Finally, Facebook Timeline for Brands!

It's inevitable! With Facebook Timeline for Brands launching this March 31, the webosphere is buzzing with what this means for brands. Here are my 2 cents.

Cover Photo

Goodbye old profile pic! Brands can now upload a 851x315 cover photo which functions as the page header. A simple 180x180 profile picture supplements this and also acts as the thumbnail.

Coca-Cola Timeline Cover and Profile Pic

I personally love it. The cover photo provides more flexibility in terms of how brands want to represent themselves and impact their visitors. It can be used to feature their latest campaigns/promos, while the profile pic (ideally a brand icon or logo) remains classic and consistent. Cover photo restrictions do apply, such as no displaying of call-to-actions that prompt users to Like the page or sharing price information.

Landing Page

In the old format, brands can choose a specific tab for users to land on, such as whichever contains their latest campaign/promo. In some cases, non-fans could be made to land on a "Like us now!" tab, while existing fans are directed straight to the wall. Now, everyone lands on the wall.
 

Old Red Bull Landing Page for Non-Fans

I actually like this because it encourages marketers to think of creative new ways to increase fans, instead of bullying them into Liking a page by restricting access.

Tabs
While tabs used to be displayed on the left side of the page, they are now shown directly under the cover photo. Up to 12 tabs tabs are allowed, but only 4 can be seen without expanding your view.

Dove Tabs in Expanded View

I see this as a positive thing because it forces brands to be more mindful about the content they're sharing. A Facebook page is not a website, a mistake I've seen with some clients I've handled. It's not a place to dump all your product information, but a channel for brands to interact with consumers and for consumers to interact with each other.

Pin and Highlight
You can pin a post to the top of your wall so it stays there even if newer content is published. Pinned posts are marked with an orange ribbon.

Lexus Pins an Article

You can highlight posts so it spans across both columns on your wall.

Burberry Highlights its 2012 Spring/Summer Collection

I'm sure brands would love these as it allows them to draw attention to more important posts.

Milestones
One of the best features about Timeline (and the reason why it's called such) is the ability to input data as far back as you want. Also, the timeline navigation on the right means no more clicking "See More" loads of times to look for older content. Milestones capitalizes on this by allowing brands to celebrate historically significant dates (i.e. milestones)!

Happy Birthday Manchester United!

Brands with a long, rich history will benefit from this the most.

Direct Message

Lastly, fans can now message brands directly. I reserve judgment for now--I can see it either as a great way for brands to have more personalized interactions with fans, or an invitation for fans to spam them. We'll see.

Needless to say, I'm a huge supporter of Timeline (having been a user since October 2011) and am excited for it to finally be available to everyone. It's a great opportunity for brands to tell their story, find exciting new ways to engage consumers, and is a means to weed out poorly managed pages. With Timeline, quality is key and the best shall prevail, which ultimately means an enhanced user experience.

xoxo
Mae