot of time. A brand's Facebook page requires compelling content, not just stuff re-purposed from your website. The content must grab the user while they're in the social space and maximise the social impacts. Well designed Facebook apps give your customers reasons to connect with you. Take a look at some reasons why your brand needs a Facebook app and how you should go about getting one.

1. App & Game 2012: Part 2
Part 2 of 5
‘So, You Want a Facebook App?’
Read this first!
GAMES & APPS IN 2012

2. App & Game 2012: Part 2
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER
1. Aussies Love Facebook
2. App or Not?
3. Be Ready to Adapt, Quickly
4. Don’t Scrimp On Content
5. 5 Tips for a Successful Facebook App

3. App & Game 2012: Part 2
1. AUSSIES LOVE FACEBOOK
There are over 10.7 million Aussies actively using Facebook – 50.4% of population (1)
In Australia, 63% of all Internet users have a Facebook profile (2)
75% of Aussie Facebook users are accessing it EVERY DAY (via multiple devices) - globally this
is much lower, suggesting that in Australia, we’re all addicted to Facebook! (4)
67% of Aussie Facebook users are aged 18-44 (2)
Facebook is now more than just
‘mainstream’, it’s a major part of the
average Aussie’s life – like TV or music.
Just ‘being on Facebook’ and
‘generating likes’ won’t cut it anymore.
Brands need to feed their Facebook
community with exciting and dynamic
content that consumers will actually
want to CONNECT with.
AUS Facebook Demographics (Feb, 2012)

4. App & Game 2012: Part 2
2. APP OR NOT?
There are limitless possibilities for brands creating content on Facebook. Do you need an app or
should you simply replicate the information from your website and ask users to Like you?
Here are a few reasons to consider an app over straight web content:
Which App?
Some Types include:
Information Services: News, Store
Locator, etc
Entertainment: Videos, dynamic
updates, etc
Promos/Comps: Campaigns, UGC
contests, etc
Games: Social games, quizzes, etc)
F-Commerce: Booking, buying,
catalogues, etc
Community Engagement: Polls,
forums, etc
Customer Service: Contact forms,
feedback, etc
Gather More User Data: Apps require permission from the user to be
installed. In the permissions process the brand can acquire the user’s
contact and other details
Post More Data to the User’s Wall: Again, the permissions process
facilitates the posting of detailed updates to the user’s Wall about their
interaction with the brand in the app for their Friends to see – more
Sharing!
Facilitate Inviting User’s Friends: In accessing the user’s information, the
app can also access the user’s Facebook Friends, making it possible to
invite Friends to also use the app – more Sharing!
Encourage Collaboration and Competition Between Friends: With a
Social Graph, apps can display what the user’s Friends are doing in the
app, eg a game app can display the user’s Friends’ game scores for
comparison
Allow More User Interaction: Simple content display only allows a brand
to generate comments and Likes. Apps like games, voting, competitions
allow the brand to get the user engaged in interaction
Better Reporting and Analysis

5. App & Game 2012: Part 2
3. BE READY TO ADAPT, QUICKLY
What Will the Timeline Offer Brands? (6)
• More room for images = Bigger impact & more branding opps!
• Brand information is made clearer and more easily accessible
• The infinite scroll capability means content has a longer lifespan
• Individual content is able to be featured more prominently
• Content will be organised in a way that allows brands to ‘tell a story’
• The timeline can easily serve and double as the brand’s blog
• The way the timeline is setup means brands can post less frequently,
and move to a “Quality over Quantity” engagement strategy
Facebook is constantly changing and evolving, and because of this brands are being forced to
adapt quickly – without much notice. A change in Facebook’s terms or policy can lead to apps no
longer functioning properly.
Keeping up-to-date with Facebook and being aware of all these changes is hard work and can be
very time-consuming. Most brands find it easier, and more cost-effective, to outsource Facebook
development so they don’ t have to deal with Facebook’s mood swings.
Facebook Timeline for Brands
Expected to launch late Feb 2012 (6)

6. App & Game 2012: Part 2
4. DON’T SCRIMP ON CONTENT
A brand just ‘being on Facebook’ will not drive consumers to ACTION. Facebook, and it’s collective
user base, has grown up. Now, a brand’s Facebook presence has to be on par with it’s website – it
has to reflect and represent the quality of the brand. (3)
Facebook users are bombarded with exciting content every time they login – that’s half the reason
why they login in the first place. As such, users will compare every piece of content they
encounter on Facebook with the best they’ve seen.
In order to CUT-THROUGH the noise and CONNECT with consumers, brands need to be willing
to invest in creating high quality content; only then will they be able to drive ACTION.
Brands who use the remnants of their digital
marketing budget to launch uninspired ‘basic’
Facebook apps & promos run the risk of
cheapening the overall brand value and
disappointing their community.
If you’ve only got $5k or so to spend on
Facebook, don’t try and do a ‘cool app’, just invest
it in FB advertising instead.
(5)

7. App & Game 2012: Part 2
5. ENSURING SUCCESS – 5 TIPS
Unless your brand page already has a substantial Facebook community (over
100,000), the simple act of creating a Facebook app is not enough to ensure it’s
success. Here are 5 tips for ensuring your Facebook app is a success:
INTEGRATE – Where possible, the app should always be integrated with the
overall marketing strategy and any other planned activity. Try not to make the app
an orphan!
PROMOTE – Apps need to be promoted using a planned strategy. Posting a single
update when the app is launched is not enough, the community needs constant
reminders and reasons to engage with it.
MARKET - The entire budget should never be spent on development alone,
instead a portion of the budget should be saved for marketing activity. For example,
Facebook advertising is a great way to support the launch of a new app.
TEST – Apps need to be thoroughly tested. A single error or bug could mean a
negative backlash from the entire community , and chances are they won’t go
back, even if it the issue is resolved. This is another reason why it’s so important
for brands to use a developer who has experience and follows a rigorous testing
process.
MANAGE - The whole process needs to be managed, from the app’s launch to the
time the app is taken down. This includes everything from monitoring analytics to
responding to community feedback.
Brief
Design
Build
TestingLaunch
Promote
Monitor

8. App & Game 2012: Part 2
3RDSENSE – WHY USE US?
Experience on Facebook
• Since 2010, we’ve worked on over 20 Facebook projects,
ranging from game-based promotions to large-scale social
games.
We Keep Up With Facebook
• Facebook is always evolving (cue Timeline) – and we evolve
with it. Every time Facebook introduces new features or makes
changes to existing ones, our developers are on top of it.
Existing Tools = Cost-Effective Development
• We’ve already developed a number of tools, specific to
Facebook, that allow us to be very cost-effective. These tools
range from social graphs (leaderboards) to virtual economies

9. App & Game 2012: Part 2
GET IN TOUCH
Interested in discussing your Facebook app development?
Call or email the commercial team:
02 8923 1200
commercial@3rdsense.com
3rdsense.com

10. App & Game 2012: Part 2
REFERENCES
1. Facebook Advertising Stats (2/2/12)
2. Social Bakers Stats (2/2/12)
3. Facebook Marketing: What Works – Whitepaper 2011
4. Nielsen – Mentioned at #HackSydney Event on 2/2/12
5. The 15 Best Facebook Pages You’ve Ever Seen (Nov, 2011)
6. Why Facebook Timeline Will Be Huge For Brands (Sept, 2011)