Timeline for Brands: How to Prepare for Your Company’s New Facebook Page

February 29th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Facebook Timeline ImageJim Belosic is the CEO of ShortStack, a self-service social media platform that allows users to create custom Facebook tabs. Its easy-to-use interface provides small businesses, individuals, graphic designers, agencies, and corporations with the tools needed to build mini-websites within their Facebook pages.

Facebook has officially announced Timeline for brand pages after dangling the carrot in front of page admins for some time now. The pages will be pushed live to everyone on March 30, but for now, you have some time to preview the new look and review your page before the changes take effect.

[More from Mashable: Facebook Timeline Brand Pages Are Here [PICS]]

Here are some ways that businesses can prepare for Timeline without throwing away everything we’ve come to learn and love about brand pages thus far.

Re-Visit, Re-Vamp or Create Your Social Media Plan

The layout of your Page is going to change once Timeline for pages is enabled, this much we know. However, Facebook and its purpose in the social media world hasn’t changed at all. Facebook has always been and will remain a communication tool. For businesses, it is a way to create two-way communication between your brand and your audience. Even if the layout looks different, the capabilities will still be the same. From a design perspective, pages will be more aesthetically pleasing, but timeline for pages is just an enhancement to an existing product, and the rules are all the same or possibly even better.

If you have a social media plan that’s working for you, stick to it. If your plan could use some adjustments, now would be a good time to see what has been working and what hasn’t and how Timeline can assist with some improvements. If you’re winging your social media plan day-by-day, this is a good time to sit down and hash out why you have a Facebook Page in the first place.

Start Preparing Your Timeline Image

One of the most exciting features of timeline is the large image featured at the top of the page. Facebook has given a lot of real estate to that image, and businesses should use it as an opportunity to feature something powerful and captivating. Businesses can leverage the image by changing it out frequently, featuring a weekly special or a reason for people to like your page. The possibilities are endless, so start thinking of what you want people to see when they visit your Page.

Need some help crafting your cover photo image? These five tools will work, as well as this new option from Aviary.

Go Through Your Company’s History

With Timeline, businesses owners will be able to reference company events that preceded Facebook itself. Go through your company’s history and mark milestones, such as the date you were founded, your first customers, when you moved to a new location, when you added new services, or increased staff. Fans love to see businesses add a personal touch on a Facebook page, and everyone loves a good startup story. Take this opportunity to tell your business’ story, add personality, let people know how it all began and talk about how you got to where you are today.

Do Some Spring Cleaning

Now is a good time to moderate your Facebook page and evaluate the people you have involved. Look at your admins — are they all necessary? Update your information, add videos and photos and make sure your location data is up to date. One of the features of timeline is a map, so you’ll want to make sure that people can find you.

Relax, Everything Will Be OK

Facebook doesn’t typically force its users to make a huge change overnight. Like we saw with the switch from personal profiles to Timelines, we have a grace period that, in this case, lasts until March 30. Businesses will have time to think about the changes, adjust their pages and prepare before making the switch.

Facebook values the level of functionality and engagement that third-party apps offer, including sweepstakes, contests and landing tabs, and all of those features are still going to exist in some form. Let the third-party apps worry about the kinks and the aesthetics and remember that your fans are still visiting your page on a daily basis to get the same engagement and attention they’ve always received from you. With all the rumors we’ve heard, Facebook pages are about to be better than ever.