Facebook Business Page Catch-Up: Did You Miss the Memo on the Cover Photo?
Last week Facebook completed its switch to a radical new design by shifting Facebook business pages into its new timeline layout. The new format hasn’t done the platform’s business users any favors. Your Facebook business page now looks as enticing as a college textbook. The information is there, but the presentation is so boring and unappealing that without some tweaking your page is unlikely to attract Facebook users. Fortunately, the problem is solvable; and the faster you fix your Facebook business page, the sooner you’ll profit from the benefits social engagement marketing offers business users.
Timeline’s visual focus requires greater emphasis on photos, graphics and videos. Your first order of business is to create a dynamic cover image for your Facebook business page that will attract attention and convey the nature of your business. Your cover art will stretch across the top quarter to third of your Facebook business page like a banner, but avoid simply enlarging your company logo. Likewise, do not use your cover for ads, coupons or promotions. Use your cover to evoke emotional interest in your product. For example, if your target consumers are off-road sports enthusiasts, use a cover photo of dirt bikers charging down a rocky trail with a toy hauler visible in the background.
Facebook has made it quick and easy to add a cover. Login to your Facebook profile and onto your business page. Click “add a cover” and follow the instructions. To avoid copyright infringement, use only photos that you own. Select a cover photo from your online Facebook photo album, upload a photo taken with your digital camera or purchase an appropriate photo from iStockPhoto.com. Use large, high-resolution images (851 x 315 pixels or larger) to prevent image distortion when Facebook converts the photo into a horizontal banner. To create additional visual interest on your Facebook business page, upload original photos or videos once or twice a week.
The visual impact of Facebook’s timeline format requires greater hands-on management but should increase consumer traffic to your Facebook business page.
