Just last week Twitter brought its new brand pages to the UK, and now – if rumours are to be believed – Facebook is planning to announce the official launch date of Timeline for brand pages on February 29th, when the social media site holds its invitation only Facebook Marketers Council.
Now we have seen an insight into the narrative style of the new Timeline format on profile pages, freelancers and small businesses can begin to find different ways of engaging with their audience which are compatible with the Timeline style.
It is thought that the meeting at the end of February will give key marketers the opportunity to learn how the new features work and figure out the best way of making it work for brands before the official launch.
A recent study organised by digital news site Mashable compared the original Facebook profile page with the new Timeline. The key findings suggested that cover photos get noticed first, Facebook ads are much more visible on Timeline and that personal information gets more attention than the old Facebook format.
Social media experts have also commented that Facebook’s Timeline will enable brands to display their company histories, including when they started out, key milestone events, photos and videos. Timeline will also improve the navigation so that users can easily browse through the content.
While there is obvious potential value in Facebook Timeline for brands, there are also drawbacks. Brands which currently have Tabs and Facebook apps will experience interference as Timeline does not yet support these functions. Another drawback is that users might become distracted or put off by the new and unfamiliar look of a brand page.
As we all wait in anticipation and slight trepidation to discover when Timeline will be available to brand pages, it is likely that a key feature in the strategy of all social media marketers will include the cover photo and its endless design possibilities.
Photo by Goiaba
