In a few days, Facebook is forcing all business pages into the new Timeline format. This provides some really great opportunities for you to engage with your audience in new ways, but first you have to make sure your page is setup properly.
Here are the important things you need to know about Facebook Timeline for your business page.
Timeline Cover Photo
The most obvious change with the new timeline format is the cover photo. This photo should be 851 x 350 pixels in order to fit properly. Facebook has laid down some strict rules about what you can do with this photo. For instance, you can’t provide contact info, purchase information, or calls to action. See https://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=276329115767498 for details.
Profile Picture
The profile picture is a smaller 180 pixel square picture that is located at the bottom left of the cover photo. It’s the picture that will also be located next to each status update on your timeline.
Apps
Apps are still available, but they are now displayed in boxes below the cover photo. There are 4 of these boxes, with one being used by photos, but you can have up to 12 apps in total. But only 3 will show on the front page without clicking the drop down arrow.
Pick the Stories Displayed on your Timeline
One of the neat things about timeline, is that you can hide certain stories from appearing on the timeline. This way you can get rid of the less interesting stuff and let your visitors quickly see your most important posts. Just click the little pencil icon at the top right of the post, then click Hide from Page. Alternatively, you can delete it altogether.
You can also highlight certain posts to make them the full width of the page by clicking the star at the top of each post. This is a great way to make that post really stand out!
If you have a post that you don’t want getting buried by newer posts, you can pin it to the top of the page by clicking the little pencil icon and clicking Pin to Top.
Creating Milestones
This is a great opportunity to tell your story to your visitors and help them get to know the history of your business. In the status update box, you can click on Milestone and add all kinds of events that have happened in the company’s history. Some examples are:
- When the company was founded
- When you hired your first employee
- When you added a new product
- When you opened a second location
- When you received an award
This should give you a good start on how you can use the new Facebook Timeline for your business page to tell your story and get your message out. Remember, the change goes into effect on March 30, so if you haven’t set it up yet, get busy!
If you need help, contact me and we’ll get you setup.