Facebook’s new Timeline design changes the way brands can interact with consumers, and Facebook users with each other; what you need to know to make the most of it
Today, Facebook will announce the new Timeline Design roll-out for brands platform-wide that will take place on March 30th. You have the option to preview the design and upgrade early if you choose. What you need to know is that the current look will be replaced by the Timeline view you see on your current personal profiles.
How you need to prepare:
1.) Your current images, whether or not they are just your logo or you have a longer image, must be adjusted. Logo size is square no more than 180 x 180 pixels.
2.) The “cover photo” is a maximum 851 x 399 pixels. Please be advised, though, of the Facebookcover page guidelines. Cover images may not contain:
- Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our web site”
- Contact information, such as web address, e-mail, mailing address or other information intended for your page’s “About” section
- References to user interface elements, such as “Like” or “Share,” or any other Facebook site features
- Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”
All cover images are public, which means anyone visiting your page will be able to see the image you choose. Covers must not be false, deceptive or misleading, and must not infringe on third parties’ intellectual property. You may not encourage or incentivize people to upload your cover image to their personal timelines.
3.) Apps and custom pages now move to under the profile picture. You can show a maximum number of 12 apps.
Like before, you can move the “apps” and custom tabs around to highlight ones you would like shown; photos and Likes cannot be moved. To move the custom tabs, hover your mouse over the upper corner of the app or custom tab, click the pencil and then click “swap this with” and the app or page moves to that spot.
The unfortunate part is that you cannot select a “default landing tab” as before, so if you created a fancy welcome page or another kind of custom page, you’re out of luck unless someone actually clicks on it.
4.) You can make a certain post “stick” by “pinning” it to the top of your page; “pinned” posts stay up for seven days.
5.) Your admin panel has moved to the upper right side of the page. From there you can manage most of the page functionality you had before. Selecting admins, adding apps, etc.
6.) A GREAT addition is the ability for your fans to private message the brand and the brand to be able to respond to the fan. Before, if a fan asked a question and you wanted to respond privately, you had to do so through a personal profile. Now you can respond as the brand, which will help with customer service.
7.) You can play with the design until you’re ready to publish it or until March 30, because at that point, the page will be live on the new design.
You can see some of the new cover design with brands such as Coca-Cola here.
What do you think of the new Facebook Design for brands?
Post first appeared on GenConnect
