“For [...]]]> As we recently shared in, Facebook Default Page Change: Business Killer or Killer Strategy?, with the transition of Facebook business pages to the new Timeline format, your default landing page is no more…well at least not in its former state.  According to Facebook:

“For Pages with the new Timeline design, everyone who visits your Page will land on your Page’s timeline (wall). In order to create a consistent user experience, you can no longer set a default landing view for your Page.”

Many business page admins believed this to mean that the strategy is dead, and some are going so far as to abandon their Welcome pages.  However, it’s important to note that while Facebook may control where visitors land from within the site, page owners have control of where visitors arrive from outside the site.  And therein lays a pretty amazing marketing strategy!

Businesses can drive traffic to their custom pages (or custom App as Facebook is now referring to them) using the unique URL for that page/App.  BUT, this strategy only works if you remember to do one thing…and we’re finding that even the most savvy social media marketers are missing this one…

It’s critical you customize the URLs associated with your Facebook page on all your other online marketing platforms.  Where you once used your Page wall’s dedicated URL (i.e. www.fb.com/bestchiro), you’ll now want to use the URL for your preferred custom App to drive people to Facebook from your website, blog, e-newsletter, QR codes, online ads, YouTube, Twitter, etc.

This gives page owners the ability to be extremely creative, strategic and responsive, allowing them to take full and fast advantage of new marketing strategies, trends and news affecting their respective industries.  This is motivating many of our clients to not just set up one custom App for their business’ Timeline, but to actually have several, each designed for a specific audience and used for a specific purpose.  We offer the following scenario as an example…

CASE SCENARIO:

1. A business has a goal to grow their e-newsletter database.
2. They include a custom App on their Facebook Timeline that focuses strictly on this strategy.
3. They incorporate a Fan Gate to ensure visitors remember to “like” their page before moving on.
4. They then offer new subscribers an “incentive” (or “Pink Spoon” as we’ve come to call them) to entice them to subscribe.  A compelling and attractive graphic and simple opt-in box take front and center here.
5. It’s the unique URL to this page/App that they use to drive traffic to Facebook via their website, blog, QR codes used at external events and advertising, etc. and not the dedicated URL to their page wall, which is what they used before the transition to Timeline.
6. As for their e-newsletter, it doesn’t make sense to promote their e-newsletter to current subscribers; they’re already on the list.  Facebook links within their newsletter is their Timelines’ URL OR another custom App page that promotes a different strategy (and supports a different marketing goal).  This might include showcasing a video series, promoting a special offer, or requesting online referrals.

In summary, when driving traffic to your Facebook page from any outside source, be it virtual or in print, put strategic thought into where the link your provide will take your audience.  Even with the discontinuation of the custom default page option, you have more control into where your page visitors land than you might think.

While Facebook gets a lot of grief with each change and update, this is one feature that we’re really digging!  There [...]]]> Remember the good ol’ days when a Facebook post was just a post (and we walked up hill, both ways, to school)?  Leave it to Facebook to give our posts a new identity.

While Facebook gets a lot of grief with each change and update, this is one feature that we’re really digging!  There are now three ways you can call more attention to your most important posts and below we outline each, along with the strategy behind how to best use them.

Pin: You can now “Pin” a post to the top of your Timeline.  The problem with the old Facebook wall was that if you posted about an event or other time-sensitive happening, the post was driven down the wall and buried with each newly added post.  They tried to remedy this with the option to sort posts by “top posts” and “most recent”, however, it’s clear that people really like to see their posts in chronological order.  You can “Pin” a post by hovering over the upper right corner of any post, clicking the pencil icon, and select “pin”.  This will “pin” that post to the top of your Timeline for 7 days, making it the first thing visitors see when they visit.

Strategy: This would be excellent to use when promoting an event, launching a new product or service, sharing an important (and time sensitive) industry message, welcoming new visitors to your page, or any other BIG news for your business.

Highlight: You can “Highlight” a post to make it expand to the entire width of your page, instead of just being in one column or the other.  To highlight a post you simply hover over the upper right corner and select the star icon.  This is just another way to draw more attention to big happenings in your business.  Note: At this time it appears that you CANNOT “Pin” and “Highlight” the same post.

Strategy: A “Highlight” is a great strategy to use when you want your post to stand out in your Timeline both now and in the future.  “Highlight” a post about something big that’s happening today or now; remind people about a special event or observance, offer a tribute, etc.  You might also consider this process to showcase a video or every client testimonial or customer of the month.

Milestones: It turns out that history buffs aren’t the only ones who are getting into the new Facebook “Milestones”.  Your page followers want to know about your business, products and services, from all the way back to their very beginnings.  We’re encouraging our clients to use this to their advantage and determine which key “Milestones” they want to feature on their page that will inspire confidence, instill credibility and boost their brand and reputation.  This is one place where Facebook allows you to go back in time.  When posting a “Milestone” choose this option in the Status window and complete the fields (including the date).  You’ll want to be brief, yet still provide enough information to be interesting. You can also choose to include a photo from your album, or upload a photo, to accompany your “Milestone”, too.

Strategy: There are several events and occasions we would suggest adding to your page using the “Milestone” feature.  Your business’ founding is an obvious example.  Depending on how many years your business has been around, other ideas include, anniversary dates/celebrations, dates where key staff earned certifications or additional training, the addition of key services and products, new websites launched, awards received, media exposure…you get the idea.  Sit down with your team and brainstorm the most important “Milestones” for your business and begin to establish an online history and legacy via your page.

The new Timeline format gives you greater posting options and more ways to shine a spotlight on the information on our Timeline for business pages.  Combining each option with the right strategy makes your page and your content really stand out.

That is exactly how we feel about the new “top row” in the Facebook Timeline for Pages.  This could possibly be the coolest part of the new layout.  Where before the About area, Apps and custom pages were a mere list of links below the profile image (which tended [...]]]> Everyone, all together now, “YAY!!!!!”

That is exactly how we feel about the new “top row” in the Facebook Timeline for Pages.  This could possibly be the coolest part of the new layout.  Where before the About area, Apps and custom pages were a mere list of links below the profile image (which tended to blend in and not really catch any attention), now they are a main feature of your Facebook business page presence.  And that’s not even the best part; you can now customize the thumbnail images for each of your apps/pages!

A common theme has been in place with Timeline for Pages.  Not only are changes extremely visual, they also bring a change in strategy as well; the same goes for the new top row.

First you’ll notice About.  This area will feature different information depending on what category you’ve selected for your page.  A local business for example will show an address, phone number, etc., while a company specializing in business services will show what you have in the About field of your page’s info page, which is much more customizable.  We’ve seen brands including website URLs, calls to actions, even arrows (—->) to draw attention to the “top row” and other page features.

Next we have what Facebook now refers to as Apps (formerly these were the links that appeared below your page’s profile image in the old page design).  App images are arranged in rows of 4, with 12 spaces total.  By default your fans only see the top 4 “above the fold” (see the rest by selecting the down arrow on the right to expand the view).  You can rearrange your page’s Apps to appear in whatever order you like, with the exception of the Photos, which always appears in the first position.  To rearrange your Apps, click the Edit button on the App and select from the list the App you’d like to switch it with.  Tip: The App image that shows the Likes on your page actually links to your Insights, giving anyone and everyone a modified look at your page’s stats.  For big brands who like to show off, this is great.  The small to mid-sized businesses we’ve talked to don’t really like the idea.  We suggest you simply bury that App by moving it to the last position so it’s not visible (You’ll need to have three other Apps to fill the top row).

As we already mentioned, you can create custom images for each of your Apps (except for Photos, which by default shows the most recent photo upload to your page).  The ideal size for App thumbnails is 111 pixels by 74 pixels.  And what do you use as your image?  Well, that’s where the strategy comes in.

Many of us were disappointed by the strict rules surrounding business page Cover images, especially the one against the “call to action”.  App images have no such restrictions; feel free to “call to act” to your heart’s content.  A custom page strategy can be particularly effective; add a page for promoting an upcoming webinar, class, or event and use the App image as a teaser.  A page with your e-newsletter opt-in might include an image of your pink spoon in your App image.

Creativity definitely wins out in the “top row”.  You’ll want to put at least as much time strategizing on the layout of your “top row” as you did in the look of your cover image, if not more.  Your goal: to leverage all the new customization options available and catch the attention of your page visitors to really get noticed!

“For Pages with [...]]]> Since Facebook made their announcement last week regarding the upcoming transition of business pages to the new Timeline format, the speculation and theories about the future of custom Landing and Welcome pages, without the option of setting them as a default for new page visitors, has been rampant.  According to Facebook:

“For Pages with the new Timeline design, everyone who visits your Page will land on your Page’s timeline (wall). In order to create a consistent user experience, you can no longer set a default landing view for your Page.”

This was a surprise to many marketers and brands (us included) that invested time and money in creating and designing their Welcome pages and the strategy around them.  But now that we’ve had a week to thoroughly investigate every change and feature that comes with the new Timeline, we’re starting to see things very differently.

With the loss of the “default” option, are custom pages really dead?  Maybe to the Facebook layperson, but those who truly understand online marketing and the ins and outs of Facebook will see them as we do; as a killer marketing strategy!  Yes, custom pages are alive and well and below are the top 5 reason why we believe they are still a must-have for your Facebook presence.

1. It’s your biggest FREE ad space on Facebook.  And now that space is even larger!  App pages have been expanded from 520 pixels to 810 pixels in width!  That’s a hefty piece of free online real estate.
2. People are visual.  Newbies promoting their business on Facebook will believe the Info page will be sufficient for their business’ information.  While the Info page is important, it doesn’t have the same visual appeal.  People are drawn to graphics when online (for evidence of this you need only look to the Pinterest craze!).  A custom page is the best way to visually share about your business, expand your branding beyond your Timeline cover, and share your personality with your page’s followers.  And with the flexibility that Facebook now offers to customize your App buttons, you have an amazing opportunity to brand your Timeline AND drive traffic to your custom pages.
3. It’s added-value for your page.  You want people to engage and interact, and after visitors have “liked” your page, this engagement most often takes place via the news feed.  However, imagine making your business Timeline a destination on Facebook; a place to visit regularly and a portal to your website and other online properties.  To achieve this you must give people a reason to visit, and visit often.  A custom page (or pages) offers added-value to your Timeline and a reason to actually come to your page.  For this reason alone, you will want to have more than one!
4. Showcase key information and offers.  A Welcome Page is still the best place to spotlight your e-newsletter and opt-in process, your free “pink-spoon” incentive, upcoming workshops or events, your blog, and more.  With the proper strategy your custom page can play a big role in your overall plan and support your marketing efforts on a grander scale.
5. You can still inspire a “like”.  Your custom pages have a specific URL, which means you can direct visitors to your custom pages, in many ways, from outside of Facebook.  This gives you the same opportunity as before; to inspire a “like” with an arrow or a clever call to action statement.  And, many don’t realize that their fan-gates still work.  Because of a glitch fan-gates were not refreshing after visitors to custom pages clicked “like”.  This has now been resolved by Facebook and offers another advantage and reminder to your page visitors to click the “like” button.

So, while at first glance it would seem that there is no point in having a Welcome/Landing page on your Timeline and Facebook has essentially killed custom pages, we say, don’t press charges just yet.  Our evidence suggests custom pages are going to play an even greater role in a successful Facebook presence.  What that means to you depends on your strategy and how well it’s implemented…and that’s what we do best.  If you’re ready to lock up Mark Zuckerburg and throw away the key, let’s talk first.

We find a great majority of Facebook newbies have missed this important page promoting step, and by doing so, they are making their pages [...]]]> Are you keeping your business’ Facebook page a secret?  Preposterous, you protest?  Well, you must be, otherwise you most certainly would have shared your page with your Facebook friends, right?

We find a great majority of Facebook newbies have missed this important page promoting step, and by doing so, they are making their pages a very well-kept secret.  Below are three simple ways to get the word out about your new page, fast.

Like your own page. This may seem like a no-brainer, however, we often find page Admins and key staff have forgotten to “like” their own Facebook page.  Depending on your Privacy Settings, any number of subtle promotional events fall into place when you like a page: Your “like” appears in the Facebook news feed and ticker stream, your Facebook friends will see you like the page when they visit (confirming they are in the right place), and if they then choose to like your page, that action becomes visible to their Facebook friends too, adding to the whole viral component of social media.  So while simple, this is one of the most powerful promotional actions you can take.

Confirm that your personal Profile “Info” page is up to date. Another important promotional step is to ensure the “Info” page of your personal profile is complete and accurate.  Here’s the step by step for this critical move.

Alert your Facebook Friends. Post a comment to your personal Profile page inviting your Facebook friends to check out your business’s Page and “like” it.  Be sure to include a link to your page for their convenience (this will also generate an attractive and eye-catching graphic of your profile image).  Tell them if they like what they see you would appreciate them using the “Share” link in the lower left of your page, to share the page with their friends.

EXAMPLE:
We just gave the XYZ Facebook page an update and would love for you to stop by and take a look. While you’re there, “like” our page (if you haven’t already) and comment on a post or two! If you like what you see, please use the “Share” link in the lower left margin of the page to tell your friends about our page so we can inspire as many as possible to live healthier and happier! http://www.fb.com/examplebusiness

Use the “Invite” Feature. If you are an Admin for your Facebook page, use the “Invite Friends” feature to suggest your page to friends of your personal Profile.  From your Facebook page, click on “Invite Friends” located in the upper right of the page.  Select the friends that you would like to invite to follow your page from your Friends list (or sort by specific criteria by clicking on the down arrow to the right of “Recent Interactions”).  NOTE: How your Friends are notified of your invitation has been revised several times by Facebook in recent months.  At the time this article was written, Page Invite notifications are appearing randomly in the left margin of your Profile page and among your Facebook notifications.  While Page invites are easy to overlook, it’s still a worthwhile strategy and best-practice.

What a great [...]]]> The change is inevitable, but are you ready?  Rumors have been circulating for weeks now that Facebook will be automatically switching all Facebook profiles over to the new Timeline (if you haven’t hopped on the bandwagon already).  Yes, we know, another major Facebook change, however we can’t help but love it!

What a great way to really showcase your personality, your passion, and yes, even your profession, via your Facebook profile.  The focal point of the Timeline is the cover image.  Front and center, this image takes residence at the very top of your page, giving you the perfect opportunity to express yourself.  And with that, the right-brained people of the world have set out to come up with creative uses for that space.

Here are the need-to-know details:

• Timeline Covers are public, just like your profile image.  So don’t incorporate any information that you don’t want the world to see.
• While Facebook is dissuading users from using the space for business promotion, their new “Subscriber” feature has really blurred the lines between personal profiles and business pages.  We have been unable to find anything within the Facebook terms of use that directly forbids any business related content on your Cover.  We must remind you of this rule, however, which has been around for years: “You will not use your personal profile for your own commercial gain (such as selling your status update to an advertiser).”  So don’t make any direct money from your Timeline Cover image, and you should be in compliance.
• The specs of the Cover image are 850 pixels by 315 pixels and the smaller profile image is 125 pixels by 125 pixels.  A free PhotoShop template can be found here (scroll all the way to the bottom…but enjoy the creative ideas on the way.)

Now that the boring details are out of the way, let’s get to the fun part!

• For some creative inspiration, take a look at what others have done.  Check out these sites for some amazingly creative Cover ideas:
  • 80 Creative Facebook Timeline Covers You Should Adore
  • Creative Facebook Timeline Covers
• Use a Facebook Cover Creator.  Visit these cool sites:
  • Timeline Covers
  • Pic Scatter
  • Timeline Cover Banner
• Use your words (a name, phrase, power word, etc).
  • Write it in sand (as pictured above).
  • Create it using photography.  Check out this cool site for letters and numbers that are free for your non-commercial use!  Thanks Leo!
  • Create a Word Cloud
• To get extra creative with a personal photo, visit sites such as Photofunia and Dumpr.

We would love to see final Timeline Cover design.  Please come by Limelight Social Media’s page on Facebook (and be sure to “like” us while you’re there) and post a comment to our wall that says, “Check out my Timeline”.  We’ll pop over to take a look!  Or, feel free to paste your Facebook profile URL in a comment below.

In the past when posting to your business page, your post [...]]]> There have been a lot of negative comments about the new Facebook “Ticker” on personal profiles.  We’ve been advising our clients to embrace the Ticker! The Ticker is actually a great opportunity for your Facebook business page to get tons of additional exposure!

In the past when posting to your business page, your post and the associated comments from followers, got limited exposure in the news feed of your followers (and usually only had a shelf-life of 24 hours or less).  If a followers missed this post, the only way to see it would be to either scroll back in their news feed to see what they missed (who does that for more than a few minutes before getting distracted by something else), or by visiting your page (again, unless they have a compelling reason, why would they).

With the Ticker, when friends post comments to older posts on your page, or you post follow-up comments, your original post gains a new life on the Ticker, inspiring people to check out the full discussion, adding a comment of their own, and perpetuating the cycle again!

Yes, the new Facebook Ticker…at Limelight Social Media, we think it’s a good thing!

First is “Facebook Text to Like”.* The “Facebook Text to Like” process allows individuals to follow your Facebook page by texting via [...]]]> There are many ways to promote your office’s Facebook page and grow your list of followers.  In this post we’ll share the first of two under-utilized methods for promoting your Facebook page.

First is “Facebook Text to Like”.* The “Facebook Text to Like” process allows individuals to follow your Facebook page by texting via their mobile device.  This is an exciting opportunity and this tip explains how the process works as well as how you might utilize this strategy within your business.

1) First, secure your Facebook Page’s dedicated URL.  This makes promoting your page much easier.

2) Individuals can text Like and your page’s name to 32665 (FBOOK if you are in the US) to automatically and instantly “like” your page.  For example: If your Facebook page’s name is Be Well Chiropractic, individuals would text message “likeBeWellChiropractic” to 32665.

Now imagine the possibilities…customers visiting your business and people you meet can immediately follow your page on Facebook, instead of waiting until they are in front of their computer (at which point they will most likely have forgotten that they intended to).

Plus, consider these other creative applications:

• You’re presenting an educational workshop and incorporate the “Facebook Text to Like” process into your talk’s conclusion.  You instruct everyone to pull out their phones and commit to the message delivered in your talk by liking your page via text message, ensuring they receive your page’s posts in their news feed.
• You’re at an event or expo and encourage visitors to your booth to use the “Facebook Text to Like” process to follow your page and get entered into a special prize drawing.
• You’re at a networking event or seminar and request new acquaintances use the “Facebook Text to Like” process to follow your page to stay “in the know” on the happenings within your business.

Instead of simply stating find us or Like us on Facebook, capitalize on this quick, easy and immediate way to drive traffic to your Facebook page.  Most people have the ability to text and this is an under-utilized strategy that is more direct & enabled by quick response, versus passively asking for a like and putting the responsibility of follow-through on the user to find your page and Like it.

*NOTE: For this process to work the individual’s mobile device must be confirmed to their Facebook account.  Facebook Help offers instructions to complete this here: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=821