Facebook Timeline - Best Practices for Your Brand by SellYourMac.com
Start getting ready now to ensure a seemless transfer to the new Timeline. You will need new creative assets including Cover Photo, Profile Image, Tab Images, and About Section. Here is how to optimize your creative assets for your brand:
Cover Photo:
Maximum size: 851 x 315 pixels. Once uploaded, this photo can be repositied and resized to ensure the best fit. Make sure the cover photo is a good representation of your brand as it occupies the most real estate on your Timeline. You can change this Cover Photo periodically to highlight events, campaigns, or milestones for your brand. Note: Cover Photo may NOT include any price or purchase information, contact info, "Like" or "Share" arrows or references, or calls to action such as "Get it now."
Some cover ideas include:
- Photo of your retail store or office
- Customer photos using your products or services
- Historic or milestone photo
- Company logo
- Photos of favorite menu items for restaurants, bars, spas, or salons
- “Before” and “After” photos for contractors, salons, or decorators
- Company staff and/or company founder
- Mosaic of Fan photo
- Photo montage of your brand
Profile Image:
Maximum size: 180 x 180 pixels. This photo should be your brand's identity or logo. Choose this photo wisely as it should always remain the same.
Tab Images:
Maximum size: 111 x 74 pixels. Maximum of four tabs visible at the top, with a dropdown to create a maxiumum of twelve tabs total. Choose to configure these tabs with your Facebook apps. The only tab that is NOT customizable is the Photos tab, which you should to add to if you don't have many photos. You can cycle apps around to different Tab sections at any time. Choose tab images and names to clearly indicate to users the content of the tab.
Some tab ideas include:
- Blog
- Custom welcome screen
- Videos
- Coupon
- Number of Fans
- Map
- Promotion
About Section:
Maximum size: 150 characters. Describe your brand in about 15-25 words and give your visitors a reason to take an interest in your brand.
Some about ideas include:
- Company mission statement
- Company description
- Website URL
- Company address
- Tagline
- Contact information
Once you have your creative assets set on your Timeline, you will need keep up with your Timeline through Milestones, Pin Posts, Stars, and Direct Messages. Here is what you need to know about each:
Milestones:
Tell your brand's story and history through Milestones.
Some milestone ideas include:
- Major events
- Major annoucements
- Store openings
- Founding date
- Historic dates
- Name or brand changes
- Original logo
- New product
Pin Posts:
By "pinning" a post, it will appear at the top of your Timeline for up to seven days. You can repin a post at any time. Use this feature to highlight posts that you want your audience to see first.
Some pin post ideas include:
- Promotions
- Contests
- Blog post
- Weekly offers
Stars:
By "starring" a post, it will expand to widescreen view, the entire width of your Timeline. Use this feature to highlight posts that you want to stand out, but not directly at the top like the "pin posts."
Some star ideas include:
- Important events
- Company information
- Blog post
- Anything you want to stand out
Direct Messages:
Your audience now how the ability to send Direct Messages, unless you decide to turn this feature off. You should use Direct Messages as a chance to provide direct customer service to your Fans. Make sure to respond timely to these private messages to ensure the best user experience. Note: you can NOT directly contact a user until they contact you, and you can only respond up to two times.
