Hello all marketers and business owners out there!
I’m sure the news about the Facebook Timeline for Pages has reached you. Whether you like it or not, your Facebook page will change into a timeline design, just as for Facebook profiles, starting March 30th. You can already at this very moment get the new design (get it here), but I’d advice you to take some time and think this through. Start with reading these pointers:
1. The Cover
Just like in the old days of Facebook Pages, Timeline for Pages is a place for businesses to establish and maintain connections and build their brands and not so much about hard-selling customers. Timeline for Pages makes it easy for you to show customers your brand image and tell your story. Use the Cover (a huge 851×315 pixel banner on the top of your page – see Facebook guidelines and restrictions here) to show what your brand represents. As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words. The cover is the first thing visitors will see when they visit your page – make a good first impression that lasts! As before, your profile picture will show up in people’s news feed so think this one through as well (Your logo can go here).
2. About Section and Page Apps
Below the cover you will find the About Section. Here visitors can e.g. see your number of Likes, click on your Photos, and read your description. See this new design as a chance to do some spring cleaning as well. Write a new description, update your contact info and so on. In the About Section are your custom apps, which used to be in the left navigation sidebar in the old design and called tabs. They are now displayed in a horizontal menu across the top of the page, under the cover photo. The “icons” are much larger than the tabs (111×74 pixels) and Facebook calls them Views. You can now create your own custom tab icon for each tab.
You’re limited to four apps, and Photos is required to be one of them. This is a downside with the new Pages design; even though Like-gates are still permitted, they’re not as powerful anymore since they can’t be used as a default landing page. Also keep in mind that if you don’t have many Likes for your page, it might be a good idea not to make the number of Likes visible in the About Sections.
3. Messages
With the new design, users can send private messages to you. Make sure to make this part of your customer service channels. You can respond to messages from users when they reach out to you, but you still can’t contact users without them having contacted you first.
4. Other Features
- Pinned Posts
You can pin an important post to the top of your page for up to seven days.
- Milestones
The new design allows you to share your key moments on your timeline. These milestones should be individual for each company and can include winning awards and new employees.
- Friend Activity
Users can see how their friends interact with your brand throughout the timeline; which is great friend-to-friend marketing.
I hope this intro was useful and that you can stop scratching your head. Please share your new Page with us – we can’t wait to see all the new Facebook Timeline Pages out there! And if you find it overwhelming or confusing, don’t hesitate to give us a shout – we’re your friend in social media!
Anna
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