Facebook’s Timeline and its impact on business pages

Facebook introduced a new “Timeline” feature in December 2011 that arranges posts according to their date and shows a history of a fan page. Many companies that use Facebook for social media networking may have been discouraged by these changes and not taken advantage of what they have to offer. So there are a number of useful points that business owners should know about Facebook’s timeline.

If you had previously set up a business page on Facebook before the implementation of the new Timeline format, some of the old functionality has changed. There are therefore the main features you need to consider for the new format:

Use an effective cover photo
This photo has a strong impact on the look of your Facebook business page and should be used effectively to support your branding. There are tight restrictions on the usage of the cover photo (including not being permitted to include a call-to-action, or a request to “Like” the page), so the cover photo should be interesting enough to convey the business brand image and its services, as well as draw visitors into the page’s content.

Use personal & private messages
Since the new Timeline has been implemented, it’s possible for companies to reply to personal or private messages that people can now send to them. This helps businesses to network with potential clients, and provides another avenue of customer service.

Use the screening option for comments
A company’s Timeline shows all comments, replies and posts, which everyone can see. But it is possible to turn off this feature so that posts can be screened to determine whether they are generating negative publicity.

Use the improved admin controls
It’s now easier with the new Timeline function for a business to monitor all aspects of a company’s Facebook fan page from one place. There’s also now more information about what activities are attracting the most attention.

Use the default landing page effectively
Visitors to a business’s Facebook page now land directly upon the main Timeline page, instead of a default landing page that could be chosen by the business. This is to facilitate how users can explore a business, so as the old calls-to-action on Facebook landing pages have been replaced, it’s important to ensure that the page and Timeline of a business is interesting and provides concise information.

Use apps to promote the business
Now that it’s no longer possible to promote and make offers through a business’s Facebook cover photo or landing page, it’s important to use approved Facebook apps to keep the social media campaign generating these types of useful leads. For example, Shortstack is a free app that can be used to embed a business blog into Facebook with the app and point it back to your website with links.

There are more aspects of Facebook’s Timeline that be utilised by a business to generate additional engagement from existing and potential customers and fans. So if you’d like more information about how we can help your business achieve this, please contact us now.

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