On Friday, March 30, the new Facebook timeline for businesses went live. Last week on Social Media Monday we talked about how to prepare your cover photo for the change. This week we’ll provide you with some more details on what you need to know.
To get you started, Facebook has provided some handy resources.
• The Facebook Pages Overview Guide
• The Facebook Pages Product Guide
• And an online interactive course: Learn About Facebook Pages
Some aspects of the Facebook page for businesses are still the same, but have moved to new locations on the Facebook page. For instance, the “About” section is still there and contains the same information, but it is now more prominently featured on the page. So you’ll want to make sure that all the pertinent information in this section is filled out. That includes basic information about when your speaking business was founded and where you are located; info about you, such as a description of who you are, what your mission is and a list of your speaking topics and areas of expertise; and contact information such as your phone number, email address, and website and blog addresses.
One of my favourite features of the new timeline is its focus on chronological history. The default setting of your timeline has your chronological history going back to the day you first created your Facebook page. However, you can add events to your timeline to have it go back even further – to the day you gave your first professional presentation – to the day your professional speaking business actually began – and even further – to the day you were born! Plus, you can highlight important posts like these on your timeline, making them cover the full-width layout of your timeline (rather than displaying it in only one column). This draws attention to the important events in your professional speaking history. To highlight a post, hover your cursor over the top right corner of it and click the star icon.
Another great feature of the new Facebook pages is the Admin Panel. This panel gives you easy access to insights and statistics about your page. It tells you how many “Likes” your page has, the number of people talking about your page and your page’s weekly total reach. It also details the number of people who are engaging with your content and the virality of your posts. It’s a handy and informative resource to see how people respond to the content you post on your Facebook page.
There are many more changes and features on the new Facebook pages. For a good overview, check out “Facebook Timeline for Business Pages – 21 Key Points to Know” written by professional speaker and social media expert Mari Smith. She has marked up her own Facebook page with all the tips and tricks you need to make your Facebook page a success. Enjoy!
