As we all know Facebook has had all business pages switch over to the new Timeline layout, in doing so you have the option of sharing your company’s history with all of your fans. You may be thinking that the Timeline is a bad idea, but I am going to tell you why sharing your history can be one of the best things for your Facebook page.

The great thing about a company’s history is it can never be changed. You can list your milestones, including founding dates, product launches, location openings, awards and events; complete with photos, to educate customers, personalize your business and increase your brand messaging. All these things will help your customers get to know your business better and help them to form a connection with you. The stronger the connection, the more likely they are to purchase from you again.

So the advice I would give about the Facebook Timeline is, whether you like it or not, embrace it. Allow your company to stand out; list every accomplishment for everyone to see. Show your fans how great your company is and how far you have come. Don’t be afraid to let them know that you wouldn’t be here without them.

The Timeline is here to stay, make sure everyone knows your company is as well!

-Shaudai Short, Social Media and Directory Management

Starting this month, Facebook is enforcing the new Facebook ad copy character limit. The body of the ad copy now allows for 90 characters instead of the 135 characters it used to offer. However, the title character limit of 25 is staying the same.

Many people are speculating why this change was made. Most conclude that it was made to help Facebook’s ever growing demand for more ad space (the shorter ads, the more that will fit on the page).

Either way, the new character limit should change your Facebook ad strategy to one that is creative and more concise. It will also make your landing pages even more important.

If you need help making your Facebook ads meet the new guidelines, please contact us at 801-733-8400. We would love to help.

-Hannah Halstrom, Project Manager/Copywriter

Today is the day that Facebook changes over all Facebook business pages to the new layout. Is your business prepared? Click here for tips on how to make the new Facebook layout for business pages transition go smoothly.

Facebook recently announced that as of March 30, 2012, all Facebook business pages would be switching over to a new Facebook layout. Unfortunately, the new layout change is mandatory, which means we don’t really have a choice in the matter, however, the good news is that the functionality on your page will not change and neither will your customized Facebook tabs (if you have them).

This new change might come as a shock to some of you and others may be excited, either way we have a few tips and explanations to help you make the transition go smoothly.

New Look

First, it is important for you to understand what your new page will look like. The new layout looks similar to the personal profile layout called Timeline.

Instead of having a 200 x 600 pixel logo to the left of your page, you will now have what they are calling a “Cover Photo” that is 851 x 315 pixels wide. This new cover photo offers endless opportunities for your new page. For example, rather than only being able to promote one message like before, the new banner size will allow you to focus on multiple things. How exciting!

Although you now have a cover photo, your profile image still remains. Just as before, your profile image will appear next to any posts you make on your wall, or anyone else’s wall. We recommend using your company logo for this, as it can only be 180 x 180 pixels.

The second biggest change to the look of your new profile is your apps (or customized tabs). Instead of being located to the left of the page under your profile picture, you will now notice your apps, which include your photos have been conveniently relocated to the top right of the page underneath your huge cover photo image. This should make it easier for your customers and fans to locate your customized tabs.

And finally, you will notice your wall feed has also been moved much further down the page to the left. And to the right of your feed, you can now prominently see what customers are interacting with your page.

In addition, you will also notice that Facebook has redesigned your Facebook posts so that they are larger, and any images, or videos posted are also larger. This will hopefully drive additional engagement on your page.

Functionality

The nice thing about this new layout change is that most of your functionality will stay the same. However, there are a few additions to functionality that I would like to point out.

Facebook added something called a “Pinned Post.” A pinned post will allow you to mark a particular post and have it stay at the top of your page for a week. This is ideal for a trending post that you are receiving a lot of comments on. Hopefully having it pinned to the top of your page will help it to gain momentum.

You will also be able to star posts to highlight them, or hide posts that that aren’t as engaging or relevant with the pencil icon to the top right of each post. All I have to say is finally! This is a great feature that we are very excited about.

This announcement is new and we must admit we are still working with each of our clients to help them make a smooth transition.  We know that just as we feel we have figured everything out about the new layout, something will likely change and we will have to start the creative process all over again. But for now, here is what we know about Facebook’s new layout for business pages. We will keep you updated if anything new arises.

In the mean time, we would love to hear from you. Have you made the switch yet? Did the transition go smoothly? Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you and your business make the switch.

-Hannah Halstrom, Project Manager/Copywriter

It is no secret that Social Media channels are a vital tool and essential for any successful Marketing strategy. Facebook and Twitter provide a way to connect with your customers, increase your reach, promote products and offers, as well as share important company information.

It is important to keep in mind that although Facebook and Twitter are a great addition to your Online Marketing strategy, the two social media channels speak a different language. Depending on the company and the services they offer, auto uploading the same post across all Social Media channels can seem impersonal and robotic. Before posting on either site, make sure you understand that people utilize the two platforms for different reasons; you need to know how to customize your postings for each site.

Here are some tips on how to manage postings on Facebook and Twitter:

Length-

• Less is more on Twitter, no more than 140 characters. Tweets between 120-130 characters have the highest click through rates.
• Facebook has a limit of 420 characters. However, if you add a url to your post, you have an endless character limit. We suggest keeping your posts to 4 or 5 lines to help you receive more engagement from viewers. No one wants to read a novel on your page – keep your postings short, sweet and to the point.

Photos-

• Twitter- be selective. Make sure that the photo is relevant, exciting, and easy to understand.
• Facebook-the more pictures, the better. Make sure the photos are high-quality and add a description so the viewer is aware of what they are looking at.

Personal Involvement-

• Twitter- participating and replying are very important. The percentage of personal responses to organic Tweets should be 50:50.
• Facebook is a great forum for opinions. Post open ended questions so readers will participate in the discussion. Even though this has the potential of opening yourself up for negative feedback, it also allows you to publically address the issue should one arise.

Frequency-

• Twitter is fast moving. Post often, but be sure that the information is relevant, do not post if you don’t have anything to say. Tweeting more than once per hour can decrease your click-through rate by 200%!
• Facebook has a ranking system based on how recent your posts are and the amount of interaction followers have with you. User’s newsfeeds move fast, but not as fast as Twitter. We recommend businesses post once, or twice a week.

Language-

• Twitter posts should be brief and retweetable. You can post the same type of content on Facebook and Twitter, however the verbiage should differ. Use short hand and hash tags only when necessary to meet the character count. Tweets should be informal but professional enough to be retweeted by your followers.
• Facebook posts should be engaging and visual. There is a larger opportunity for users to comment and share links then on Twitter because it is easier to see conversation history. Links also have a 20% higher referral rate when personal comments are provided.

Using these tips and understanding the differences between the two platforms will ensure that your content and verbiage fit your follower’s needs. For more great tips, check out this article from Hubspot.

-Kerry Lucy, Account Manager