Facebook currently has 1.86 billion monthly active users and 93.5% of those are using mobile apps on smartphones and tablets. Facebook Page admins including many who manage Pages of well known brands, have yet to adapt to the reality of ‘mobile first’ illustrated by widespread use in our environment and day-to-day lives. For example, smart city Barcelona has numerous mobile apps that helps commuters and tourists find their way around the city.
Facebook Apps, sometimes called tabs, are a great way to host competitions, promos and discounts – see 5 ways for using Facebook Apps. Anything that you can create on a website can be implemented on a Facebook App, so they can be customised for the required purpose eg competition and designed with company colours and brand. Below is a competition that’s currently running on the Virgin Balloon Flights Facebook Page BUT it can’t be accessed via mobile.
But there’s a problem. People following the link on the left of the Page or from anywhere else to the competition will be shown the following:
So not only are Fans interested in the competition unable to enter via mobile or tablets they’re likely to be left annoyed too when presented with a message that isn’t very helpful. The link isn’t in fact ‘broken or expired’ and clearly the user has ‘permission to view this page’. The fact is that the way Facebook has designed Apps means they simple can’t be viewed on mobile devices unless they are optimised to do so. Some online services such as shortstack.com create Apps that work on mobile but not all do.
Facebook Apps are a great way to engage your Fans but it’s important to ensure that they are optimised for viewing on mobile and it’s surprising how many aren’t.
If you’d like help in designing Facebook Apps for your Page that are suitable for both desktop and mobile please get in touch.