If you’ve got a Facebook page for your business, you’re probably aware of the big change that’s coming on March 30, when all Facebook pages will switch over to the new Timeline design.
The change will make your Facebook page a more visual representation of your brand. It will also allow you to tell your company story by creating a narrative that shows visitors what you’re all about. Take some time now to set up your page, and you’ll create a rich, rewarding experience for your fans.
So what do you need to know or do?
1) Choose a cover photo.
Each page will be divided into two columns, with a cover photo taking up the width of both across the top of the screen. This is going to be the first thing every visitor to your page sees, so make it count.
2) Resize your images.
The new page layout comes with a new, 810-pixel width (up from the previous 520-pixel limit). Visitors might be turned off by your page if it’s not optimized for the new layout, so at the very least, make sure your images display well.
3) Pick the stories you want to tell.
The next section is like your current wall, and will highlight your memorable posts or photos. The change here is that you can pick which posts appear. So think about what’s most important for your visitors to know about you (and what you’d rather hide from view). One cool new feature here is the ability to “pin” a post to keep it at the top of your timeline for as long you want.
4) No more left-side links.
All those links you might have had to various pages within your Facebook page aren’t going to be there anymore. They’re going to be replaced with three tabs that will display just beneath your cover photo. They’ll get better visibility than the previous layout links, but since they’re limited in number, you’ll have to give some thought to what you want to show there. You might want to play around with different arrangements (if you had lots of links) to find out what your visitors really want to engage with, and make sure it’s easily accessible to them.
5) Flesh out your Milestones.
Coca Cola is getting a lot of rave reviews for the way they’ve handled the transition to Timeline. One thing that they’ve done is fill in company Milestones dating back to 1886. Visitors can scroll down the page to essentially go back in time or they can click the Timeline to jump right to specific years. You can go as far back as is appropriate for your company, include photos to illustrate milestones, and more. If you’ve been in business for a while, or have a compelling story that leads up to where you are now, milestones gives you a chance to share that backstory with your visitors and fans.
