Like it or not, all brands will need to convert their pages on Facebook to the new timeline format as of 3/31/12 or Facebook will do it automatically. A number of brands have already taken the leap and offer a preview of what your brand page might look like:
- Ben & Jerry’s – example of a “heritage” brand taking advantage of timeline with old pics
- Verizon Wireless – integrating user photos into their “landscape” visual
- Redbull – fun scavenger hunt game to encourage fans to explore their timeline
- WalMart – promotes feedback and local WalMart tabs
- Natural History Museum – example of how another NYC landmark is integrating their history and archival pics into timeline
- NY Times – highlights select moments from their 160+ year history
Here is a quick check list of things you’ll need to from a design/content standpoint all of which can be done relatively easily. My 3/5 updates are in italics:
- Find and post a primary visual (no offers) to serve as your new welcome banner. Facebook does not wants brand to turn this visual into blatant ads and they are no longer allowing “Like” gates
- Find, back-date and post content to fill our your historical timeline (you need not do it all at once)
- Decide which four “applications” (formerly known as tabs) you want featured just below the banner as thumbnail images since all other applications/tabs will now be hidden
- Pick a post that you want “pinned” that will remain on the left hand side of your page for up to 7 days
- You will also be able to “star” posts which will enlarge the visual associated with that post
- Review your current application/tab pages since they can now be wider (from 520 pixels to 720 pixels). If you don’t want to revise these, they will simply float in the middle of that page
- Individuals can now send brands direct messages and brands are allowed to respond up to two times to a consumer DM
The far bigger issue/opportunity is how advertisers will be able to use Facebook to achieve their business objectives. Since Facebook currently limits the exposure of any one post to 16% of a brand’s following, marketers will now have the opportunity to buy exposure to their full network. Lucy Jacobs, COO of Spruce Media, a company that specializes in Facebook advertising, believes this is a watershed moment, noting that ” the official lines between paid, owned and earned media are now officially gone.” Here are a few more implications of the new Facebook Timeline for brands according to Jacobs:
- All ads in Facebook will now all begin as content posted to a Facebook Page, brands will no longer create separate ad copy. Brands will publish content and the content which drives the most engagement will gain distribution as ads through news feed and mobile.
- Facebook users will be able to “like” and engage with this page post and news feed content, initially people will like and engage with brands page post content and then brands can “amplify” this messaging through paid distibution (I.e. Ad spend) — (FB reach generator product). Facebook quoted a stat today the the average fan sees 16% of page posts updated, reach generator extends this reach to 75% for brands through paid media (reach generator product).
- FB has created a flexible, engaging and scaleable advertising model combining the best of digital and traditional advertising in one platform with close to 1BN consumers (half who log in every day). New formats will double engagement rates and traffic to Facebook pages which implies ad dollars go further. Ad Units are now an extension of content and engagement with pages drives ads to be cheaper so brands have 200x the reach to reach fans through socially aware ads.
Stay tuned. There other important implications especially for mobile advertising. Undoubtedly you’be reading about this just about everywhere in the coming days including these helpful posts on AdAge, Mashable (thank Todd Wasserman) and MediaBistro.