Facebook Timeline For Pages
You may have already noticed that some of your friend’s pages have the new timeline feature. This is currently optional and you can ‘opt-in’. You may not like the new Facebook style but the truth of the matter is that Facebook will continue to evolve and change. Hopefully, for the better! The new Facebook for pages will be rolling out on the 30th March 2012. You have time to opt-in and change it now, but be aware that all Facebook pages will change onthe 30th March, and you can’t opt out. There are a few new changes and Facebook default landing tabs are gone. The new business promotion’s are ‘pinning’ as Facebook rolls out the Timeline design for fan pages.
We think Facebook timeline for pages is a very sociable change. You’ve got the opportunity for two images at the top – your profile picture and this fantastic wide open space at the top called your cover photo. The cover photo is the first thing people see; therefore great for business pages because you can incorporate your brands logo. Then, you’re able to personalise the page. Highlighting posts and photos to make them widescreen, or remove the photos and posts you don’t want on your timeline. Adding apps to your timeline makes the Facebook experience even more sociable. Showing friends what games you’ve played, films you’ve watched, songs listened to, recipes cooked… the list is endless!
Facebook timeline for pages is a key opportunity to utilize your creativity in order to further drive traffic and grow your customer base! There are a few new features unique to Facebook Pages that are designed to help you better manage your account and engage with your customers.
Let’s get the ball rolling as to how to work with your Facebook timeline for pages. Starting with the Facebook rules for business timelines:
- You’re not allowed to include price or purchasing information
- Contact information is for your about section not coverphoto
- No calls to action such as ‘like us here’ or ‘please share’
The cover photo: Facebook recommends that your cover photo is 399 pixels wide but the best image size to use is 850 pixels by 315 pixels -this is the ideal size for your Facebook cover photo. Please be aware that all cover images are public, which means anyone visiting your Page will be able to see the image you choose. Make sure it is 100% relevant for your business or brand – be creative!
Page Profile Picture: The size of your page’s profile picture should be 180 x 180 pixels.
Highlighting: Just like the new Facebook timeline for our personal profiles, you can click on the star icon to make the image or post widescreen. You can also use the pencil icon to pin it to the top of your Page, hide it or delete it entirely.
Pinned Posts: Pinned posts are Page posts (such as a photo for example or a special offer) that page admins choose to display prominently at the top of the Facebook Page. It will always appear on the top-left of your Page’s Timeline and is designated by a small bookmark symbol on its top-right corner. Pinned posts will stay there for seven days; after that, it will return to the date it was posted on the Page’s Timeline. Posts from people who like a Page are not eligible to be pinned—only Page admins can pin posts created bythe Page. The pinned content spot is a great place to showcase video - pick an interactive element users will find engaging.
Milestones: Milestones are key moments you’ve decided to highlight on your Page. This could be something like a new employee, new business location, new product released. You choose your milestones. Milestones are automatically expanded to widescreen and are visible to everyone visiting your Page.
To add a milestone:
Click Milestone in the sharing tool at the top ofyour Page’s timeline
Add a headline, location, date and details for your milestone
Choose to add a photo
Click Save
From anywhere on your Page’s timeline, scroll to a spot and click the + plus sign to post a milestone or other type of story to a particular date. Milestone photos display at 843 pixels wide and 403pixels tall. At this time, January 1, 1800 is the earliest date a milestone can have.
Admins: The admin part has changed again, but it’s easier to use and better than ever. The messages feature is new, and one that’s helpful for marketers to address a company or business. Fans of the page can now message a page directly, which is great for customer service.
The admin panel is a place where you can respond to people using your Page and quickly see how your Page is performing. From your admin panel, you can:
- View notifications
- Respond to messages
- View your Page insights
- Access your activity log to curate content on your Page
- Access the Edit menu to make changes to your Page’s settings
Open the admin panel by clicking Admin Panel above the date selector in the upper-right corner of your Page. To close your admin panel, click the Hide button in the top-right corner. Non-admins who visit your Page won’t see the admin panel. It’s only available to your Page’s admins.
Apps: You’ll see directly below your cover photo and next to your ‘about’ section, 4 boxes with apps in. By default, photos are always the first app displayed along the top of the profile. Pages can now choose which other apps to highlight in that section. Facebook will allow you to highlight a maximum of 12 apps, with only the first four showing (including photos) by default.
If you’d like to read more about the new Facebook timeline’s for Business pages and see some great examples, take a look here:http://www.facebook.com/about/pages
If you need any help with setting up your Facebook timeline for pages, don’t hesitate to give Urban Media a call and we can arrange for you to come in for a 1:1 session with our Social Media experts. Remember, we’re here to help!
