Facebook Timeline: Embrace The Change!

From friends trying to reactivate MySpace accounts to my college daughter making desperate Hunger Games analogies, there is a whole lot of Facebook unhappiness out there over the new timeline format. Relax and take a deep breath. With a little more info, this is going to be a great opportunity for everyone.

 

For business pages, the change presents exciting avenues in social media marketing for creating a strong, creative visual presence. While Facebook is very clear about not wanting a business to use the cover photo for promos, coupons or advertisements, you can create a good visual image of your company or event.

 

Before you get started, let’s go over a few of the don’ts according to the Facebook Help Center.

-Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may NOT contain:

-Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”

-Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section

-References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features

-Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

Currently, Forest Home Media is working on several complicated and amazing projects including the May 2012 Charity Tour of Homes. Featuring the latest in innovative home design and building, this is a multi-site event with two benefiting charities and one important presenting sponsor of the premier home tour taking place two three-day weekends in May. Does that sound like enough of a communications challenge?

In attempt to create an interesting timeline photo for the Charity Tour of Homes, I found this great tutorial on Picasa and creating the timeline photo which made it a very easy endeavor.

Here’s the result of my effort:

It was a little challenging representing with one unique timeline image of the event, tour sponsor Pella Windows & Doors,  and the benefiting charities, Students Taking A Right Stand (STARS) and Miriam’s Promise. With the collage type approach, we were able to present this in a visually interesting way while reminding folks of the impending date.

Finally, if you feel the need to dig even deeper into Facebook changes, we recommend the Social Media Examiner  as a great resource. Check out their recent post on 5 Ways To Enhance Your Facebook Timeline. If you need help creating a social media strategy, contact Forest Home Media here. 

Good luck and embrace the change!