OK, a new improved design and functionality for Facebook Pages for brands. So here’s a quick review for your pleasure, with the help of 10,000 Words analysis of the top features, and a clutch of images pinched from my test page thanks to the new design preview. The end result won’t go live until 30 March btw..
The four point analysis of the top features quoted from 10,000 Words today:
1. Overall Design Overhaul: “Pages are getting that statement-making glossy cover photo that characterizes the profile timeline, so brands need to begin thinking about what image to use, and how that image will reflect upon their overall fan experience.”
2. Post Pinning: “Brands will now have the ability to pin key posts to the top of their pages for up to 7 days, making it much easier to highlight important posts for a longer period of time.”
3. Admin Controls: “A new admin panel will appear at that the top of all brand pages you administer, giving you a snapshot into recent activity on the page. Brands will also be able to private message fans, meaning Facebook can be used more powerfully as a customer service tool. You won’t be able to initiate messages, but users can now message a brand page and page administrators can message them back. This is great news for community managers who are always looking for new ways to communicate with fans, particularly when fans’ issues involve private information like credit card orders, etc.”
4. Timeline Capabilities Allow for Brands to Add Milestones to Their Page: How your history can elevate your brand?
The five point tour (thanks to these quick screengrabs):
Photo by Stuart Glendinning Hall
Photo by Stuart Glendinning Hall
Photo by Stuart Glendinning Hall
Photo by Stuart Glendinning Hall
Photo by Stuart Glendinning Hall
Update – with some choice links – or just go straight to Facebook’s own ‘mission control’ guide (pdf) to using the new pages:
- Timeline for Facebook – the complete checklist for community managers: blog post from eModeration goes into the specifics
- We are social: I also see thanks to ‘we are social’ that Page admins also have the option to hide fan posts from the page until approved in the Activity Log. Cool.
- Red Bull: The soft drinks brand have already started with a Timeline Timewarp scavenger hunt (I’ve copied the T & Cs to here). Shame the 30 winners are selected by speed, based on a ‘PST’ starting time, otherwise I’d enter!
- E-consultancy: A more detailed investigation, into the new features and functionality first here and then here.
- Brands as friends: More on the reasoning behind FB’s new brand pages fastcocreate.com/1680020/facebo… – and also at Argyle Social’s blog on the same theme
- Ten tactics: to optimise your FB Brand Page, from the good folks at Sift. It includes a useful summary of tactics that are no longer available on the home brand page:
- No gated Facebook pages encouraging likes to enter a competition.
- No permission marketing with data capture in return for information or other forms of value.
- No links direct to company website(s) – for example, many retailers have links from their home page to buy through the web store.
- No clear positioning messages – these aren’t permitted in the new main page cover image.
- No clear customer journeys through panels or links.
- No use of campaigns around specific products
- And finally the video: