I had a huge response recently when I wrote about how I created my own Facebook landing page. I had such fun making my own Facebook page that I thought I would create a simple step by step guide so that anyone could do it. If you know me you’ll know that I’m really cheap ;-). I really do like a bargin and because I’m a blogger with no budget, I especially love getting things for free. During my search to find the right solution to develop my own Facebook landing page I found some very tasty free Facebook App’s whichI thought I would do a short review of them and tell you what I think.
Now remember these apps are just tools. They won’t solve your communication problem. You need some good quality design and communication strategy before you choose what is right for you.
North Social
What I really loved about North’s solution was the fact that you don’t just get a Facebook landing page but you get a whole suite of app’s that you can use. The folk’s at North have thought of everything and there is probably an app in there for you. There is the video app, photo showcase, sign up, fan offer to name a few. And yes, they are all for free up to 1,000 followers. What is not to “Like”?
Pagemodo
I personally love the look and feel of the Pagemodo website. They have some lovely examples of what has been done. However, in terms of functionality their product offer significantly fewer options than the North Social solution. On the plus side there is not a limitation on the number of followers for free plan.
Shortstack
Shortstack has a similar offering to NorthSocial. They offer access to all their widgets (not apps) for free. It also seems that you can time and rotate your promotion depending what you need. One advantage they have over NorthSocial is that you can have a free plan for up to 2,000 followers.
Static HTML
Static HTML is built into Facebook and there is very simple to use. 61 MILLION people can’t be wrong? Well it is quite limited in what it can do but you do get unlimited followers. There is no up-selling to a paid commercial product which is nice. What Static HTML doesn’t do is really simply and clearly explain what it is capable of. I know it can do more, you just have to look quite hard to find what it can do.
Review Summary
As I’ve only really compared their functionality and the real test will come down to how easy they are to use. Functionality isn’t everything. Ease of use is important to me too. For now the Static HTML solution works for me (Don’t forget my step by step guide on how you can do it here). It’s simple to use and not connected to any obvious commercial interest. I do like the idea of some of the extra functionality that Shortstack and NorthSocial products and may switch once I have more time to soak up their usefulness.
Have you used any of these products or any others? Share your wisdom on what you think below.
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