Fanrank Brings Gamification To Your Facebook Page

Fanrank is a recently launched Facebook app that essentially adds a gamification layer to your Facebook Page. Once installed on your page, the app allows folks that have liked your page to join Fanrank and compete for top fan rankings. You have the option of rewarding your fans while encouraging engagement on not just Facebook, but on other social networks as well.

Fanrank launched in beta back in May and is getting a lot of big acts on board from Keith Richards to Nicki Minaj to Blink 182. The app seems well thought out and is currently free with monetization schemes to follow.

Fans move up in the rankings by doing such things as inviting friends and posting messages on Facebook or Twitter using keywords chosen by the Page admin that might include such terms as the artist's name or the name of a new album. Fans have to add additional accounts such as Twitter and, eventually, Last.fm and Foursquare which will increase the opportunity for fans to get points based on listening to your music or checking in at your events.

Currently you have to run your own rewards program but Fanrank mentions in passing that they may add rewards which indicates one possible monetization scheme by marketing products as prizes.

Since rewarding actions such as posting messages can result in spam, Fanrank has already tweaked the app to limit how often one will be rewarded for keyword posts. I think that's a potentially good sign of a basic level of integrity on Fanrank's part given that some products knowingly encourage spam in their early days to help market their business.

Even though I don't personally get into using such apps, I can see that the combination of multiple levels of ranking (alltime, monthly, daily) and growing range of ways to get points already offers enough game elements to appeal to lots of folks on Facebook. The fact that connections to other forms of social media are part of the product plan means that fan activity can affect the level of social media activity related to your act across the board, rather than confining it to Facebook.

If your Facebook Page has a strong following, Fanrank appears to be a solid way to increase engagement while bringing gamification to your social media presence. Given how nuts people get about such things, I think Fanrank has a potentially large upside both for your act and for their business.

Hypebot contributor Clyde Smith is a freelance writer and blogger. Flux Research is his business writing hub and All World Dance: World Dance News is his primary web project. To suggest websites and related topics for review, please contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.