When Facebook announced the new Timeline format in 2011, it was met with much resistance like all the other changes Facebook has undergone. Almost overnight, groups popped up on Facebook called, “Timeline Sucks” and “I Hate Timeline” with 44,000 and 31,000 members, respectively. Then in March, all Facebook Pages, not to be confused with Profiles, were switched over to the new Timeline profile. I admit, when I first saw it I thought it was creepy, stupid, and really creepy. I thought, “Why would anyone want to know about my ‘life events’ and why would I want to share them?” But, I finally gave in and switched, and I have to say, it’s starting to grow on me. Timeline not only makes browsing brands and companies easier for the consumer, but it streamlines the advertising process and makes it easier for businesses to interact with the community.
1. Cover Photo – Timeline is a remarkably visual format and the most obvious example of this is the Cover photo. It’s the first thing someone will see when they click on your page and first impressions are everything! A Cover photo that is visually interesting and warm will make your visitors want to scroll down and look at your brand, however, being overly promotional will turn some potential customers away. You can fill this space with, “a unique image that represents you best” like Facebook suggests, an eye-catching photo (this supposedly helped Lexus to increase its unique page views by 200%!), or a composite image of your small business’s logo with your contact information. Have fun with it and let your imagination take over!
A creative Cover photo can advertise your personal brand and show off your talent.
2. Places- Having visitors click on your page is good, but having them walk in the door is great! In Places you can pin your locations across the country so that your customers can instantly get addresses, phone numbers, and even customer reviews without ever having to leave your page.
3. Milestones – Timeline gets its namesake from the right hand column of Milestones. Milestones give you the opportunity to keep your friends, customers, and clients informed and updated on what’s going. If you’re a small business, Milestones allow you to post and discuss important moments for your company. For instance, renovations, new locations, company history, new inventory, or local awards and recognitions that help frame a relationship between your business and the community. Red Bull even created a scavenger hunt about their history with information it shared in its Milestones that engaged users and taught them about the brand. Milestones give your small business a chance to interface with the community and share information in a way that your “classic” Facebook profile could only dream about!
Keeping your milestones up to date is a great way to make the public aware of your achievements and events.
4. Apps – Your Apps are located underneath your fancy new Cover photo. These apps can help direct users’ attention to products or services that you want to emphasize more than others. They allow you to advertise new promotions, sales, and give another opportunity to interact with your visitors.
5. “Sticky” Posts – Timeline lets you create “sticky” posts that will stay at the top of your wall for up to 7 days. This let’s you get out key information or updates without having to worry about it being buried beneath users’ posts or anything else you want to share with the world. Sticky posts enable you advertise temporary or time sensitive information like weekend deals, or holiday operating hours for the period of time that they are relevant.