Facebook officially launched Timeline for brand pages on February 29th. The month of March is a transition period for pages to acclimate to the new layout and operation of Timeline. When March 30th comes around, all pages will be pushed to Timeline.
If your organization has a Facebook page there will be a lot of changes with the switch to Timeline, but there are four fairly easy things that you can do before March 30th to make the transition to Timeline smooth.
- Consider the Cover Picture – Cover photos are one of the most noticeable changes in Timeline. If you haven’t set up your cover photo by March 30th, your page will have a blank strip where the cover should be. Cover photo sizes are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. Images not in those dimensions can be repositioned for the look that you want for your page. Facebook has restricted what can appear in cover photos, so when you design yours, keep in mind that your image cannot feature price/purchase information, contact information, calls to action or references to Facebook actions (Like, Share, etc.). There’s more information here (https://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php).While you’re considering your cover photo, look at your profile image again and make sure that it will work with the cover you choose.
- Tell Your Story – Timeline gives pages the opportunity to tell the organization’s story. Even back before Facebook existed. Events can always be added to your Timeline later, but telling the basic story helps your fans know more about you. Some events that you may want to highlight include:
– When your organization was founded
– Important milestones (anniversaries, name changes, goals reached)
– Launches of new products or services
– Awards - Take a Tour – Take the time to put your page in the preview mode that Facebook gives you. That will let you adjust to the admin panel and features before your Timeline is published. Find where things are and see how your information section looks. You may want to make some adjustments before you publish.
- Prepare for Change – There are a lot of changes that your page will experience. On the administrative side, you’ll need to make some decisions regarding some new features. One major change you’ll probably encounter is the feature that lets your fans message you. Previously, pages and their fans couldn’t private message on Facebook which lead many pages to answer questions and problems publically on the page or directing fans to email them.
Timeline gives you the option to tell your story and highlight the important parts. Many of the changes present opportunities to try new things with your brand.
We made the switch to Timeline last week, stop by and see what we did at www.facebook.com/SonnhalterB2T
More information on Timeline can be found here (https://www.facebook.com/help?faq=203955942973503)