This is a guest post by Danielle on the effect of Facebook’s Timelines on marketing. You can read the guidelines for guest posting at our guest posting guidelines page.
With Facebook announcing changes to their fan pages in February, brand marketers will have to embrace the new format to ensure success on Facebook. Still, marketers won’t be left entirely without guidance. These six changes encompass the biggest adjustments and how to deal with them.
Updated Look and Feel
Just as Timeline changed the face of personal accounts, the Timeline for brands and fan pages will provide an updated look for companies and products. While this is an adjustment, it offers a great opportunity for marketers to update their products and appeal to more consumers. With the ability to post about internal company activity, product updates and special deals, users are prompted to engage with not only the fan page, but the brand as well.
Reduced Tab Visibility
The same applications exist with Timeline brands that did with the standard fan page, but their display has changed. With the new display, only three apps will appear above the fold, so marketers will need choose their most popular or effective apps to appear first.
No Default Landing Page
Unlike the fan page, the new Timeline format will not allow brands to feature a specific and targeted landing page. This will force marketers to pay frequent and detailed attention to posts being made at the top of their Timelines. Filtering information and even deleting some posts will be necessary to present your brand’s image appropriately.
New Way to Feature Content
The Timeline format will allow marketers to secure posts at the top of their Timeline for specified period of time. This will allow promotions and new content to reach consumers without using a default landing page. Once again, marketers will need to really understand their fan-base to determine what information to pin.
Current Tab Content and Apps Become Outdated
Because application tabs are being removed from the Timeline, marketers will need to develop icons to accompany their apps. Focusing on the icons for the above-the-fold apps will be key for the launch of a brand Timeline. Other icons can come later.
Private Messages between Brands and Users
This new interaction tool will allow managers to address customer concerns and inquiries through private, specific messages. Maximizing this tool will help appeal to more users and add a personal touch to your brand.
While we are not 100 percent sure how Timeline will affect Facebook marketing, embracing these tips and the new features will surely be key in managing a successful brand page. It might take time to adjust to the new format, but with the personal interaction features Facebook has added, the new format has potential to appeal to wider audiences.
About the author:
Danielle is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She specializes in blogging about education and professional development.
With so much traffic by users the value of a well structured facebook for a company is priceless. It must effectively communicate with users as it is for many the main interaction they have with the company.