Need PR and Marketing Help? Ask Away! Q&A with Jennifer Nagy of jlnpr

Mar 30, 12 | 12:08 am

Q&A with Jennifer Nagy of jlnpr

On March 30, Facebook will convert all companies’ brand pages into the new timeline format. In order to make sure that your page is ready for the transition, it is best to prepare ahead of time to ensure that you work out any bugs. While on your Facebook brand page, select “Preview” to get started and when you are happy with the result, push “Publish” to make the page go live with the new timeline.

Q: What is Timeline?

A: Timeline is the new layout for Facebook pages. It acts as a historical timeline dating back to when you joined Facebook, and then it lists all the activity that has taken place from then to now in chronological order. Every photo upload, Facebook comment, and wall post will live on here. Additionally, now you can list “Milestones”. Milestones are events that are date specific and pertain to your brand. For instance, if your hotel launched in 1990, you would use a milestone to mark the launch of the hotel. Any upgrades, updates, additions, special events or new programs can be listed as a “milestone” with the date, a photo and a description listed below it. Timeline is a visual record of your company’s history.

 

Q: Why is my profile picture so much smaller now?

A: Your profile photo is now in the left-hand side of your brand page. Additionally, you now have room for a “cover photo”. The cover photo is a lot of Facebook real estate, but there are specific rules regarding what type of photo you use:

• You cannot use the words “like” or “share” in your cover photo
• You cannot use it for ads, promotions, price or purchase information
• It cannot include contact information or other things that belong About section, such as your web address, email or mailing address
• You cannot infringe on copyright or use someone else’s photo
• No call-to-action terms, like “tell your friends”, “buy it now” or “act now”

The cover image should be 850 pixels x 315 pixels and should say a great deal about your property or brand, because it will be users’ first impression of your company and your page. The smaller photo on the left is 125 pixels x 125 pixels and should also be used for branding, so a logo or another small, sharp photo (that will stand out from the cover photo) is best.

Q: Where did my special tabs and applications go?

A: You can no longer designate a specific landing tab for your Facebook page. While this may seem like a negative, it gives everyone on the social space a fair playing ground to accrue “likes”. You can still have specialty tabs and applications and they are just a click away. You can select which applications can go in the empty boxes below.

Q: What else will change and will it actually improve anything?

A: Change #1 - You can communicate more directly with your consumer. You can tag your customers in posts and message him without being a Facebook friend.

Change #2 - You can star posts, making them twice as wide. Being larger, starred items will make more of a visual impact on the consumer.

Change #3 - You can “pin” posts to the top of your page, making sure the most important post stays up at the top for up to a week. This is especially helpful for polls and photos that you may want to be sure all the consumers see.

Change #4 - The experience is more personalized for the consumer. You can see “likes” immediately - and which of your friends like your brand page.

Change #5 - The boring “info” tab is gone! Basic information about the company is in the top of the page and the rest is moved into an “about” section that you can get to easily.

Change #6 Posts don’t disappear. People can trace posts back as far as they want to go, meaning that your content could continue to influence your fans for many days and months (even years!) to come.

Q: Any last Facebook Timeline tips?

A: First, browse through ALL your old posts before going live on your new timeline. While this may seem time-consuming, combing through everything is necessary. I recommend reevaluating any negative comments on your wall, especially if you have not addressed them. If there is a negative post that you did not respond to three years ago and someone sees it, they may not want to use your product or stay in your hotel.

Secondly, make sure all your applications are working correctly and and look the way that they are supposed to.

Thirdly, assess your level of branding. Is this the visual image you want to put out there? If not, fix it ASAP.

Finally, make sure that you test everything before hitting “publish”!

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Did this information help you? If you have other questions, I’d love to hear from you – please don’t be shy! Send an email to jenn@jlnpr.com.

And don’t forget to check back once a month for more PR and Marketing Q&As.

About Jennifer Nagy

Jennifer Nagy, President of jlnpr, is a seasoned public relations professional with a passion for the hospitality industry. At jlnpr, she works with companies to increase awareness of their property/product and get their story in front of the audiences that will have a direct impact on their bottom line. jlnpr works with international clients in the travel and tourism, airline, lodging, cruise and meeting/event sectors. For more information on jlnpr, please visit www.jlnpr.com or contact Jennifer at jenn@jlnpr.com.