jack morton facebook timeline guide

8/2/2019 Jack Morton FaceBook TimeLine Guide

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FACEBOOKTIMELINE

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

TIPS FOR BRANDS AND MARKETERS TO MAKE THE MOST

OF FACEBOOKS 2012 TIMELINE CHANGES FOR PAGES

MARKETERS GUIDE TO:


2/24

HIGHLIGHTS FROM FACEBOOKS 2012 CHANGES

TIMELINE FOR BRANDS: OUR POINT OF VIEW

MAIN PAGES CHANGES

#1: VISUALIZATION: TIMELINE LAYOUT

#2: TIMELINE OPTIMIZATION

#3: FACEBOOK APPLICATIONS

#4: 1-ON-1 MESSAGES & USER CONTROL

BRAND PROMOTIONS

#1: OFFERS POSTS

#2: POSTING STANDARDS

#3: REACH GENERATOR#4: PREMIUM ON FACEBOOK

BEST PRACTICES: A NEW SET OF PRINCIPLES

#1: BRAND OVER COMMUNITY

#2: DONT FORGET NEWS FEED

#3: EMPHASIS ON VISUALIZATION

#4: STORYTELLING THROUGH MILESTONES

JACK MORTON WORLDWIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS...... 3

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3/24

Every once in a while, Facebook makes its users and marketing partnersfeel like its ruining everything. Does Facebooks new Timeline layout

really ruin Facebook for brands? Probably not. But there are somesubstantial changes marketers should be aware of just one year after thelast round of sweeping changes (remember photo strips?). One thing toknow: your custom applications wont look as good as they used to.

On the heels of the rollout of its new Timeline format for user Profiles,Facebook is launching the new Timeline format for its brand partners,too. The new layout will have an impact on what brands have built on

Facebook in the past (i.e. applications, posts, photos and more) and howbrands can best use Facebook in the future.

Brands have until March 30th to activate the new layout for their Pages,but in the meantime, Jack Morton has assembled this guide to keychanges in the platform and the best ways to leverage tomorrowsFacebook starting today.

HIGHLIGHTS FROMFACEBOOKS 2012 CHANGES


4/24

Facebook has undeniably changed the way we communicate with and relate to other humans. As FacebookCOO Sheryl Sandberg said in her keynote during the Facebook Marketing Conference, For the first time,

technology is powering us and who we are.

On its path to reshape our lives as individuals (and yes, make a profit), Facebook (and social media in general)has also begun to change the way brands communicate with consumers.

The focus is no longer on how brands communicate, but rather on how they relate. Webelieve brands relate best to consumers through brand experiences. We also believe thatbrand experiences are most meaningful when consumers are surrounded by their socialconnections.

Facebook has given brands a platform to listen, comment, ask, answer, converse, innovate and, yes, even sellwhile users are surrounded by their social context. Facebooks Timeline puts social brand experience at theplatforms center. No longer will users experience brands in isolation or with a few other (often random) userson message board-style Pages, but rather, users will be prompted to experience brands and their heritagethrough their closest -- and most trusted -- social connections.

In light of Facebooks announcement of the rollout of Timeline-based layouts for brand Pages, were

having conversations with our clients about what the social brand experiences of the present andfuture will look like. To catch a glimpse into our thinking, we offer up this guide to the shifts on theplatform, including what we believe will be the best practices for brands as they journey forward torelate to their consumers.

Is your brand ready to make the most of Facebooks Timeline for brand Pages?

FACEBOOK TIMELINE FOR BRANDS:

OUR POINT OF VIEW

Ben Grossman

Digital Strategist


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PAGES

CHANGES


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VISUALIZATION:TIMELINE LAYOUT

PAGES CHANGE #1:

PROFILE PICTUREThough many brands used

extended, promotional profile

pictures in the past, Facebooks new

Timeline layout means that a

brands profile picture can now stay

a relatively consistent reflection ofthe logo, using the Cover Image for

major promotions instead. It should

be uploaded at 180 x 180 pixels. It

will automatically be scaled down to

32 x 32 pixels for News Feed

viewing.

COVER PHOTOThe new home for on-Page promotion, the Cover Photo should be

uploaded at 851 x 315 pixels. The perfect place to feature a fan or

photo of the month, a new promotion or even a call-out for a (now

more hidden) custom Facebook Application. Careful! Cover Photos

may not include price or purchase information, contact information

or calls to action. Consult Facebooks rules before development.

TIMELINE LAYOUTThe new Page layout allows for the biggest,

most customizable visual branding ever.

Combined with a new, moments-in-time

focused layout, Pages now act as more of a

brand narrative than a community message

board.


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VISUALIZATION:TIMELINE LAYOUT

PAGES CHANGE #1:

VISUALLY COMPELLING POSTS WINFacebook was popularized based on a sleek and simple,mostly text-based interface that made it easier to understand

what friends were thinking, doing and saying. With bad

memories of flashing and disorganized MySpace profiles far

behind users (or even before some users time), Facebook is

beginning to put more of an emphasis on helping users

visualize their friends and brands posts and activity.

Brands that create posts that are accompanied by visual media

(i.e. a photo or video) enjoy greater inclusion and engagement

through users News Feeds and also are now core to a quality

user experience in the Timeline layout.

Posts that include fill-in-the blanks, caption contests and

video clips will drive engagement as Facebook continues to

evolve. Additionally, visually compelling posts make for an

easily scannable, engaging Timeline history, which users cannow scroll through at any time.


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TIMELINE OPTIMIZATIONPAGES CHANGE #2:

FRIEND-PRIORITIZED VIEWINGA new section of Pages acts as a personalized social lens

through which users can view a given brand. A call-out with the

number of a users friends who like the Page as well as some of

their recent activity pertaining to the brand is featured at the top

of the Timeline.

Friends care about friends, making the prominence of this

section a compelling reason for brands to respond to each andevery post on their Pages.

WHAT GIVES TIMELINE ITS

NAME? WELL, A TIMELINE.The entire structure of the new

Facebook Pages layout is inspired bya history-based timeline that

documents a brands existence

(fictional or actual), from its

founding or opening to the present.

Brands with a rich and interesting

history now have the opportunity to

use a new type of posts,Milestones, which allow them to

add historical landmarks for their

businesses or the backstory for an

upcoming movie. A simple tool at

the right of Pages allows for

navigation through time.


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TIMELINE OPTIMIZATIONPAGES CHANGE #2:

PINNING POSTS FOR 7 DAYSWhile Facebook recommends Pages post once per day, it hascreated a capability that allows Administrators to Pin a post to

the top of the Page, so that it is the first thing users see upon

arrival for a 7-day period.

The terminology of Pinning may seem suspiciously close to that

of recent social media darling Pinterest. Widely, the media agrees

and attributes the use of the terminology to Zuckerbergs ongoing

obsession with staying up to speed with start-up competition.

STARRING STORIESPage Administrators now have a way to prioritize

their own content within the Timeline by starring

the best (most engaging) ones and allowing it toexpand with double width on the timeline.

Just as easily, Administrators can hide less

engaging or less important stories. The net

efect of this functionality is that once a post is

no longer current, Administrators can choose

not to feature it as a main part of the companys

past in the Timeline. As such, product recall

announcements or public apologies can still be

distributed and shown while relevant, but can

later be hidden in favor of more positive

milestones in the brands past.


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FACEBOOK APPLICATIONSPAGES CHANGE #3:

NO WELCOME TAB. APP SIZE

UPDATE.The new Timeline layout dispenses with atab-based brand favorite: the welcome tab.

Administrators will no longer be able to set adefault landing tab as the first thing users

see upon arriving to the Page. Instead, the

Cover Photo will need to do any Welcome

talking desired by the brand (though current

fans will see it too).

The new application display will continue to

allow older apps (520 pixels in width) to

display, but theyll look narrow in the new

layout that allows for 810 pixel-wide

layouts. Applications new and old require a

new icon to appear on the Page that is 111

74 pixels.


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FACEBOOK APPLICATIONSPAGES CHANGE #3:

APPLICATIONS GET A DOWNGRADEMuch to many brands chagrin, custom Facebook Applications,

which represent a significant investment to many marketers,were given a low priority in the new Timeline layout. Pages can

choose to feature up to three custom applications by default

(the Photos Application is fixed), but the rest fall below in an

area that must be expanded by the user prior to viewing

additional applications.

Because Facebooks interface has long been based on a tabbed

navigational structure, where brands would often create

Welcome Tabs to orient users to the Page, this will trigger a

major change in many Pages user experience. Users will now

have to be drawn in by a brands content, rather than a

messaging tab.


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1-ON-1 MESSAGES & USER CONTROLPAGES CHANGE #4:

COMMUNITY MANAGERS: REJOICE!Uncharacteristically, Facebook is allowing

brands complete control over how

conversations appear on their Pages.

Buried in Facebooks Timeline updates are newcapabilities that allow Administrators to

prevent fans posts to the Timeline from

showing up publicly until they have been

approved by an administrator.

Administrators can also hide a box that allows

users to see recent post by people other thantheir immediate friends, pretty much killing

any sense of community that Pages once had.

1-ON-1 MESSAGES ARE HEREPreviously, the only way brands could communicate withconsumers through their Pages was publicly through the

Pages wall. With Timeline, Facebook is introducing a newMessage button that appears next to the Like Button

at the top of the Page (at a brands discretion -- it can be

hidden).

Though brands still cannot reach out to users directly to

initiate a 1-to-1 conversation, they can now receive

messages from users and respond through the platform.

Not all customer service can or should be public.


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BRAND

PROMOTIONS


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OFFERS POSTSBRAND PROMOTION #1:

READY TO BATTLE DAILY

DEALS? NOT YET.Facebook has made several attempts over

the past few years to develop an ofering

that could rival daily deals sites likeGroupon and Living Social.

With the release of Timeline, Facebook

has added another new post type called

Ofers. Using the post, brands can

feature a promotion on their page, allow

users to claim it and have the coupon sent

directly to the users email or mobile

device. The seamless experience is

powered by Facebooks ability to leverage

users profile data to ofer analytics and

tracking that brands will be intrigued by.

For additional exposure, Facebook also

recommends combining Ofers with its ad

units to reach a broader audience and

trigger viral spread.


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POSTING STANDARDSBRAND PROMOTION #2:

FACEBOOK GOES ON RECORD

WITH RECOMMENDATIONS

For the first time publicly, Facebook went onthe record with recommendations about the

frequency of posts Pages should use. The

answer was what most strategists had

concluded: one, engaging post per day is

golden.

Facebook also released some staggering

statistics about what types of posts workbest.

Visually engaging posts generate 2X the

engagement of basic text posts.

On average, people visit and engage with

Pages most often between 9pm and

10pm.

Posts between 100 and 250 characters

(less than 3 lines of text) see about 60%more likes, than longer posts.

Facebook estimates that the average Page

reaches 16% of its fans in the average week. It

also recommends using Page Insights to find

out when people engage most with content

and post during those hours.


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REACH GENERATORBRAND PROMOTION #3:

FACEBOOKS NEW TAKE ON

SPONSORED STORIESOver a year ago, Facebook launched new ad

units referred to as Sponsored Stories. These

units essentially help to amplify Page Posts so

that they reach more users (both fans and

non-fans) to trigger further viral spread andawareness of the brand and/or ofering.

These ad units have now been re-launchedand now fall under an umbrella grouping

called Reach Generator.

In addition to re-naming the ofering,

Facebook is also breaking its Sponsored Story

ad units out of the right side of the interface.

Units will now also be eligible to appear in

users News Feeds on their desktops and, once

Timeline comes to mobile devices in April,through mobile devices. This will be the first

time mobile advertisements are available

through Facebooks platform.

When using Sponsored Stories, it it is

imperative that brands express the core of the

message in the first 90 characters of the post,

as that is the size of the ad unit.


17/24

PREMIUM ON FACEBOOKBRAND PROMOTION #4:

BIG SPENDS GET BIG BENEFITSFacebooks top advertising spenders will now

be using an ofering re-named Premium on

Facebook. In order to augment its pre-

existing premium advertising ofering,

Facebook is adding the in-News Feed ads,

mobile News Feed ads and a new Log-out

experience as parts of its paid media

oferings.

And these higher end products have paid ofin the past. Facebook reports that ad units

featured on its homepage (reserved for

premium advertisers) have generated 5x-10x

more engagement than all other places on the

site.

Further, Facebook reports that Premium Ads

and Sponsored Stories on the right-hand sideare typically 40% more engaging and 80%

more likely to be remembered than all

previous oferings.

Among other new claims Facebook is making

about the benefits of its paid advertising

products is that well-run campaigns that

leverage social drive ROIs of 3x or greater.


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BEST PRACTICES:

A NEW SET OFPRINCIPLES


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BRAND OVERCOMMUNITY

BEST PRACTICE #1:

FORCED COMMUNITY IS DEAD...

CONTROL IS BACKOne of the biggest challenges for brands

joining Facebook (especially those in highly

regulated industries) has always been the fact

that users could post whatever they wanted to

brands walls whenever they wanted to... forthe world to see.

Timeline does away with that. In fact, the

entire interface has made a shift from being a

dolled up message board with some cool

interactive features to becoming a narrative

story about a brand... completely controlled by

the brand. Administrators can prevent users

from posting to the timeline, moderate all

posts and even re-publish the user-generated

posts they like.

The Timeline is engineered to tell the brands

story as it wants to be seen. Blemishes can be

hidden and Community Managers have

complete control over what happens on the

Page. One-to-one, consumer-to-brand

messaging also keeps consumers and brands

dirty laundry (i.e. customer service issues) out

of sight and, perhaps, out of mind.

BEST PRACTICE #2


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DONT FORGET THENEWS FEED

BEST PRACTICE #2:

VISUALS SHOULDNT DISTRACT

FROM WHATS REALLY MISSION

CONTROL.If nothing else, users will have to admit:Timeline is pretty. Marketers are sure to love

playing with the Cover Photos and finding

new ways to feature neat history as part of the

Timeline. Facebook is even pushing the idea

of the Page itself as Mission Control every

chance it gets.

None of that changes the fact, however, that

perhaps the most important part of Facebook

for brands has not significantly changed at

all: the News Feed. Indeed, the majority of

engagement and awareness is generated by

brands posts being seen among their friends

posts in the News Feed.

While Facebooks new paid advertising units

will be able to land brands in the News Feed,

a strong content strategy with engaging posts

at the right time will still be at the core of the

most successful brands on Facebook. So go

ahead, make your brands Page beautiful...

but dont forget to think long and hard about

that News Feed.

BEST PRACTICE #3


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EMPHASIS ONVISUALIZATION

BEST PRACTICE #3:

RICH VISUALS MAKE THE BEST

CONTENT AND THE BEST TIMELINESNo one wants to read a book when they hop on

Facebook to stalk a few friends. A quick scroll

through a brands timeline will give you an idea of

whether it is posting enough rich visual content.

The more photos, videos and links relevant to

individual posts, the more a brand stands out in

the timeline and builds anity through its

timeline.

As the entire Internet drives towards a future of

representing a new world of data with easy-to-

understand visuals, it will be no surprise if

Facebook continues to focus on making

improvements to the platform that make it more

visually gripping.

BEST PRACTICE #4


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STORYTELLING THROUGHMILESTONES

BEST PRACTICE #4:

HISTORIC NARRATIVES

CONTRIBUTE TO BRAND STORIES

THROUGH TIMELINEBrands, public figures and institutions that

have a rich history have a perfect opportunity

to display it through Timeline in an engaging

way. Administrators can literally go back in

time and use the new Milestone post type toadd landmarks in an organizations past all

the way back to the year it was founded.

Brands that have longstanding relationships

with customers can even encourage users to

contribute photos that can then be re-posted

as part of the Pages history.

For those brands that dont have a history,like movies, Timeline allows Administrators totell a fanciful backstory that can build

anticipation for premieres. For television

shows or entertainers, Timeline ofers a

wonderful way to catalogue episodes or

performances and the journey to

accomplishment.


23/24

WILL YOU USE TIMELINE TO CREATE COMPELLING

SOCIAL BRAND EXPERIENCES FOR CONSUMERS?

JACK MORTON WORLDWIDEis a global brand experience agency with offices on four continents. Our agency culturepromotes breakthrough ideas about how experiences connect brands and people in person, online, at retail and through the

power of digital and word of mouth influence. We work with both BtoC and BtoB clients to create powerful and effectiveexperiences that engage customers and consumers, launch products, align employees and build strong experience brands.Ranked at the top of our field, weve earned over 50 awards for creativity, execution and effectiveness last year, including bestnew product introduction, best media event and employee campaign of the year. Jack Morton is part of the Interpublic Group ofCompanies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG).

More information is available online:Web site: http://www.jackmorton.com/Blog: http://blog.jackmorton.com/Twitter: http://twitter.com/jackmorton

FOR MORE INSIGHT INTO FACEBOOKS TIMELINE FOR BRANDS,

CONTACT [email protected]
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24/24

FACEBOOKTIMELINE

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

TIPS FOR BRANDS AND MARKETERS TO MAKE THE MOST

OF FACEBOOKS 2012 TIMELINE CHANGES FOR PAGES

MARKETERS GUIDE TO:

jack morton facebook timeline guide

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