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Discover the apps which will fit your needs and which one will help you optimizing your presence on Facebook !
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SOMMAIRE
I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 5
II. PERSONALIZE YOUR WELCOME PAGE ...................................................................... 6
1. Pagemodo ..............................................................................................................................................7
2. FanPageEngine .......................................................................................................................................9
3. Tab site.................................................................................................................................................10
4. FaceItPages ..........................................................................................................................................12
5. Iwipa ....................................................................................................................................................15
6. AgoraPulse : content applications.........................................................................................................16
III. ORGANIZE COMPETITIONS..................................................................................... 19
1. Kontest.................................................................................................................................................19
2. WildfireApp..........................................................................................................................................24
3. North Social : sweepstakes ...................................................................................................................27
4. Involver: contests .................................................................................................................................29
5. AgoraPulse ...........................................................................................................................................30
IV. SHOPPING.............................................................................................................. 32
1. Payvment .............................................................................................................................................33
2. Boosket ................................................................................................................................................34
3. Shoptab................................................................................................................................................36
V. OTHER TYPES OF CONTENT .................................................................................... 38
1. Page builder of Tigerlily ........................................................................................................................38
2. Involver ................................................................................................................................................39
3. Northsocial ...........................................................................................................................................40
4. FanAppz ...............................................................................................................................................42
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5. ilike (music) ..........................................................................................................................................43
6. Work for Us (Job advertisements).........................................................................................................44
VI. MANAGEMENT AND MODERATION APPLICATIONS................................................ 47
1. Conversocial .........................................................................................................................................47
2. Oorook .................................................................................................................................................48
3. Graph-‐o-‐meter .....................................................................................................................................49
4. Wall Manager of Tigerlily......................................................................................................................51
5. Fangager...............................................................................................................................................52
6. Post Planner .........................................................................................................................................54
7. AgoraPulse Page Manager ....................................................................................................................56
VII. NOTIFICATION BY E-‐MAIL SERVICES ....................................................................... 58
1. Hyper Alert ...........................................................................................................................................58
2. Meediafeedia .......................................................................................................................................59
3. Pagenotifier..........................................................................................................................................60
4. Nutshellmail .........................................................................................................................................61
VIII. COMPARISON SERVICES AND STATISTICS PAGES.................................................... 63
1. Conversocial .........................................................................................................................................63
2. Wildfireapp ..........................................................................................................................................64
3. Allfacebook ..........................................................................................................................................65
4. Socialbakers .........................................................................................................................................66
5. Pagelever .............................................................................................................................................68
IX. GENERAL APPLICATIONS (OR SWISS ARMY KNIVES) ............................................... 69
1. Involver ................................................................................................................................................69
2. Buddymedia .........................................................................................................................................71
3. Vitrue ...................................................................................................................................................72
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4. ContextOptional ...................................................................................................................................75
X. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 76
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I. Introduction The standard tools and applications on Facebook quickly prove themselves to be insufficient when it
comes to harnessing the full potential of your page. Whether you want to personalize your homepage to increase the conversion rate of visitors into fans, integrate a shop on your page, embed outside content, include a sweepstakes, or even moderate your page, it is likely that you will soon
need more powerful tools. The Facebook ecosystem is very open, and there are many applications that can help you to improve
your page, your interactions with your fans, and expedite your tasks as facilitator. We have grouped them into five main categories:
-‐ The creation of personalized home pages
-‐ The creation of competitions -‐ The creation of integrated shops -‐ Content management
-‐ Moderation Some applications overlap into several categories, but we opted to assign them to the application
they are best adapted for, or to which they respond best. For the most part, these tools are not free, and some are self-‐service. You can install them yourself
and pay by credit card. However, most of the more advanced tools are not available in self-‐service, and you should contact the editor so they can install the application directly, and then bill you monthly.
All these applications are host applications, maintained and supported by the editor (Saas our« software as a service »), so they follow a rental model. There are no Facebook applications
that you can buy in one transaction. The reason is quite simple: Facebook is constantly changing their tools, ergonomics, and its API. So, the editors of the Facebook applications must continuously develop and update their tools so they continue to function properly. Still, this billing method can
sometimes be problematic for some companies and communities. In the end, these applications are standardized so it’s not possible to obtain specific developments
that stay close to your particular needs (unless you are a very big client with the appropriate budget…) Open source is completely absent from Facebook applications, and you can never pick a specific code and apply it to your needs. If you need more specialized features, you will need to use
an agency that knows how to develop Facebook applications.
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II. Personalize your welcome page There are different applications that allow to create a personalized welcome tab, a personalization
that has become essential in transforming the visitors of your page into fans. More or less difficult to configure, these different tools offer you your own welcome page identity highlighting all your strengths and advantages.
Customizing the welcome page on your Facebook is an absolutely necessity. First of all, this allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Also, it will encourage your visitors to like your
page, by creating a version of the page that is visible only to “non fans “ that encourages them to like the page by articulating the benefits of doing so. This allows you to put content on your homepage that seems important to your visitors: videos, PowerPoints, subscriptions to newsletters, etc.)
Of course, the page can also be developed using HTML, but it is still a programming language that is not accessible to everyone.
We have therefore identified several applications that allow you to employ this personalization without having to use programming language.
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1. Pagemodo Pagemodo is an application available in self-‐service and in English only. The application allows you to
create specific tabs for your page: welcome tab, video tab, Twitter feed tab, tab with a contact form, or discounts for fans (coupons).
Several predefined templates are available on an interface that has been significantly improved in recent months.
Simply chose the type of tab you want to put online (welcome page, video, form, etc.), then follow the steps (changing the theme, content editing, fangate option).
Website :http://www.pagemodo.com
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Rates : Prices are divided into 4 packages ranging from $0 à $33.25 per month, depending on the options:
-‐ An totally free offer that lets you test the product on a page -‐ A “Basic” offer that costs $6.25 and allows you to manage up to three pages without the
Pagemodo footer
-‐ A “Pro” offer that costs $13.25 and gives you access to video templates and a fangate option
-‐ An “Agency”offer that costs $33.25 and allows you to manage up to 15 pages, but also gives you access to a “white label” version not marked as Pagemodo.
Our impression :
PageModo is our favorite application when it comes to managing a welcome tab. It is very simple to learn, and the ergonomics have been greatly improved in the last few months. The design of the application itself is pleasant, compared to certain « rough » tools. The logical « step-‐by-‐step »
directions and the well placed help bubbles make the user experience a good (and brief) one. The available templates allow you to mix contents to appear on your tab: you can create a tab
“welcome image” + “contact form” (we tested the contact form and you instantly get the message entered by the fan, directly in your mailbox).
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This application is easier to use than Tigerlilly, but it has its faults as well as advantages: by offering pre-‐formatted templates, it is easier to use, but allows for a less extensive customization.
Another point to take into account: the « fangate » option is only available from the pro offer.
2. FanPageEngine
This solution, published by the company Hubze, offers self-‐service solutions, but also packages for full ownership by the service provider.
Website: http://fanpageengine.com/
Rates: the rates range from free to a $297 set up fee and then a monthly charge of $97.
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Our impression:
We were only able to test the free version that allows you to generate a FBML code to create a welcome page in the « basic » version. This version of a personalized welcome page seems very limited because the required fields are fixed, and it is impossible for you to communicate a specific
message! You can only fill out the official information of your brand/company (name, phone number, logo, twitter, Facebook, etc.). From a practical point of view, the application is relatively simple to use, the only obstacle is that you need to know a minimum about FBML in order to put the
code at the right place (not necessarily obvious to novices). In addition, it is very likely that this service will quickly become outdated, because of the abandonment of FBML.
3. Tab site Tabsite is customizing Facebook page editor that is only available in self-‐service and in English.
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Website:http://www.tabsite.com/
Rates : tabsite offers 4 options for page administrators : -‐ A free plan: available for a single page (with the possibility to create 2 « sub-‐tabs »), this plan
does not allow you to choose the name of your tab (only tabsite or welcome), but also offers
a 1 mega disk space to upload visuals and allows you to integrate a contact mail form (if you use Contact, Mailchimp ou delivra);
-‐ A bronze plan for $5 a month: this plan allows you to create more sub tabs, and offers you
more disk space, and allows for the integration of embedded flash player and removes the advertisement on the foot of the page. Email support is also available;
-‐ A silver plan for $10 a month: in addition to the options offered in the bronze plan, this plan
offers the integration of a YouTube channel, twitter feed, etc; -‐ A gold plan for $15 a month: in addition to the options offered in the silver plan, the gold
plan offers integration of Google analytics and Google maps, an option to create coupons,
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and also a way to personalize the icon representing the tab.
Our impression : We tested the free version of the offer. After some trial and error, the editor seemed relatively easy to use : functionallities much like text editors such as Word. Of course there are certian limits to using the free version, like the fact that you can’t rename the tab (this limitation seems normal,
becuse the free offer is in fact just a trial version). A small criticism however ; the setup of the sub tab in the horizontal version made more sense
before the posting of new page formats, where the tabs are now under the profile image, vertically !
4. FaceItPages The FaceItPages tool offers you the chance to personalize your Facebook page yourself in three ways
(in less than 10 minutes according to their FAQ) : -‐ content selection -‐ model selection
-‐ installation of the application
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Website :http://www.faceitpages.com/
Rates : Like for the other solutions, faceitpages staggers its offers from the free offer (that allows you to see
before paying for a single page) to the white label offer (from $125 a month).
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Our impression: The available interface is not easy to learn, and there are certainly other solutions that are easier to use. Our test of the free offer left us perplexed: the interface lacked any explanation. The modules that are available in the free version are not clearly identified or differentiated from the modules
available in the paid version (twitter, slideshare, etc). Finally, we spent 20 minutes looking for the slideshare presentation of which copy-‐pasted the embedded code, before realizing that this option wasn’t available with this offer (no message was displayed)!
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5. Iwipa Iwipa is a very complete application that allows you to create a personalized welcome page for your
Facebook page. This page can consist of several modules: -‐ Media box: This is an editing model. You can integrate text, images, links, flash animations or
any widgets (such as twitter or slideshare) -‐ Youtube: you can watch a video hosted on YouTube by copying the corresponding embedded
code.
-‐ Slideshow: create your own slideshow that will scroll through the visuals of your choice. -‐ Share: this module allows you to display a share box. This box contains the main sharing
tools (facebook, twitter, myspace, stumbleupon, Reddit, delicious, etc.),
-‐ Show Fans: view a gallery of your fans that puts them in the spotlight, -‐ Scroller: this module allows you to upload a box with a message that scrolls from right to left, -‐ Comments : This is the Facebook comments module.
You can customize the look of your tab either by choosing one of the available themes, or adding your own CSS.
You also have the option to reserve this content for your fans only. Non-‐fans will then see a default image encouraging them to click the « like » button (to customize this visual, you must use the paid offer).
These modules can be placed either one after the other on the same page, or on different tabs: in which case, you create a true menu at the center of your homepage that becomes practically a mini site.
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Website : http://www.facebook.com/iwipa?sk=app_191494420889273
Rates: This application is available for free. You can also opt for the pro offer for $99.97 a year. This paid offer enables you to:
-‐ To edit the footer completely (and thus you will no longer see “powered by Iwipa”)
-‐ To customize the welcome visual of non-‐fans (available in the free version and in English) -‐ To use Google analytics features.
Note that Iwipa agrees to add modules in the future without affecting the prices for those who have already subscribed.
Our impression:
It took us a good hour of trial and error and an obligatory pass at the video tutorials to understand how to use this application. In our opinion, there is clearly room for improvement in terms of ergonomics.
Still, it remains a good free resource for community managers who lack budget…but who have ideas! In fact, it is possible to put several combinations of different elements of a brand under one tab (a welcome image, a twitter account, youtube vidéos, etc.)
Being able to create a horizontal menu at the center of this tab allows you to recreate a custom mini site. It may be useful to use the slideshow application to present new products: the images can also be
made clickable (and then, for example, you can send the viewer from the description of the product directly to the online store). The graphic personalization calls for extensive skills in CSS… but at the beginning you can use the
preformatted themes. Like all other free applications, the footer is customized according to the Iwipa colors.
The main drawback of the free version is the welcome image that is imposed if you choose to activate the « fan gate » option (obligation to like the page to access the content). The option is available, but the only available visuals have the texts in English (useless for a French page for
example!). To customize it, you have to subscribe to the pro offer.
6. AgoraPulse : content applications AgoraPulse is a Facebook CRM Platform that offers a Facebook page manager (management and moderation) and applications available in full self-‐service.
To customize your home page and create specific tabs, AgoraPulse has 5 applications based on the content you want to show:
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-‐ Welcome app: allows you to create a welcome page in a few clicks to encourage your visitors to become fans. One image (jpeg or gif) visible to your non-‐fans, and another only available
to your fans (a coupon, an exclusive photo, etc.). -‐ HTML app: offers the same options as the « welcome app » but here you can also create your
own “post like” image if you manage the HTML and the CSS.
-‐ Video app: allows you to Stream video content exclusively for your visitors who have become fans.
-‐ Document app: allows you to display a document hosted on Scribd exclusively to fans, that can also be downloaded. This is a good way to distribute white papers or e-‐books.
-‐ Presentation app : allows you to display a document hosted on Slidshare exclusively to fans
Each of these applications has a qualification option (from the Silver offer): you can ask your fans to fill out a form (containing your customized questions) before they can access your exclusive content.
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Website : http://agorapulse.com (.fr pour la version Française)
Rates : The 5 AgoraPulse offers include all the contents applications:
-‐ Bronze Offer ($14/month/ page): the maximum number of fans is 1,000 and the qualification option is not available.
-‐ Silver Offer: ($29/month/ page) : the maximum number of fans is 3,000 and the qualification
option is available. -‐ Gold Offer: ($69/month/ page) : the maximum number of fans is 30,000 and the qualification
option is available.
-‐ Platinum Offer: ($145/month/ page) : the maximum number of fans is 100,000 fans and the qualification option is available.
-‐ Diamond Offer: (from $360/month/ page) : there is no limit on the number of fans and the
qualification option is available.
The added bonus -‐ The qualification option gives you the chance to get to know your audience better and to
help generate more quality leads for recruiting fans, which makes it a more unique and
exclusive service compared to other benchmarks. The limitations
-‐ The content tabs only display a single content type at the moment. You cannot create a mini site with integrated navigation like you can with programs like Iwipa, Pagemodo or Tiger Lily. On the other hand, the interface is really easy to use and, for the same price, you can take
advantage of applications for competitions and the possibility to manage/moderate your page and your fans. These functions are described in more detail below.
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III. Organize competitions A good way to direct traffic towards your Facebook page is to create a contest.
This mechanism gets the most leverage when it comes to recruiting fans. Photo contests with friend’s vote, sweepstakes, or even instant win, there are countless games and contests being organized on fanpage every single day.
The success of your contest will be based as much on the prize as the form and content of the competition.
Reminder : you do not have the right to organize a competition directly on the wall of your page (for example : the first 10 people to comment on this status get 2 movie tickets !) The terms of Facebook strictly prohibits all native functionalities (comments, likes, statuses, photo uploads on the wall) of
the Platform to organize your competition. “You cannot promote via Facebook, except through an application on the Facebook platform”.
Hence the interest (or more so, the obligation) in using a third-‐party application that allows you to integrate your contest directly on a tab on your page.
1. Kontest This tool is available in self-‐service and allows you to create the A-‐Z of your contest. Four formats are
available: a quiz with multiple choice answers, a simple sweepstakes, an instant win, or a survey. The promise of this solution is that it will be ultra advanced and above all else, easy to use.
-‐ Allows you to manage the different settings of your contest (rules, winnings) ; -‐ Allows for the customization of your game graphics (colors, fonts, layout…) -‐ Allows you to incorporate your own themes from your own visuals.
-‐ Customization of the contact information (ability to choose what information is required, which questions are asked…);
-‐ Automatic generation of rules.
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Sample sweepstakes created with Kontest
Website : http://kontestapp.com/ Rates: The prices are divided into 3 packages:
-‐ A free offer (which serves primarily to let you test the tool) -‐ An all-‐in-‐one offer of 499€/ contest (which notably serves to allow you to reserve the contest
to fans and to recover the database of participants)
-‐ A premium offer at 999€/contest that gives you access to a white page option and to more customization options.
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Kontest also offers partnerships with agencies and large companies who want to accompanied by
global campaigns of contests and white pages.
Our impression: First impression: the free offer is too limited to be used as anything besides a simple test, and you cannot make it obligatory to like a page to participate and it is not possible to recover the basis of the
participants (this, the interest is very limited). It really isn’t until you reach the « all-‐in-‐one » option for 499€ that the product becomes attractive enough to use (to increase the number of fans and qualification of participants).
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Another small inconvenience, the application is relatively standard in terms of layout and « look and feel ». You can dress your contest in your colors, but the structure will remain the same from one
brand to another. It has the disadvantages of a standardized self-‐service option.
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However, this solution does have several strong points: l’option de génération et de dépôt du règlement auprès d’un huissier de justice (account for an extra 159€ ), is a real time saver :
remember that besides the terms and conditions of Facebook, you must comply with French law, and that requires you to file a settlement with a huissier de justice for any organization of a contest, regardless of the medium.
Another highlight: the interface is fairly simple to use, even for someone who is just starting out.
We tested the free offer and were therefore unable to see how the integration took place on a Facebook tab. Nevertheless, the creation of a competition took only a few simple and organized steps.
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2. WildfireApp Still in self-‐service, the wildfireapp application allows you to directly create your competition (interface available in English only).
You will find the traditional formats of competitions: sweepstakes, photo/video contests, writing
contests, or quizzes with multiple questions.
Website :http://www.wildfireapp.com/
Rates: 4 offers are available with different options for each one (in all offers you can employ any type
of contest you want): -‐ Basic: $5 per campaign + $0.99 each day of the campaign -‐ Standard: $25 per campaign + $2.99 each day of the campaign
-‐ Premium: $250 par campaign + $4.99 each day of the campaign -‐ White label: estimate. As far as we know, a « naked » white page application (that means, without design, and without project management) costs $5,000. For a turnkey option, count on $15,000 per
campaign.
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Our impression: we’ve had the opportunity to test this solution. The management interface is more
advanced than that of Kontest. The creation of a game can take quite a bit of time if you want to explore all the possible options. We enjoyed a rich interface where the user finds points of support at each stage of the creation process.
To give you an idea, a contest a month with cost you $35 with the basic formula, $115 for the
standard formula and $400 for the premium formula. However, and this is the major drawback of the application, only the white label offer requires you to
like the page to access the content. In other words, if you opt for a lower offer, you cannot make the « like » obligatory… Not convincing when your objective is recruiting fans.
Furthermore, only the white page offer lets you remove the wildfireapp logo at the foot of your application, and lets you prohibit wildfire from sending promotional emails to your participants. For a “serious” brand, the white page offer is the only option, and it turns out to be quite expensive
($5,000 if you want to configure and design it yourself).
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3. North Social : sweepstakes North Social is one of the key players among the specialized Facebook agencies. Among the many applications made available by North Social, there is the sweepstake.
Available in self-‐service, the sweepstakes application allows you to easily recruit new fans.
Example of a sweepstakes application from North Social
Website :http://northsocial.com/
Rates: At North Social, the rates do not depend on the number of applications, but on the number of fans on your page, the level of support desired, and the « white page » option.
Whatever option you choose (from $20-‐$150 a month), you have a free 14-‐day trial period (provided you enter your bank details, which can be an obstacles to a certain audience).
NB: this application is only available in an English version.
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Our impression : The North Social applications are very easy to use. All you need to launch your sweepstakes are three visuals (that you need to create of course!) and
the rules. Making it obligatory to click the « like » button to participate in the sweepstakes, is a vital option put forward early in the application settings. However, the application is very simplistic and you are not offered many options. While Kontest and Wildfireapp offer several types of
competitions (sweepstakes, quiz, photo contest), North Social only offers a simple sweepstakes.
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4. Involver: contests Involver is an American agency that offers several applications for personalizing your page. Among them, Involver offers a contest application (text, photo, and video). This application, appropriately
named “Contest”, is not available in self-‐service, unlike the sweepstakes application of North Social.
Example of an Involver contest
Website :http://involver.com
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Rates :
Our impression
We have not had the opportunity to test the Involver’s “contest” offer, this option is only available from the “Enterprise” option starting at $2,749/month… So, obviously this solution is not intended for all audiences.
5. AgoraPulse The AgoraPulse Platform allows you to organize different types of competitions. All of these applications are completely manageable in self-‐service from a dedicated back office. Four
applications are available: -‐ The Sweepstakes (with options for partnership and recurrence) -‐ The quiz (configurable questions and illustrations),
-‐ The photo contest (can be edited by a manager directly), -‐ Instant win
Each application lets you ask your participants for information that can be customized (in addition to
the details necessary to deliver the prizes).
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The goal is, that by introducing several contests over time, you can qualify your existing fan base
while acquiring new fans.
Website : http://agorapulse.com (.fr for the French version) Rates :
3 of the AgoraPulse offers provide contest applications:
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-‐ Gold Offer: ($69/month/ page): the maximum number of fans is 30,000 and the qualification option is available.
-‐ Platinum Offer: ($145/month/ page): the maximum number of fans is 100,000 fans and the qualification option is available.
-‐ Diamond Offer: (from $360/month/ page): there is no limit on the number of fans and the
qualification option is available.
*What makes this choice stand out from many of the other services, is the option to qualify your fans which allows you to get to know your audience better, which in turn can then help generate qualified contacts and recruit of fans.
The added bonus
-‐ Since the contests are organized on the same platform, the information collected wo,n’t provide another silo of information. You will be able to create a truly unique and exportable contact database.
-‐ You are not charged by game, but instead by a monthly fee. All of the different types of contests are available, whatever offer you choose (Gold, Platinum, and Diamond). You can organize as many campaigns as you want without going over your budget (from $69 a
month). -‐ The AgoraPulse platform offers several types of contests: sweepstakes, quiz, photo contest,
and instant win. Even more are in the process of being developed. For a monthly fee you
can vary your contests throughout the year. Limitations
-‐ When it comes to all self-‐service applications, the level of customization will never be as powerful as an ad hoc application developed specifically for the occasion. However, a customized service can cost somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000, and AgoraPulse offers
a service from $69/month. Sacrificing some personalization may be worth it… especially if you intend to create multiple campaigns throughout the year.
IV. Shopping
E-‐commerce now accounts for a significant portion of overall sales in France (31 billion euros was spent online in 2010). Therefore, more and more e-‐merchants are deciding to integrate some of their catalogues directly on their Facebook pages, to embark on the (still uncertain) journey of f-‐
commerce. This has been made possible through specific third-‐party applications.
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1. Payvment Payvment is an application available in the beta version at the moment. The application lets you
create an online boutique integrated on a fan page. The principal characteristics are as follows: -‐ Quick installation of a showcase on your fan page (less than 15 minutes according to
Payvment) ; -‐ Integrated sales directly on your Facebook page (the fan does not need to leave the page to
make the purchase) ;
-‐ Payvment uses Facebook Connect API that allows you to connect your shop to your Facebook account (if you already have one). Therefore, your customers can either fill their carts on Facebook or on your site ;
-‐ An unlimited number of articles in your store ; -‐ Possibility to offer coupons and discounts to your fans.
Example of an integrated shop on a page with the Payvment
Website : http://www.payvment.com/facebook/
Rates : This application is free at the moment, because it is only available in a beta version. You only need a Paypal account to manage your sales.
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Our impression : since the application is free, payvment is a great solution for tight budgets. In just a few minutes, you can easily set up your online shop (you can import a CSV file, set up categories,
sizes, colors, etc.). The ability to offer a reduction just for fans is a nice touch. Another positive point: You don’t need to leave the page to finalize your purchase. However, it’s unsure how long this free version will be available!
2. Boosket Boosket is currently one of the most talked about e-‐commerce applications today: launched in December of 2010, Bookset integrated the group 24h00.fr in April 2011. This application is used, on the pages of Kiabi, NafNaf and Archiduchesse, among others.
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The principal characteristics are as follows: -‐ A customizable interface so you an insert your shop with the image of your brand.
-‐ Possibility to import your catalog by XLM feed -‐ Easy navigation through features (type of products, colors, sizes…) -‐ Ability to restrict access to shop to fans only
-‐ Direct payment on the page without redirection to the merchant site (new option, beta version)
Website: http://www.boosket.com/
Rates: Previously divided into several offers, Boosket rates are now reduced to two possibilities: the free
offer in self-‐service and the pro white page offer (with price available on request, a dedicated development, a management advertising campaign accompanying the introduction).
Our impression: We had the opportunity to test the free version of Boosket. The steps to create the store are simple: just enter the necessary information (name of the shop, currency, PayPal account, etc.) and then add
the logo. The options are easily accessible; we understood very quickly how to use the application administrator. There were a few little extras that made a difference, such as the ability to customize
the header and the footer, and also the ability to personalize the visual display when the store is closed or being updated.
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3. Shoptab Shoptab is another application that allows you to integrate the content of your e-‐commerce site on
your fan page and to offer an integrated mini shop; -‐ Ability to upload your products on the Shoptab interface
-‐ Ability to add a Shop tab on the fan page -‐ Allows fans to directly access the catalog and then be redirected to the specific product on
the e-‐commerce site (for payment);
-‐ Ability to customize the interface of the online shops.
Website : http://www.shoptab.net Rates : The rates range from $10 a month for 500 products, to $20 a month for 5,000 products. For
all of the offers, there is a 7-‐day free trial.
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Our impression : We have not had the opportunity to test Shoptab. However, we can already see several shortcomings: the maximum number of products remains relatively low. This offer is not
suitable for an e-‐merchant scale. In addition, payment must be made outside the page, unlike payvment or boosket. In these circumstances, even if your e-‐market is small, we believe that the free versions of payvment or boosket are better.
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V. Other types of content 1. Page builder of Tigerlily Tigerlily is, despite the English-‐sounding name, a French company that offers a Platform that combines several applications (including a Facebook page manager that we will introduce a little
later). The page builder lets you create a personalized welcome page, by combining several different types of widgets (among more than 20 offered). You can (among other things):
-‐ Add a header with the colors of your site -‐ Integrate text that will serve as welcome text -‐ Add the contents of your site through an RSS feed of your latest tweets, or video and photo
inserts ;
Website: http://tigerlilyapps.com Rates:
Formerly divided into 4 different self-‐service offers, including a free one, the page builder of Tigerlily is now, since summer of 2011, only available on request from 2,000€ per year.
Notre impression: We tested the free offer for a few minutes here and there while it was still available. The handling was not very complicated: we just had to create an account on the Tigerlily site and choose the most
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appropriate offer. Then we just simply installed the application on the page we wanted and set up our tab: with a simple drag and drop of the widgets selected, you can place them in the order you want. It is a good product that can do a lot if you are expert in HTML / CSS, but it is not accessible to small and mid-‐range budgets, especially since the rate changes!
2. Involver In addition to the competition application mentioned above, Involver offers you the possibility to
integrate several applications on your page through dedicated tabs. Depending on which offer you choose, you can access more or less, these types of applications.
-‐ The "basic application" RSS feed, Twitter, YouTube channel, Flickr, gallery, HTML, Powerpoint, PDF...
-‐ The "professional applications" data recovery, surveys, coupons, personalized welcome tab... -‐ The "business applications" badges and virtual gifts -‐ The "enterprise applications" quizzes, contests, music player, flash animation integration,
points of sale, product ratings, etc.
Website: http://involver.com/
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Rates: The free offer is useful to test, but it is limited to 2 applications (from the seven proposed) by Facebook. The pro offer jumps to $99/month, the business offer costs $999/month, and the
enterprise offer costs $2,749/month. Our impression: We took the time to test the free offer. The available applications were limited for
Professional use. The $99/month offer is not sufficient, so you need to choose the $999 offer to be completely satisfied. Therefore, we do not suggest this solution for small businesses.
3. Northsocial In total, North Social offers 19 different applications, all available in whichever offer you choose.
Here are some examples of the applications available to customize a tab on your page: -‐ Fan Offer : allows you to convert your visitors into fans by giving them an exclusive coupon or
an invitation to a special event, if they like your page ;
-‐ Document Display : allows you to share important documents like white pages, articles, instructions, and other text-‐heavy visuals, directly on your fan page;
-‐ Video Channel: organize your video content via YoutTube directly on your Facebook page to
increase your views and exposure (custom design, integrate your entire YouTube channel on your Facebook page, custom header…);
-‐ Show &Sell : Turn a tab into a mini-‐shop ;
-‐ Mapit : Integration of a Google Map on your page ; Website: http://northsocial.com/
Rates : With North Social, the number of fans on your page will determine the price. Whichever offer you choose, you will have access to all 19 applications (but only for a single page). If you have
more pages (beyond 6), you can always directly contact North Social.
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Our impression : In general, North Social applications are fairly simple to use but are quite similar in
their objectives and their presentations (such as "Exclusive" and "Fan offer"). It is a good offer for the price, but it will not satisfy more demanding customers. So, if you need to mix several types of content (such as your Twitter feed and your YouTube channel) on a single tab, we do not recommend this offer, because it is not possible. In that case, Tigerlily will
better suit you.
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4. FanAppz FanAppz allows you to customize your page through a series of applications. Among those proposed, you will find:
-‐ The Top5, which lets your fans rank their 5 favorite products of the brand, for example;
-‐ Polls : You can create polls to interact with your fans and learn more about them ; -‐ Quiz: This application will be an opportunity for you to liven up your page, but no option
allows you to make a competition with a prize at the end.
Website: http://fanappz.com
Rates: The site offers 3 options: -‐ The free offer is not very useful after a few minutes of testing. The only applications available are the top5, the polls, and the quiz. Since Facebook has added the publishing "Question" tool in the spring of 2011, the poll application does not really add much value. -‐ The pro offer ($ 50 / month, with 7 day trial available): the lack of additional applications from the free offer, makes the price unjustifiable, in our opinion. In fact, you only have "coupons", "Youtube", "Facebook integration places" and the integration of Google Analytics as application options. This seems inferior to other options on the market (compared to, for example, North Social) -‐ The enterprise offer (available on request) provides access to all the applications Fanappz has to offer (including sweepstakes).
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Our impression: FanAppz, in its free and pro versions, seems like an overpriced solution, considering
what it has to offer. The applications proposed are little more than gadgets driven by a final
objective (acquisition of fans, increased visits to the e-‐commerce page, etc). For smaller budgets, other solutions, seen earlier in this guide, are more suitable. For more demanding customers, Involver is the best option.
5. ilike (music) This application is specifically targeted towards music and artists. It allows you to integrate content to promote an artist and to advocate different medias. It is a good way to level with the decline of
Myspace and to offer an interface on a Facebook page. Here are a few available options: -‐ Ability to incorporate players (photos, music, videos);
-‐ Ability to download songs and excerpts; -‐ Ability to integrate a calendar to track news, performance dates…
Website: http://apps.facebook.com/ilike/artist_tour_1
Rates: Ilike is free; you just need to register on the site. You can import data onto your page (music, banners, information…)
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Our impression: This is a simple application to use. Still, it is very specific, limited exclusively to the
musical world. It will be of no interest to a page in any other domain. However, this application is
still useful to up and coming artists who want to promote their work.
6. Work for Us (Job advertisements)
This application allows you to easily create a "jobs" tab on your Facebook page. It is easy to use, affordable and effective and therefore useful if you are looking for new recruits and want to be sure that the profile of your candidate is well represented on Facebook (especially recent graduates).
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Website: http://www.work4labs.com/
Rates: You have 5 options depending on your needs in Human Resources: -‐ Basic ($9/month): you can post up to 3 jobs but cannot customize the name of the tab (work for us) or automatically import your offers by RSS XML -‐ Plus ($49 / month): You can post up to 10 jobs and customize the name of the tab, but you cannot automatically import your offers by RSS XML -‐ Pro ($199 / month): You can post up to 20 job offers, customize the tab name and automatically import your offers by RSS XML -‐ Premium ($499 / month): You can post up to 50 job offers, customize the tab name and automatically import your offers by RSS XML -‐ Max ($799 / month): You can post an unlimited number of job offers, customize the tab name and automatically import your offers by RSS XML Note that there is a free offer for a single job offer.
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Our impression: We had the opportunity to test the free offer: the application is simple to use, easy to install and makes good use of the social functions of Facebook: each ad can be posted on your wall, candidates and visitors can "like" your ad, share it with their friends, and you can access detailed statistics on feedback it has been able to generate. You can also set up advertising campaigns targeting schools, employers or industries that interest you.
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VI. Management and moderation Applications
These applications let you better manage your pages, and make your life easier with statistical and
moderation capabilities to help you avoid spending hours in front of your screen monitoring your Facebook page.
1. Conversocial Conversocial is one of the latest applications of Backoffice moderation on the market. The interface
could be improved but it is still relatively readable. There are certain useful characteristics such as the ability to compare activity with the pages of its competitors, and manually noting positive and negative comments.
Specifically, you can:
-‐ Receive email alerts when there is a new publication, and these alerts are widely
configurable; -‐ Create a list of key words to be monitored, like the names of your competitors, for example; -‐ Assign a post or a comment, if there are several people moderating the page;
-‐ Save deleted posts or comments, which may be useful in case of conflict with a fan; -‐ The ability to pre-‐create publications and to schedule their publications for later.
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Website: http://conversocial.com/hello/ Rates: Conversocial is available on the basis of 3 offers, from € 85 per user per month to € 140 per
user per month. The main differences between these offers are in the sharpness of the management roles of individual administrators.
Our impression: An application that (almost) only does moderation, but it does it well. If you want a full backoffice with detailed statistics and a rich and integration with other applications, Buddy media and Involver AMP are better equipped, but also much more expensive. If you are interested in
(mainly) moderation and management of conversations on your pages, Conversocial is the best choice. You can request a free trial account for 14 days. On the other hand, given the billing per user, the service can become expensive if you need to
involve many administrators. At 10 users (which is often the case if you manage several pages), the service will cost at least € 850 / month. Prices that can make you take a step back and second guess your decision.
2. Oorook Oorook is an application developed by a French player in the moderation market that has been
around for several years: Scan & Target. Specialized originally in automated tools for moderation in forums, chat and other community web applications, it was only natural that they adapt their technology for Facebook.
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Oorook lets you moderate several pages from a single console, located on Facebook. Therefore, you need to be connected to Facebook to access it. However, the tool only notes comments that are
potentially “bad”, so it doesn’t allow you to see all the publications and comments from the page if they are considered to be “good” by the program.
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oorook/116578501734185
Rates: There is a free offer that is limited to 50 messages a day, and then you must pay 29€ a month for 250 messages a day and 4,500€ a year for a more active page.
Our impression : There are too many (lots!) shortcomings for us to recommended Oorook at this point: the interface is average, the moderation is completely automated, the results are often
surprising, and multi-‐lingual, the e-‐mail alerts do not give you the content of the publications, forcing you to systematically go onto the application. In short, after several days of testing, we abandoned the solution. It remains an option that is free and basic if you want to receive alerts, but it will not
follow your page in a proactive manner.
3. Graph-‐o-‐meter The management and moderation tool Graph-‐o-‐Meter was developed by the French agency 909c. It
is available for free in the beta version since the first quarter of 2011. This tool lets you manage all the pages of you administrate on one interface with Facebook Connect.
It is available in both English and French. You can then view the publications made on the wall of
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your page, mark them as read, tag or delete them (either a post directly on your wall, or a comment on a post, a photo, a video, or a link).
You can also consult a list of your most active fans (those with the most comments and most “likes” on your page).
Another option: the ability to upload an excel file of your data (publications or fans).
You also have the ability to create your publications directly from this tool (text, photos, albums, links, or flash), and also to plan publications in advance.
Website: http://www.graph-‐o-‐meter.com Rates: this version is free at the moment (beta version)
Our impression After several days of testing, we found that this application can be a good tool for community
managers who do not have the budget to invest in a paid solution. It allows you to organize the validation of publications by your fans and to plan the posting of statuses. It also lets you identify the most active fans on your page.
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However, there are still many gaps in this solution: first of all, the load time is much too long, which makes the using the application unbearable. Having to wait more than 20 seconds for each page
view makes it unusable on a daily basis. When it comes to the moderation of the content posted by our fans, we were left unsatisfied. Some
information requires verification directly on the page: for example, you cannot see what post a publication references.
Another example: we could not read the videos posted on the wall, you could only access a URL of that video. It made it difficult to see if the content was correct, and you were therefore required to
return to Facebook, which made the process a bit cumbersome. Another disadvantage: You only have the data (publications and fans) for the last 30 days. This
makes it impossible to identify the top fans for more than the last 30 days or find a publication from a previous month.
Last criticism, the ergonomics leave much to be desired and even after several days of use, we still had a hard time navigating the interface.
In conclusion, this application should only be used by community managers who do not have budgets, but if you have a little leeway, head in another direction.
4. Wall Manager of Tigerlily
In addition to the page builder seen above, the agency Tigerlily offers a wall manager, a management and moderation tool of your Facebook page.
Among the features offered, we noted:
-‐ Automatic moderation: you can enter words that are banned or considered offensive. Once
a fan publishes on your page, you can decide to be alerted by e-‐mail or to automatically delete the publication,
-‐ Access to statistics and the ability to export them,
-‐ Classification of fans based on their activity.
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Website: http://www.tigerlilyapps.com/wallmanager
Rates: Previously divided into three offers ranging from 199€ to 699€ a month, the Wall Manager is now, since summer 2011, only available on request from 3,000€/year.
Our impression: The Tigerlilly wall manager is not available in self service, even for a trial period of a couple days (a bit
frustrating!). So, we cannot give you any feedback. Tigerlilly applications are generally clear and easy to use, and it’s most likely that the wall manager is
not an exception to this rule. The few screenshots on the site make it seem that this is the case: neat and clear.
The disadvantage is the price, making it unavailable to small and mid-‐size pages.
5. Fangager
Fangager is a solution only available in English with the following promise: “Unlock your fans’ potential with FanGager”. The proposed device is composed of a backoffice and page moderation from an “app store” where you can order Facebook applications.
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The FanGager Admin, (name of the moderation and management back office) is presented as an
intuitive dashboard, including the following: -‐ A comprehensive database of Facebook fans and Twitter followers; -‐ Identification of “top fans”;
-‐ Targeting a specific group of fans; -‐ Management and monitoring of your engagement;
-‐ Retrieve reports; -‐ A platform that integrates your CRM system.
Website: http://www.fangager.com/site/
Rates: the rates are not available on the site. However, here are the prices reported by the editor:
-‐ Back office only (without installation): $1,500 /month -‐ Installation of the complete platform (Backoffice + basic applications) $5,000 then $2,000/month -‐ Additional applications: $3,000 per application
Our impression
The value proposition of this product is interesting: it sets up entertaining mechanics rewarding fans for their actions on the page (visits to your site, clicks on a link, responses to questions, etc…) in other terms; you reward your fans for all the positive and rewarding actions they do for you! It uses the
same system that has made Foursquare so successful with its badges.
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Unfortunately, once you get past the appeal of this promise, the implementation is disappointing.
The application, entirely developed in Flash, is sorely lacking in sex appeal, and proves to be quickly limited and unattractive.
In addition, the prices are completely unattainable for small and mid-‐size pages. It seems like a more affordable self-‐service option is in the works, but while waiting, kick this product to the curb.
6. Post Planner Post Planner is a publication planning service. It is a Facebook application that is accessible simply by installing Post Planner on your account.
This service lets you publish Facebook statuses (either instantaneously or planned for another date), on your profile or your page. Like on Facebook, you can attach a photo, a link, or a video. Then
choose the date and time of your post (the “time zone” field lets you adjust the time of the publication to the time zone of your audience). Another option lets you manage the frequency of repeats of the publication (if necessary).
You can then find all of the planned publications in the “your plan” section. At any time you can edit, re-‐plan or delete your statuses.
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Website: http://apps.facebook.com/postplanner/
Rates: To publish on your profile, access to the application is free. On the other hand, the pro offer that lets you publish on your pages is not free: $4.95 a month with a free trial for 30 days. You can subscribe to a pro offer “white page” for $20/month that lets you customize the links under the
publication (indicating “published via [your brand]” for example).
Our impression One merit of this service is its simplicity: a single installation from your Facebook account is
sufficient. The interface (only available in English) is very clear.
It’s a shame that you have to enter your banking details just to test the free version for 30 days.
This is a good service if you are solely looking for post planning, but it too limited for most Community Managers, who prefer other solutions that offer this function as well as others (AgoraPulse, Conversocial, TigerLily, etc.).
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7. AgoraPulse Page Manager The AgoraPulse platform offers page management available in self-‐service in both French and
English: the platform makes life easier for the community manager thanks to several options: -‐ Complete management of publications and comments of our page (that you can approve,
delete, flag, assign to a co-‐administrator, and categorize with a key-‐words system), -‐ A sentiment system that allows you to attribute a level of sentiment to each publication or
comment (neutral, positive, or negative),
-‐ Fan Management (each fan has their own page where you can find their information, their publications, comments, and likes),
-‐ Export CSV list of fans and qualifying information collected from the applications,
-‐ Instant and programmed publications, -‐ Notifications of activity sent by e-‐mail, -‐ Detailed statistics.
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Website: http://agorapulse.com (.fr for the French version)
Rates: The 5 AgoraPulse offers with the page manager:
-‐ Bronze Offer ($14/month/ page): the maximum number of fans is 1,000 and the qualification option is not available.
-‐ Silver Offer: ($29/month/ page) : the maximum number of fans is 3,000 and the qualification
option is available. -‐ Gold Offer: ($69/month/ page) : the maximum number of fans is 30,000 and the qualification
option is available.
-‐ Platinum Offer: ($145/month/ page) : the maximum number of fans is 100,000 fans and the qualification option is available.
-‐ Diamond Offer: (from $360/month/ page) : there is no limit on the number of fans and the
qualification option is available.
The added bonus -‐ No limit on the number of administrators: all the administrators of the page have access to
the manager
-‐ The categorization system of fans and publications through key-‐words (or an easy way to find prospects, employees, ambassadors, etc.)
-‐ The qualification system that allows you to transform your fan page to a real generator of
qualified contacts (and to find out, for example, how many fans are also clients!).
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VII. Notification by e-‐mail services
1. Hyper Alert Hyper is not a moderation application, but a way to receive e-‐mail alerts every time a publication or comment is posted on the wall of your page. It will therefore greatly facilitate your tasks as
moderator. It’s a great solution for small budgets (since it’s free!). The principal is very simple. You create an account with your e-‐mail address and a password, then
you enter the URL of the pages that you wish to watch and choose the frequency of notifications (from instantly to weekly). You are not limited to a certain number of pages and you can receive alerts for any page.
The alerts are clear and well presented, and they even include images, which calls for less work on the moderation of published photos.
Website: http://www.hyperalerts.no/
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Rates: The application is currently in the Beta stage, and it is offered for free. We have a hunch that it will soon become a paid service.
Our Impression: The application is very simple, and in just a few seconds, your alerts can be set up. You can create alerts for any page, not necessarily just the pages you administrate. So, for example,
you can keep the page of your competitor under surveillance.
The tool is limited to e-‐mail alerts: there is no way of archiving publications, and there is no possibility to flag or delete publications. It is a good way to receive alerts, but if your page gets a lot of publications and comments, your inbox can quickly become drowned in content to sort through.
A tool limited to e-‐mail notification, yet it does it well.
There is a little uncertainty about the sustainability of the solution, it is still in Beta, and it is not sure that it will remain a free option.
2. Meediafeedia Meediafeedia offers Facebook page administrators a “message center”. It allows you to manage posts on walls of pages (and specifically to plan publications).
However, it does not allow you to manage publications by fans: there is no moderation option, so…. On the other hand, this tool lets you receive instant e-‐mail notifications to monitor the activity on your wall.
Example of notification e-‐mail
Website: http://mediafeedia.com/
Rates: At the moment, this solution is in the beta version, and free.
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Our impression: The tool did not leave us satisfied. The e-‐mail notifications are notably better than those offered by
Facebook, but not being able to choose the frequency of reception makes it inconvenient (especially for very active pages!). The management for sending (instant or planned) publications is not comprehensive enough, since it does not moderate the publications of fans.
If you are looking for a simple notification tool, we suggest you take advantage of Hyperalerts, a simpler option that is also free!
3. Pagenotifier
Pagenotifier lets you receive e-‐mail notifications of your favorite pages. This service chooses by default, the last pages that you become fan of, and asks you to differentiate between notification of publications by the administrator, and publications by fans.
Website: http://fanpagenotifier.com/
Rates: At the moment, this solution is in the beta version, and free.
Our impression :
It could be useful to watch pages that you are a fan of, without being an administrator. However, the page notifier does not let you directly access the pages that you administrate (no filter or search
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fields). When you are a fan of a multitude of pages, it can become difficult to navigate! On the other hand, we appreciate the choice to receive notifications based on the author of the publication: if you
want to follow your own page, you only want to be notified of the publications of your fans, but if you want to watch the page of a competitor, you would want to watch the publications on the page itself.
In conclusion, we found this tool to be much less practical than Hyperalerts.
4. Nutshellmail
Nutshellmail lets you watch over your presence on social medias (your Facebook and Twitter accounts, among others) by e-‐mail. Just choose which page(s) you want to monitor (only those you
administrate) or Twitter account.
You can then choose how often you want to receive summary messages for all of your monitored pages: you maximum frequency available is once an hour (no instant notification). However, you can decide to not receive notifications on certain days.
Website: https://nutshellmail.com
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Rates: At the moment, this solution is available for free. Our impression: This solution has the merit of being able to satisfy a community manager who
wants to have a global view on their presence in social media. You can receive an hourly summary of all the activity on their Facebook page(s), their Twitter account(s) or even their Foursquare account (less availability…)
This tool should definitely not be chosen if the objective is to be informed, in real time, of the activity on a page. However, it can be a complimentary solution, especially for the week-‐end; so you only activate notifications for Saturday and Sunday, at a reasonable frequency that allows you to keep an
eye on a page while keeping some free time!
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VIII. Comparison Services and Statistics Pages
Certain tools, most of which are free, offer you the possibility to compare your page with
competitors. This is a useful metric for all community managers who need more comprehensive reporting.
1. Conversocial
In addition to its management and moderation tools, Conversocial offers an entire page to calculate and compare your IPM (of the last 30 days) to your competitors. The IMP (interactions per thousand fans) is the sum of comments and “likes” reported in relation to
the number of publications and the number of fans. It provides you with an alternative indication of results rather than just number of fans. Having a substantial community is good, but having an active community is better!
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Website: http://app.conversocial.com/profiler/
Rates: this service is available for free
Our impression: This tool is simple and lets you have a quick and comprehensive overview of the level of interaction on your page. Of course, this does not let you qualify the type of interaction that is occurring on your page (perhaps an important IPM is due to many complaints from fans, in this
case the interaction is present, but negative). Another setback of the tool: it is impossible to make calculations for any other period outside the last 30 days. So remember to take screenshots.
On the other hand, we do appreciate how simple it is to use, the distinction between the types of content, and the classification of the top 10 pages by IPM.
2. Wildfireapp Available to everyone for free, the Monitor of Wildfire tool lets you compare the evolution of the
number of fans for several pages, whether you are an administrator or not.
Website: http://monitor.wildfireapp.com/
Rates: this service is available for free
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Our impression: Simple, clear, and precise, this tool is good option if you want to know the number
of fans (and evolution) of several pages. This statistic should not be the only gauge of success, even if it initially constitutes an audience (customers and prospects). The level of engagement and interaction must complete this chart. In short, this is a tool that can be complemented by
Conversocial!
3. Allfacebook
AllFacebook is widely known for being the most popular and most consulted non-‐official blog of Facebook. Something that we may hear about less often is that Allfacebook also offers a statistics tool that lets you see figures of several pages (whether or not you are an administrator).
The tool gives you access to, among other things: -‐ Detailed statistics about your fans -‐ Information on your competitors;
-‐ Analysis of the different interactions and content of the page.
Website: https://www.allfacebookstats.com
Rates: Allfacebook has 4 offers depending on what you needs: -‐ Free offer: this offer limits you to a maximum of 3 pages and one user. You only have information
from the last 30 days.
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-‐ S offer ($69/month): this offer limits you to 10 pages and one user. You only have information from the last 3 months.
-‐M offer ($199/month): this offer limits you to a maximum of 30 pages and 3 users. The information you have is limited to the last 6 months. -‐ L offer ($399/month): this offer limits you to a maximum of 75 pages and 5 users. The information
you have is unlimited in time. The export in CSV is exclusive to this offer.
Our impression Only available in English and German, this statistical tool is a bit “cold” and riddled with “Excel charts”. However, it offers a wealth of data that can be used by a community manager in need of
figures for reporting. Each figure is explained by a definition with the assistance component. The free version is sufficient for community managers who want to expand their reporting but who do not necessarily have the budget to invest in paid tools.
4. Socialbakers Socialbakers (previously Facebakers) is known for being a site for news and figures on Facebook (the baseline is also “Heart of Facebook Statistics”). It allows you to access the evolution of number of
fans and pages according to several criteria, for free (country, type of page, etc.). Something, less known, is that Socialbakers also offers an advanced statistical product to deepen
your knowledge about your competition: Socialbakers analytics. This solution gives you access to different data for each page you follow:
-‐ Total number of fans and evolution;
-‐ The engagement of your fans; -‐ The quality of content; -‐ Publications and most engaged fans;
-‐ Daily interactions; -‐ Identification of “key influencers”, or your ambassadors; -‐ Etc.
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Website: http://analytics.socialbakers.com/ Rates: this tool is free for associations and charities. (Just contact Socialbakers directly at the
following e-‐mail address: [email protected]) For everyone else, 5 offers are proposed, and they include all the same options, the number of pages
is the only differentiating point: -‐ Single ($50/month) : 1 page -‐ Basic ($100/month) : 3 pages
-‐ Multi 7 ($200/month) : 7 pages -‐ Multi 20 ($400/month) 20 pages -‐ Multi 100 ($1,000/month) : 100 pages
All plans offer a 14-‐day free trial.
Our impression You can only test the platform with 2 pages: Pizza Hut UK or Starbucks UK. You can then see that Socialbakers offers a significant comparative panel as an effective monitor.
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The Facebook statistics tool is quite difficult to decipher, but the solution has the merit of simplifying your reading and analysis of statistics on your page. But the true added value lies in the comparison
with other pages, even those that you do not administrate. You can easily identify the days when the number of fans increases on a competitor’s page and match this data to a specific publication, without having to consult an entire page. You can also
identify your most active fans, as well as those of your competitor!
However, this solution is a bit pricey: $100/month just for a service with the ability to compare 2 pages, and nothing else. This option is not for everyone, especially if you have a tight budget.
5. Pagelever
PageLever is a tool that completes the statistics capabilities provided by Facebook (If you think Facebook Insights leaves something to be desired, you’re not alone.) Pagelever is a platform, only available in English, where you can find a series of very specific
statistics: growing number of fans, fan demographics, visibility of publications, involvement of fans on the page, etc. All can be exported in CSV.
Website: http://pagelever.com/
Rates: Pagelever has 3 offers; each has a 14-‐day free trial: -‐ Standard Offer ($34/month): 5 pages, 50,000 fans and a user account.
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-‐ Pro Offer ($64/month): 10 pages, 500,000 fans, and 3 user account. -‐ Premium Offer ($94/month): 20 pages, 5,000,000 fans and 5 user accounts
Our impression: Page Lever keeps its promises: this tool does complement the statistics capabilities provided by
Facebook (however, sometimes unclear…). The interface is well made: the statistics are grouped by themes. We appreciate the context help that makes it easier to understand the importance of
specific data, and the definitions of terms. For example, it is very easy to find the sources to unsubscribe for a particular period. The choice of the period that we want to study is obviously a capital option for a statistics monitoring
tool. Last positive point: sending a weekly summary of the key statistics of your page is very convenient for regular reporting with the hierarchy!
IX. General applications (or Swiss Army knives)
These applications are generally in specialized companies that started by developing applications dedicated to Facebook (games, personalized pages, coupons, etc.), and then moderation and
monitoring tools that evolved into complete applications.
Generally speaking, they address big brands, have few applications in self-‐service, and are quite pricey.
1. Involver
Involver does not only provide 25 applications for content management, it also offers a backoffice animation and moderation that can carry out tasks as varied as moderation, statistical analysis, management of publications (programmed publications) and various applications on the page.
Website: http://www.involver.com
Rates: Some applications can be tested for free, while others are not available unless you choose a paid option.
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Our impression: We were not able to use this application, so it would not be possible for us to give an objective impression. However, we can note that Involver is used by very large brands, which can be a gauge of credibility.
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2. Buddymedia This solution offers a complete platform to manage your Facebook page from a dedicated backoffice.
-‐ Possibility to moderate by key words that you define yourself (names of competitors, for example);
-‐ Provides access to dedicated statistics (monitoring all key performance indicators, data analysis at all levels of commitment…)
Website: http://www.buddymedia.com/
Rates: No information on prices, only available upon request.
Our impression: we were not able to use this application, so it would be impossible to give an objective impression. With that said, Buddy Media is used by very big brands in the United States, a gauge of credibility.
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3. Vitrue Along with Involver and Buddy Media, Virtue is one of the most significant editing applications in the US. Their offer is divided into three main themes:
-‐ The applications ; -‐ The “tabs”;
-‐ The “publisher” The applications will help create a registration form for a newsletter, a quiz, printable coupons,
competitions, a video player, and more than 11 different applications. The “tabs” will let you create custom built personalized tabs, much like the offer of Tiger Lily, but
with more features and flexibility, for example, with the interface and the final result:
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The publisher lets you moderate the page, publish content on a defined schedule, access detailed
statistics, and publish content from certain applications directly on your wall.
The applications are essentially “wall apps”. Basically, they are applications that let you publish rich content, in flash, directly on the wall of your page. Thus, you can publish a coupon, a survey, or a contest directly in the newsfeed of your fans instead of on a tab of the page. This method can
achieve high interaction and much higher participation.
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Website: http://vitrue.com/
Rates: The Virtue platform starts at $2,000 per month, per page, which makes it a tool, albeit a very complete one, reserved for major brands.
Our impression: A very rich tool with undeniable assets when it comes to certain points: the only one to offer “wallapps” and a system for rich publications to several pages and even to people who have liked one of your web pages (article, product, etc.).
But it lacks some features like management and qualification of fans. Finally, the price makes it clearly reserved for major accounts.
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4. ContextOptional ContextOptional (acquired by Efficient frontier in May 2011) is an agency that proposes products and services for management of your Facebook page.
This player offers to assist you in implementation strategy and even community management.
On the product side, ContextOptional offers publishing and moderation tools to enhance your community management on a daily basis:
-‐ Manage several pages from one interface ; -‐ Create filters for words, banished phrases from your page [create watch lists that
automatically delete certain words or publications, or by highlighting them (“flag” and
“highlight”)] ; -‐ Allows you to organize the display of comments by your own standards; -‐ Allows you to plan publications;
-‐ Allows you to compare the quality of publications with other pages.
Context Optional also offers a gallery of applications to integrate directly on your page (classic
sweepstakes and contests).
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Website: http://www.contextoptional.com/ Rates: There is no provided information on prices, everything is available upon request. According to
our information, rates start around $1,500 to $2,000 per month. An offer reserved for large accounts.
Our impression: we were not able to test this solution, so it would be impossible to offer an objecting impression.
X. Conclusion
In this guide, we had the ambition of providing you with a range of what was best in terms of Facebook applications and tools that facilitate your daily life. We purposely made this guide a sort of summary of available options, an exhaustive list if you will, and so there are of course other solutions
out there. But the goal was to be as concise as possible. After reading the guide, which tools stand out the most to you? It all depends on your needs and
your profile (a SMB will not have the same needs as a big account!) To create a customized welcome page Pagemodo has the merits of being easy-‐to-‐use and accessible,
when it comes to prices. For a more extensive welcome page, Iwipa is recommended: you can basically create a mini-‐site on your welcome tab without having technical expertise.
To organize contests without having to go through an agency that creates an ad hoc application (count on a minimum budget of $5-‐10,000), you can use Involver, Buddy Media, or Context Optional,
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if you have an adequately large budget (rates start at around $2,000/month to access the contest application).
WildfireApp is just as expensive and the only offers suitable for “serious” brands and pages start at $5,000 per campaign.
There are two distinguishing approaches: rates by organized contest, and monthly charges without
obligation. With the offers from North Social and AgoraPulse, you get access to self-‐service contest applications
at any time for a monthly subscription starting at $49/month for AgoraPulse (for a page with 30,000 fans) and $19.99/month for North Social (for a page with 1,000 fans or $79.99 for 30,000 fans). Advantages for AgoraPulse: several types of contests are available (sweepstakes, quiz, photo contest,
as well as an Instant Win application) whereas North Social only offers the “sweepstakes” option. To manage a shop tab online, Bookset and Payvment will suit you perfectly, in their free versions.
If you are looking for a tool for fan management and wall moderation, Conversocial is a great choice, and you can test it yourself, which is not an option for TigerLily. But the price can quickly
become an issue as you pay by user. TigerLily is equally suitable, but it is an option solely reserved for large budgets. AgoraPulse lets you manage your page and your fans for a more affordable price (from 9€/month for a page of 1,000 fans).
If you are looking for a tool that completes Facebook notifications (not at all reliable in our experience), we recommend HyperAlerts: their notifications are very well made and the tool is free
(for now!). Do you need to compare several pages, in terms of engagement, and not only by number of fans?
The online tool Profiler from Conversocail is a must: available for free, it lets you compare the engagement (IPM) of several pages simultaneously.
Finally, if you want to effectively complement the statistics provided by Facebook, we recommend PageLever, very useful and complete in providing detailed reporting.
