Welcome to the Kleber & Associates blog! Here’s the latest on Facebook’s Timeline and what it means for your brand
Many of Facebook’s individual users have adopted the social network’s latest change: Timeline. Soon, every user will have the format incorporated into their page… including brands.
Just this week, Facebook shared many of the implications Timeline will have for brand pages, including a roll-out date of March 30.
Essentially, Facebook’s change makes the brand page “mission control” for the brand. From that page, administrators can publish content, interact with fans, and promote content to a wider audience on Facebook. The content strategy for all pages should quickly be readdressed as content is now the focus of Facebook ads. It’s more important than ever before for content to be well-planned and customer-focused.
The entire purpose of Timeline – according to Facebook executives speaking at a conference a few months ago – is to tell a story.
Following suit with that idea, Timelines for brands should tell your brand’s story. New features allow brands and individuals to create milestones and expand upon the history of said brand or consumer. Some effort should go into presenting your brand story in the most effective way. This is your chance to tell a story!
And what better way to tell a story than through the use of visuals? Anyone who’s incorporated Timeline knows how important pictures are to Facebook profiles now. Attractive photos will contribute to greater engagement and interest on your brand’s page.
Another big change Facebook’s Timeline for brand pages brings is a direct messaging feature. Until now, fans could only interact with a page in public (on the page’s wall), but now fans can send private messages to the page.
The use of apps is another major change for Facebook brand pages. Apps will be given more prominent placement along the top of the page, which should encourage brands to use and select relevant apps for that prime real estate. The new format also eliminates the possibility of fan-gating your page and using a welcome tab. All users will land on the Timeline by default… so brands can no longer rely on a well-designed welcome tab to encourage people to like and explore the page. A well designed cover photo and content strategy will take the place of these defunct tactics.
The last major change Timeline for brands brings to Facebook is the change in ads. New Facebook Ads will use content from a page as the content of the ad to encourage engagement with the page. They will also rely on a users’ friend activity to bring credibility to the post and brand.
Does your brand page need a makeover before March 30? My team and I would be happy to explore with you how to make the most of your brand’s Facebook page, addressing the new changes coming our way.
