How Your Brand Can Make the Most of the New Facebook Timeline

Facebook is switching all personal profiles and brand Pages to its Timeline format this week, changing a template that many of us grown accustomed to. This exciting new format offers opportunities for brands smart enough to take advantage of them.

How can your brand make the most of the new Facebook Timeline? Read on.

Take Off From Landing

How many hours did your designer spend creating your Facebook landing page? Well, it was nice while it lasted; landing pages are gone. Facebook is trying to eliminate “like-gating” – forcing users to like a page to view any content – as well as deceptive Pages that trick you into liking or sharing them. The new format comes with only one landing page, which includes the big cover photo, tabs (now at the top), and the timeline itself. All these features are customizable.

Pin to Win

You may be tempted to post content in the large cover photo, but Facebook doesn’t allow you to post prices, contact information, or a call to action in that space. Don’t worry -- you can now keep important content at the top of your Page by “pinning” any post. The “pin” lasts seven days and ensures that it’s the first thing visitors see. If you’re running a contest or a sale, pin it!

Tell Stories

Storytelling was the most popular topic at South by Southwest this year. Brands are starting to realize that they can’t just post press releases or tweet “Thanks for following.” They must tell stories. Facebook’s timeline feature is the perfect way to share your brand’s story and make an emotional connection with your fans. Talk about odds you overcame, innovations you pioneered, or awards you earned. Add images to the timeline to make it even more compelling – people will be charmed by a picture of your first office, especially if it includes your 90s haircut!

Talk to Your Fans

Fans of a Page can now contact the brand by Facebook message, so you can make some interactions private. A complaint-and-recovery process no longer has to take up valuable Wall space, and smaller matters, like a contest winner’s home address, can now be shared privately. As Twitter direct messages have shown, people are thrilled to have personal contact with the brands they love, so find a reason to drop them a line, whether it’s “How did you enjoy your stay at our hotel?” or “Did your refund arrive on time?”

Bonus Info

A few more tips on how your brand can make the most of Facebook Timeline:

What size is the Facebook cover photo? 315 pixels high by 851 wide. The image should definitely not be smaller than 400 pixels wide.

Use the expanded Insights feature to view analytics on your Page, including the age of your Fans, which can be useful when buying Facebook Ads.

Tabs are now at the top. You can have a lot of them – Coke has 12 – but only four are visible when users first come to your site. So make sure those four have great images that make fans want to see more!

There’s no minimum fan number for a “vanity URL.” The moment you create your Page, you can make the address “facebook.com/yourbrandname.” And you can change the URL until you reach 100 fans.

Want a killer design and copywriting team to help create your new Facebook Page? Brandemix can help.