Jay LeonardFacebook has decided to change things up once again. Whether or not you like the new look, there are many features the new profile design offers that can be utilized to benefit your company.
Here are my favorite new features:
1. Direct messages:
An important new feature is the ability for people to send direct messages to the page owner. Allowing users to send messages to the administrators of Facebook pages is a great idea that will allow for more in-depth interaction between businesses and their customers.
2. Milestones:
Administrators also have the option to make selected post updates, called milestones, bigger than others. Of course, companies consider certain activities, such as launching a new website or hosting a major event, to be more important than others. This feature allows you to draw attention to that activity, instead of letting it get buried with other, smaller updates.
3. Pin to the top:
This feature allows companies to make certain activities “pin” at the top of the page for a week. This has similar advantages to the milestone feature, but it also allows the administrator to highlight an update for a specified time, much like a front-page headline on a newspaper. This can be especially useful if you are advertising a special offer or a featured product/service.
4. Customization:
One of the nice features of Timeline for brands is that a company is able to dictate the corporate image and feel of its Facebook page with proper branding. Previously, the minimal element of customization for Facebook brand pages meant that, on the surface, most company pages looked identical once they received a “like.”
With the new features, particularly cover photos, a company can immediately convey its mission, purpose, and brand appearance. Essentially, it can be seen as a digital billboard combined with an elevator pitch. Once this personal tone is created and adopted, brands and companies can choose which tabs they would like featured (blogs, Twitter accounts, YouTube channel, etc.), and they can highlight them just below the cover photo.
Vibrant images designed by the company, such as articles and milestones, are not only visually appealing to the user, but they also give the company a Timeline that promotes customer engagement and interaction. You can chronicle your company history from achievements to day-to-day operations if you wish, while taking advantage of the new aesthetics. This, in turn, generates more conversation, likes, and overall promotion. As a result, you will see a maximum return on your Facebook page.
5. SEO Benefits:
Relevant posts, coupled with high-quality images on a brand’s Timeline, will promote user interaction. The scrolling sidebar in a Facebook user’s news feed allows for real-time updates. Therefore, the more relevant your content is, the more comments you’ll receive. The more people comment, the more this shows up in various news tickers.
In turn, some of the content is public, and therefore is indexed by Google; often times, a hot topic discussion on Facebook has also been promoted via various Twitter accounts and Google+ circles. Public-indexed information, coupled with social sharing, can have a huge impact on your company’s SEO.
Whether you abhor Timeline or think it’s the second coming, you can use its new features to your advantage. Tweak your company page to utilize some of these facets before the end of the month, and you’ll see a payoff long after.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Jay Leonard.
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Timeline made it difficult to reach the consumer directly. Before timeline, users would be lead straight to the minisite which provided the functionality that many businesses were hoping for. Certain industries will benefit from timeline, but many that depended on minisites being the first page on their profile will be upset with timeline.
What I like about the Timeline for brands is that your business is able to dictate the corporate image and feel of its Facebook page with proper branding.