alt text for image Facebook cover rev2Facebook introduced its new Timeline for business pages last week and with the new layout, changes to what brands can and cannot do on their Facebook pages. Opinions about the new look and functionality range from utter despair (because Facebook has changed things yet again and who has time for this?) to a sense of excitement about the opportunities the new layout and features will provide.

So, is this latest revision a game changer or not?

The new Timeline layout offers organizations a chance to make a stunning first impression with the cover photo at the top of the page. However, the space measuring 851 x 315 pixels, can not include:

  • Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it on socialmusic.com”
  • Contact information such as a website address, email, mailing address, References to Facebook features or actions, such as “Like” or “Share” or an arrow pointing from the cover photo to any of these features
  • Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends.”

Given these new restrictions, you will want to think carefully about how best to use this real estate to interest prospects and new visitors to your page. It is important to note that most of your fans will not visit the Facebook page and will interact with it from their news feeds or by clicking an ad placed near their news feeds. However, Facebook pages come up in search, so having a compelling presence is important.

Timeline also provides a format that allows brands to tell a more complete and detailed story and to highlight achievements over the years like new product introductions, awards or other business milestones. You have the opportunity to highlight posts to your wall now, with a new pinning function, that allows you to “pin” an update to the top of the page for seen days. You can also highlight an update and make it larger and more noticeable.

alt tex for image app locationThe customized applications companies have used in the past have been moved to the upper right hand side of the page, which will make them harder for fans to find and will probably decrease usage. You will now be able to customize the application image to reflect something that your particular audience might find more compelling.

alt tex for the image facebook page dataTimeline offers you a wealth of data about how your competitors are using Facebook now. You can easily access your competitors’ insights and determine how many fans they have, the number of new “likes” they have received, how many fans are talking about them, which posts were most popular and other data. Problem is, your competitors will now also be able to access your information as well.

The new Timeline features will go live for all pages on March 30, 2012. This means that you have 25 days to think through how to make the most of the new opportunities and minimize any losses your company may experience due to the revisions. We have several recommendations for you as you move forward with the Timeline feature for your page:

  • Read the  revised terms of use for Facebook pages and know what you can and cannot do.
  • Use my friend Shelly Kramer’s checklist for converting to Timeline, which also includes several valuable resources.
  • Read my friend, and Facebook expert, Brian Carter’s post on allfacebook.com, The 7 Biggest Fan Page Marketing Mistakes. The information he shares is invaluable and will help you plan your Facebook activities, which may well include investing in Facebook advertising to help promote your page to fans and prospects.
  • If you are unfamiliar with the concept of Edgerank, Facebook’s algorithm for deciding what information makes it into your fans’ news feeds, read my friend Kami Watson Huyse’s recent post. This post will help you understand what types of content have proven effective in increasing user engagement.

So will Timeline be a game changer for your brand? It depends. It’s really up to you. And the clock is ticking…

Need help updating your Facebook page and developing a content strategy for your updates by March 30th? Thinking about running Facebook ads but unsure how to get started? We can help. Give us a call at 419.740.1262 or shoot us an email at [email protected]. We’re happy to help you get this done–and done right–in time for the big March 30th deadline.