Dealing with Facebook time line

 For most people Facebook is a major part of their Social Media Marketing Plan.  However the recent change to the timeline format on March 30, 2012 has many business owners mystified.  Hopefully this post will shed some light on how to utilize the new timeline.

One of the first things you will notice is the cover Photo. This is the large space that appears at the top of your page. You will want to use this space to engage your audience.   However you must follow certain rules for your cover photo. The maximum space for this image is 851 x 315.  You must not include arrows, prices, or calls to action such as telling them to like your page. Also do not include contact information, websites or any other information that should go into the "About" section

Your profile picture is placed just below your cover photo, in fact it slightly overlaps the cover photo and many savvy artists have used it as part of the cover photo.  This is a great spot to place your brand or logo.  The space requirements for your profile picture is 180 X 180.

Although this change may seem to be a major inconvenience there are some great things you can do with it.

Remember  social media marketing is all about building relationships and the new timeline format allows users to tell a story. Your stories will be posted in chronological order therefore your fans will be able to see the history, growth, and achievements of your company.

There are some stories that you may feel are more important than others and therefore may want to highlight them. By hovering over the story and clicking  the star in the upper right hand corner of that post you can expand it to the full width of the page.

Some posts you may want to keep at the top. By clicking on the pencil icon next to the highlight star on your post you can edit that post. You can change the date, delete posts or pin them to the top.  This is great if you have contests, or calls to action.

By using milestones your fans will have a chance to take the journey of growth along with you. Just click the book icon in the status update box and enter a headline, location, date, photos, and any information about your achievement.

You are still able to use tabs with this new format however now they are called apps.  They will be located next to the "about" section right under your cover photo.  To see all or to add a new app just click the arrow at the end of your apps.

Another new feature added is a new message box that allows fans to have a private conversation with you.

Facebook is in no way done with this new change. Soon they will be rolling out Facebook offers and you will be able to use this feature to send offers to fans

So make the most out of this new and exciting change in Facebook and remember to download your free copy of "Success in 10 Steps" by Michael Dlouhy. Just click the book on the left

 "Change is inevitable you can either roll with it or get rolled over by it" Sevauhn