Love it, hate it…or perhaps I should say Like it or Unlike it…Facebook Timeline is rolling out to your firm’s Facebook page by the end of this month.
I’ve never been one to complain a great deal about Facebook changes in the first place, especially since it doesn’t seem to have done much good. In this case though, I’m actually quite excited about the changes. I’ve done some test-driving on a number of client pages already, getting things prepped for the switch and I’m really looking forward to it.
Here are some things you should be ready for by March 30th.
Figure Out Your Cover Image
The size of the image is 850 wide x 315 high, but the dimensions aren’t the only things that matter. What are you going to do with the space? Facebook has already included warning messages letting page admins know not to get too “promotional” with their covers. This is a nice chance to show a little firm personality – go for it.
Resize Your Logo
180 x 180 is the new size for your profile image – for which many firms are just using a logo. Be sure to think about whether or not your logo makes since at that size though. It’s not always a good idea to rip an icon away from its type (if your logo happens to have both).
Choose Your Highlights and Your Pins
The new Timeline allows you some flexibility with your posts by giving you the ability to make some items large enough to fill the full width of your profile – these are called Highlights. It also lets you Pin items to the top of the page, giving you the chance to keep an important or timely post at the top of your page even if you post other items after it. To find these two features, hover over any post in the top right corner and you’ll see the tool buttons.
Change Your Custom Tab Default Icons
If you’ve added any custom tabs to create a welcome page or Email Signup page, you have probably always wished you could change the little star icon or whatever default image the developers used. Now you can change it! When you’re previewing your tabs, use the small downward arrow to the right to list all of your tabs, then hover over the app you’d like to edit. You’ll see a pencil in the top right corner of that icon that will allow you to edit settings and you’re golden from there.
Remember How Seldom People Actually View Your Page
All of this is great, but let’s remember that only a small percentage of people actually come back to your page after liking. I’ve seen stats that say 90% of people never return to a page from Social Media Examiner, but haven’t seen the studies to back it up. I would estimate even less if I had to hazard a guess though. So, the moral of the story – if you don’t jump right in and have all of this in place by March 29th, your firm is going to be just fine. Many of your fans probably won’t know the difference. The main thing is to take care of it soon, and do it thoughtfully.
As long as you keep posting relevant content you’ll make the switch just fine.