With the launch of Timeline for brands on Facebook, it's important brand marketers have a detailed understanding of Timeline and know how best to attract new fans through newly available features and functions.
Since the official roll out of Facebook Timeline at the end of March, all brands pages now appear with the new Timeline redesign. However, alongside the aesthetic changes to a brand’s page, a number of new features and posting parameters have also come into effect. In order for a brand’s page to continue to be effective and engaging, these features must be understood and embraced. The basic principles of posting and engagement may have remained the same, but through observation of the following points a page can ensure that it remains successful and interesting to its followers moving forward:
· Upload a cover photo – Timeline’s design means that a cover photo is the first thing a user sees when they enter a brand’s page. Brands no longer have the option for a specific tab to launch once a user enters a page, so the implementation of an aesthetically pleasing, attention-grabbing cover image is essential when it comes to enticing visitors to remain on the page. A brand should follow guidelines and specifications regarding the cover image to ensure an effective image is produced and meets the Facebook terms and conditions. A poorly designed or ill-fitting cover image is only likely to turn off prospective engagers and fans.
· Posting enriching and aesthetically pleasing content – Timeline not only alters the way in which posts appear on a page, it changes the prominence of specific posts depending on the content within them. For example, a post that includes an image or a video will stand out much more than posts that rely solely on a link or text. The use of these assets was important in the prior incarnation of pages, but it’s the additional visibility now placed on such posts that makes their inclusion increasingly important. Posts using images or videos have a greater chance of being noticed, whether in a user’s news feed or for a new user perusing the page, so regular inclusion of such assets must become a priority in garnering additional engagement and acquisition.
· Utilise pinned posts – Pinned posts allow brands to keep a post ‘pinned’ to the top of its Timeline above all other posts, making it the first post a user sees as they begin to scroll down the page. Pinning posts allows a brand to make its audience aware of specific deals or offers it wants to advertise. A brand can pin highly engaging posts to the top of its Timeline to both boost engagement and have a positive effect on Facebook’s Edgerank algorithm.
· Use milestones effectively – Milestones are posts that can be inserted into a brand’s Timeline at a specific date to help earmark a specific event in it’s history. Milestones are great for creating a timeline filled with interesting events and periods in a brand’s past through which fans better understand it’s history. Milestones can also be used as a competition mechanism, such as the creation of a ‘treasure hunt’ through its Timeline. Users are asked to search through milestones to find a specific post with clues or information that they can subsequently use to enter a competition, raising the brand’s profile while also increasing engagement.
