5 Tips to Optimize Your Facebook Timeline for Business
Business owners beware! Facebook has changed the game again, and this time the change involves your business! On March 1st, 2012, Facebook rolled out Facebook Pages (otherwise known as Timeline) for businesses, brands and organizations. All business pages will be converted to this new format automatically on March 30th, 2012. You can choose to have your page move to this new format before then by simply clicking “publish.”
I think the new Facebook Pages for business is a good thing. This format offers businesses a greater ability to develop relationships with new customers and deepen relationships with existing ones. In fact, Mashable reported that the release of Timeline for individual pages resulted in a 37% increase in the amount of time people spent looking at another person’s profile page. This can only be a good thing for business.
So before the official roll-out, take some steps to make sure your page is ready. Here are 5 tips to optimize your Facebook business page for Timeline.
1. Choose a Cover Image.
A Timeline cover image is your chance to tell the world what your business is all about and I don’t mean what you are selling. For example, Coca Cola’s Facebook Timeline Cover image shows happy, people having fun and enjoying Coke! The image tells me that the brand is all about friends, good times, good memories and fun!
The Timeline cover image is 851 X 351 pixels and there are some very specific rules about what you can put on it, or more specifically, what you cannot put on it.
Your cover page cannot be an advertisement. It cannot have a call to action such as “like” or “call now” or a special offer such as “buy one, get one free.” It cannot have your phone number, URL or email or physical address . This information is supposed to be documented on your “About” tab which is on the left hand side of your business page, just under your cover image.
So what should you put up as your cover photo? Any kind of image or collection of images that tells the story of your brand. Here some more examples of some excellent Facebook cover images from Mari Smith, Starbucks, Cool Fords , and even Facebook. Here’s a tip: Need a graphic designer to make a custom Timeline cover image for you? Hire one on Fiverr.com or Elance.com.
2. Familiarize Yourself with the new Display.
The new Timeline gives page owners a couple of different options on how information is displayed on the page. It can be “pinned” to the top of the page for 7 days (pin your info by clicking the pencil icon on the top right of your post; a yellow flag will appear at the top.). Hint: Use this feature to post a call to action.
Posts can also be highlighted by clicking the star icon on the top right of the post which will make the post or image stretch across the full width of the page. (Great for images).
3. Add Important Events to your Timeline.
With timeline you’ll now be able to record and showcase important dates in the history of your business. Think; grand opening, anniversaries, special events, any date that is important in your business should be documented on your timeline. Don’t forget to add photos.
4. Clean up Your Business Page.
This is the time to take irrelevant posts off your business page. You can either hide them or delete them. No more explanation is required.
5. Determine Which Applications to Showcase.
Gone are the navigation links (or tabs) on the left hand side of the page which was labeled “photos, events, wall, etc.” Those are now positioned on the top right hand of your business page right underneath your cover photo. Make sure that the first four are the ones that you want your fans to see first. You can edit which tabs can be seen by clicking on the icon that has a number and an arrow next to it which is just to the right of the rightmost tab.
Change can be a good thing, and I think the new Timeline for business pages is going to be good for all business.
Do you have your Facebook business page optimized for Timeline already? Share it here so that members of StartupNation can learn and “like” your page too!!
Want to get more inexpensive and practical small business marketing ideas, grab a free e-book called “Build Buzz for Your Biz, 23 Creative and Inexpensive Marketing Strategies That Will Get You Noticed” at http://23kazoos.com.
Wendy Kenney is the bestselling author of How to Build Buzz for Your Business available on Amazon.com, and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Newsday.
March 12th, 2012 at 5:31 am
Here is our page
https://www.facebook.com/smokeincevents
March 12th, 2012 at 6:59 pm
Here is our Credit Union Business page - we would love to hear feedback on ideas for improvement! Thank you
March 12th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
https://www.facebook.com/CincinnatiPoliceFCU
Well- let’s try this again!
March 12th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Cincinnati!
Great cover photo! One thing I would suggest is that on the right hand side under your cover photo there are tabs that say photos, likes, etc., and then to the right is the number 5 and a triangle. Click on the number 5 and switch out some of your tabs so that the most important ones are showing, for example, instead of likes showing maybe you want to have “events” or “join my list.” Thanks for sharing!
March 12th, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Nishit,
I suggest the same for you as for Cincinnati. Also, your cover photo doesn’t illustrate what you do as far as can tell. If you are an event management company, perhaps an image of one of your successful events would be better?
March 12th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Thanks for sharing, Wendy!
March 15th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Thank you for your helpful information. I am working on the new images we will use for our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/mom4lifecom and have a question. My business offers free shipping and price matching. Would it be okay to include that information in the cover photo or is that best saved for the “about” info (we won’t mention any contact info, URL, or other items specifically mentioned).
Thanks in advance for your clarification on this.
March 15th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Hi Heather!
Good question! The answer would be that you can’t use that information because they have to do with price. However, I think you could sue the term “100% Mom Invented Products”
Here’s what Facebook says:
“Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:
Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”
https://www.facebook.com/help?page=336062209769713
PS. I grew up in Idaho and I have no idea where Athol was. I had to look it up. You’re way up in the handle. I grew up in Rigby and Boise! LOL
March 15th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
And I meant “use” the term not “sue”…
March 24th, 2012 at 12:23 am
After the transition to timeline, I heard that a lot of people weren’t too comfortable with the layout because it’s confusing, etc. But I think that as long as one takes some time to learn navigating it, the layout can be very advantageous to the marketing of a business.
March 29th, 2012 at 4:16 am
Great tips. I’m just starting out with a Facebook page and my first sight of the new timeline look. My Facebook page is http://facebook.com/buddhistmeditationmethods
April 15th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
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June 28th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
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July 27th, 2012 at 5:04 pm
Great job you done Wendy Kenney you write fantsic content about the facebook Pages Business optimization tips. i take good information from this content.
Thank
Kamran
July 27th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Hi Wandy,
Great tips to optimize your Faebook time line cover, I would suggest that must add facebook time line cover photo according to your business and if possible then you must make a picture your self and then add all your details and business exposure.
it will help you a lot.
Thanks
Saif
August 10th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
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