Facebook introduced the Timeline feature for individuals a while back and now business pages will be converted to the new look.
If you already have a business page on Facebook (and if you don’t, you should), you’re going to have to switch to the new Timeline look whether you want to or not. You can switch voluntarily now or, if you take no action, your page will be migrated automatically at the end of this month.
How is Timeline different? There are substantial changes in layout and design. Plus, there is more flexibility in customizing various elements. For example, after switching to Timeline, you’ll be able to:
- Post a large image at the top of your page in addition to a profile picture
- Highlight selected items by making them larger
- Pin posts to the top of the page
- Rearrange apps and views
As a way of comparing old and new, this is what the current Facebook business page looks like for an Iron Lava Corp client before upgrading:
And here’s what the new Iron Lava Corp page looks like in Timeline:
As you can see, Timeline is much more visually appealing. Here’s an overview of some of the changes you’ll see when you make the switch:
THE COVER
The cover is the giant image across the top of your page. You can use either a photo or graphic element that illustrates your business and speaks to your customers. The cover is 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. You can use a smaller image (it will get rescaled) but it must be at least 399 pixels wide.
There are rules that govern the content of the cover. Facebook says it cannot contain:
- Price or purchase information, such as “25% off”
- Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for the page’s About section
- References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share
- Calls to action, such as “Buy now”
Facebook also warns that “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.”
THE PROFILE PICTURE
Profile picture is perfect for your logo. It’s a square image (180×180 pixels) that appears on the lower left of the cover, next to the page’s title.
PINNED POSTS
A pinned post is a post that you want to call extra attention to. A pinned post displays at the top left of your Timeline (regardless of its original chronological position) and is noted with a small orange flag in the top right corner. The pinned post stays in this prominent position for 7 days. After a week it will return to its original chronological position in the Timeline.
STARRING/HIGHLIGHTING
You can highlight a post by clicking on a little star at the top of a post. This will expand the post to the full width of your Timeline.
TINKERING
You can rearrange the order of views and apps that reside under your cover image but the default view of your landing page is the Timeline. If you want to to change where people land, you can only do that by linking directly to a view or app’s URL.
The new Facebook Timeline has a more modern look and is easier to customize and brand. Of course, there is much more to Facebook that we can cover here. If you’d like to know more about the new Facebook Timeline and how it can help your business, just contact us.
