5 Simple Tweaks to Make the Most of the New Facebook Page Design

If you’re going to invest the time and energy to promote your business through Facebook, it’s important to make sure you’re getting the most out of the tool.

And, with the new timeline design coming on March 30, it’s important to make sure you’re page is ready for the transition.

By making some small adjustments to your page, you can improve how your brand is presented on Facebook and use the new design to drive more engagement and action on your page.

Here are five simple tweaks you can implement on your Facebook page today:

1.
  Get a branded URL.

Although this tip isn’t unique to the new Facebook page design, it’s an important tweak that many businesses miss.

When you first set up your Facebook page, you are given a URL that looks something like this: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ABC-Company/12345678987654321

But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Once 25 people have “liked” your page, you can set up a branded URL like mine: https://www.facebook.com/flybluekite

Doing this makes it easier for people to find and connect with your page.

To make the change, go to your Admin panel under “Basic Information”. Once you’re there, you can edit your username so you’ll have a short, memorable link you can use to promote your page.

If you have any questions about getting this set up, check out these handy FAQs from Facebook.

2. Choose a strong cover image.

With the new Facebook page design going live on March 30, take the time to choose a strategic cover image now. The image should help convey the message of your brand.

Pam Slim did a nice job with her cover image, for example. It uses a gorgeous photo and strategic text that helps visitors quickly and easily determine who she is and what she’s all about.

When setting up the image, make sure it is 850 x 315 pixels. If you want to edit the image or add text, you can use free online tools such as Photoshop Express or Google Plus. Just remember — the photo cannot have calls to action (i.e. “like my page”).

3.
  Write a strategic blurb for the “About” box.

 The new Facebook page design boasts a prominent “About” box that gives you the opportunity to give people a quick snapshot of what your business is about. This box also offers the nice opportunity to add the URL for your website.

See my page below, for example.

The only trick is that if your business page is set up under the “local business” category, your location, phone number and business hours will show up there there instead of this “About” blurb. While that option makes sense for some businesses, such as restaurants, salons and retail locations, most service-based businesses would benefit from the business description.

You have 170 characters for this space, so use it wisely. Make it a short, concise sentence that quickly tells what you do. And, leave room for your website URL to give visitors quick access to learn more about your business.

To set this up, you can click on the “About” box if you have the new design enabled. Or, if you’re using the old design, you can find this on the Admin panel under “Basic Information. You’ll see an “About” line where you can plug in this information.

4. Use the Buttons as Promotional Tools.

With the old Facebook page design, we relied heavily on landing pages and tabs to promote content. Now, instead of a landing page to greet newcomers, all users will come to your page timeline.

However, the new Facebook page design boasts buttons that can be used as great promotional tools for your page.

Here are some ways you can use the buttons:

• Encourage email sign-ups
• Showcase upcoming events or activities
• Promote specials, coupons or contents
• Feature a Fan of the Week
• Highlight your videos or blog posts

Although you can’t change the photo button, you can decide which buttons are showing for the other three slots. You can also change the thumbnail for each button. This post offers some instructions on how to do that.

Paint the Moon does a fantastic job with their buttons – not only do they have nice calls to action with custom design that immediately draw your eye to them.

5.
  Highlight important posts.

Once you’ve posted something on Facebook, it has a short lifespan. But, you can breathe new life in your posts by “pinning” and “starring” your posts to give them new prominence.

The “pin” moves a post to the top left of your new Facebook timeline for seven days. So, no matter when you’ve posted something, this item stays on top. This would be especially important for times you have a newsworthy item you want to promote.

Here’s how “pinned” posts look on your page. Notice the little yellow ribbon at the top?

You can also call attention to a post by “starring” it. When you “star” an item, it goes the full width of your page. This is a nice way to add some visual interest to your page.

Here’s what a starred post looks like:

What are you waiting for?

Don’t wait for March 30 to set up your new Facebook page. Carve out a few minutes every day this week to tackle these items and you’ll be all set.

Have you switched to the new Facebook design for pages? Have you made any of these tweaks yet?