FanBridge’s New Facebook Brand Page Omni-App Combines Functionality From 12 Partners

Facebook Pages can host as many applications as they want, but unfortunately, most visitors never click away from the single default landing tab. To let its brand and band clients offer ecommerce, crowdfunding, music, video, and ticketing all within their default tab, marketing platform FanBridge today launches partnerships with 12 developers. Clients can simultaneously integrate functionality from Topspin, IndieGoGo, SoundCloud, Stickam, and Songkick, and other partners into the free FanBridge Fan Page Creator app. By creating a partner ecosystem, FanBridge can become the hub which aggregates other apps rather than having to build them on its own. The omni-app’s flexibility and name-brand partners could help FanBridge pull clients away from Facebook Page management titans such as Buddy Media and Vitrue, whose brand client typically display multiple separate apps on their Pages.

At its core, FanBridge Fan Page Creator is about reducing friction inherent in the Facebook Page tab application system. Page visitors land at one app, but have to use the small navigation menu on the side of the screen to visit others. They rarely go to the trouble, so brands are typically left to either define their identity with one app that doesn’t tell the whole story, or go to the trouble of frequently rotating the default app. Fanzila tried to solve this through a creating multi-feature app, but it’s building all the modules on its own rather than picking the best providers of commonly requested  functionality.

FanBridge presents an easier cross-app experience for users that could translate into more engagement, conversions, donations, and more actions that benefit brands. FanBridge’s VP of Product AJ Magnuson explains that its partners have all developed high quality standalone apps, but that “some have had trouble gaining traction or just want to focus on core functionality” rather than building out other features or a full content management system. Integrations with FanBridge give them added distribution without much additional development work.

Clients of FanBridge can add their content and determine which partner functionality to show through a CMS dashboard. Soon, FanBridge will be aggregating data about partner feature usage from across the Pages it powers to give clients recommendations about which functionality will work best for them. It hopes to pull in clients with the free app, then upsell them on subscriptions to its social marketing suite and other services.

Facebook has classically done a poor job with app discovery, for both users and Page admins. Through its ecosystem FanBridge can act as a curator, giving brands access to only the highest quality apps, and relieving them from having to choose whether visitors will first see their ecommerce storefront, video channel or another app.

I’ve listed the 12 partners and their functionalities below, and developers can now apply to join the FanBridge ecosystem.

  • Bandsintown – Concert promotion, Facebook Events integration, and ticket sales
  • Crowdsurge – Merchandise, music, and ticket sales
  • Dympol – Charity donation solicitation
  • IndieGoGo – Crowdfunding
  • Moontoast – Ecommerce with exclusive offers for fans
  • Nimbit – Music and merchandise ecommerce
  • Owjo – Digital media and physical merchandise ecommerce
  • PledgeMusic – Real-time fund raising and charity donation solicitation
  • Songkick – Concert promotion, ticket sales
  • SoundCloud – Music streaming
  • Stickam – Live video streaming
  • Topspin – Marketing and ecommerce suite