Tag Archives: timeline

Five Facebook Tips 10

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Ok, here we are again. Due to major website issues (Lunar Pages sucks!) and a lot of work (which I’m so thankful for) it’s been a bit too long since I’ve done an update. It’s not that I ran out of tips, but this idea I had a year ago has become a reality quicker than I thought.

Anyway, with the news of Facebook hitting 1 billion users, I figured it was about damn time I did another update. So here’s 5 more tips and tricks.

1. Talking About This should be 10-15%
You can have all the fans/likes in the world, but if they don’t do anything it’s not worth shit. The “talking about this” number indicates the last 7 days that your fans have interacted with your page in some way. So people liking, commenting, sharing, tagging, etc. One of the main influencers of this number is by responding to everyone that posts on your way (“Post By Others”). Social media is all about being SOCIAL (interacting), not about being the MEDIA (spamming). So listen and respond to your fans, they are more than worth it.
If you need an example go to Corey Duffel’s Facebook page. The Duffman is all about interacting with his fans, in real life and with social media. Now if only brands would start taking their fans as serious as Corey, a lot more people would be stoked on your brand.

2. Use the new Facebook for Pages for app
Facebook is still not perfect on a mobile device, but they are slowly getting there. They still have too much options to squeeze in one app, but some of the main things are in this new app. I’m not a fan of adding another app to my home screen, but if it serves a purpose, I’m all about it. One of the things you still can’t do, and annoys the hell out of me, is taggin other fan pages.

Ps. Recently Facebook updated the regular Facebook app, and now you can’t post on a fan page from the app anymore. Get it!

3. Make sure your tabs work on a mobile device (otherwise don’t bother)
Yeah, those tabs (or apps/applications)…. They are not the magic you are looking for, and if you suck at social media they won’t help you suck less. But if you using Facebook right, they can be a big help. But people check Facebook 50% of the time from a mobile device (65% by the end of 2012?), and Timeline for Pages does not (yet) work on the mobile app, so if you post a link on your wall make sure the tab is mobile friendly. A frustrated fan, that can’t see what you want him to see, is not your goal.

This is what you see on a smart phone (iPhone) if you tab is not mobile friendly. And I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if it doesn’t work on mobile, don’t waste your time!

4. Tag others when you can, every time you can.
There’s not trick of getting a ton of new fans quickly. And if you think you know a trick, it’s has to be fake. Growing Facebook fans takes time, hard work, and patience, just like growing a business. The best way to grow is by tagging other fan pages when you have a chance. Since your page is growing fans every day (right?) you have to make sure you inform the newbies. So don’t just think people know where your brand is sold, who is on your team, and what other brands and retailers you align with. And leave out the hella in-crowd cool talk. Once in a while won’t hurt, but you want to make sure the newbies feel at home, not estranged. So they can be a consumer for years to come.

To tag another page it helps to have the admin be a fan (like) the page you plan to tag. Adding the page your page’s favorites will help too. Type the “@” symbol and start typing the page name of the page you want to tag. (Yes, that;s why you need a good page name too)

*Please note that the tagging won’t always work (99% of the time it will) and you can’t tag personal profiles. So you won’t spam personal profiles, cause I know you want to.

5. Call to action, don’t just post an update
People see your stuff in their feed. Whether their on a mobile device or computer, people don’t really came to your Facebook page. So you have to make sure that if you do an update, it’s stands out one way or another. Not every time of course, mix shit up! But when you scroll through your newsfeed, most of the things you see are just whatever. So when you ask them a question, it will get people talking. Remember people are on social media to interact with their friends. And the best way to get to know new people is to start interaction with them. Asking questions sparks interaction. And it’s direct feedback from your consumers!

Below an example of a post on the Facebook page of David Gonzalez (that I did) regarding his 3 signature Ricta wheels. A Facebook post gets seen by an average of 10-16% of your fans, this post was seen by more then 50% of David’s fans. And it got a lot of likes, comments and share. Ow, and Ricta gained twice as much fans as on any other day. (cause it was tagged)

Five Facebook Tips 8

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After Facebook allowed fan pages to switch over to the timeline layout last Wednesday, it’s pretty obvious this week’s Facebook tips is all about the new layout. On Wednesday I did a quick tutorial on some of the basics of switching to the timeline layout, today I’ll go a bit more in depth.

Let me start of by saying the new timeline is really sick, and will be much better. No one likes change, but just adapt to it asap and you’ll be used to it in no time. You don’t really have an option either, as Facebook will force you to switch no later than March 30th 2012.

1. The link button is gone once again
Once again Facebook decided to remove to link button, so most people might not know how to post a URL in a post without showing the URL. It’s pretty simple. Copy the URL of the blog post or video in the status update bar, hit the spacebar once and wait for Facebook to populate a thumbnail. If your blog post has multiple images you can choose which photo (thumbnail) you want to show. Now delete the URL and type your text. Once you’re done hit “post” and you’re all set!
This works the exact same way for your personal profile FYI. Keep it clean!

2. Your about section has a main spot now
Make sure you put in the about section what you want people to know that are new to your brand. In the timeline the about section shows up right under your cover photo, so everyone that comes to your page will see this text. Keep it short and simple, but make sure you say what you want people to remember.

3. Pin a post to the top of the page
In complete Pinterest stylo Facebook now gives you the option to bring any post from the past to the top of your page. Want to highlight that video one more time, that cool photo or the event that is coming up? Pin the post and it will be on the top of the page for a maximum of 7 days.

How to pin?
Go to the right upper corner of your post and click on the pencil. In the drop down menu click on “pin to top” and you’re done. Now the post will show up on the top of your page, with an orange icon on the upper right.
FYI: You can only pin one post at a time. Once you pin a new post the older pinned post will move back into the timeline.

4. Star a post
Similar to pinning a post, you can now also “star” a post. This blows up the photo or video to the full size of the Facebook page. The size is 735px for a starred post, so make
sure that if you star a photo that it’s of decent size/resolution, so it doesn’t get all blurry. See here an example of a Theeve trucks post on Garrett Hill’s Facebook page.

To star a post go to the upper right corner of your post and click on the star icon. You can star multiple posts, but don’t overdo it. You want to draw attention to a few key posts, not all your stuff.

5. Choose your tabs/apps wisely
With the new timeline everyone will see your cover photo first. You can’t have people that aren’t a fan (of your page) yet land on a different (welcome) page. Underneath the cover photo, on the right side, there is room for 4 tabs. The first one in the row, on the left, is always the “photo” tab. The other 3 tabs can be whatever you want. You can decide which other tabs you want to show there, and in which order. Technically you can have up to 12 tabs, but you have to click on the arrow next to far right tab to see the other 8 tabs.


Example: The Skatepark of Tampa Facebook page

FYI; I just checked out 30 different skateboard brands and barely anyone had changed their page to the timelime yet. Pretty shocking! Props to SPoT for adapting so quick!

You can also decide to put one of your custom tabs in the main row. In the example above you see “photos”, “likes”, “what’s up @ SPoT” and “events”. Again, the “photos” tab will always be in the position where you see it now. The “like” tab is not really needed since you already see the number of total likes (fans) next to the profile picture. I strongly suggest adding the YouTube tab there (which you can install really easy) and then go with 2 other tabs that showcase your brand, organization, or shop.
You can also add custom tabs to the top 4. You can even upload your own thumbnail so you can get an image in their that will attract the attention of your fans. (Specs: 111px by 74px)
I recently built 2 custom tabs for Garrett Hill and David Gonzalez that showcase their sponsors. Below is part of the Garrett Hill one. Go to the actual tab to see it in full. Also check out the sponsor tab I did for David Gonzalez.
Each sponsor logo links to the Facebook page of that brand, so in this case the rider is helping the brand gain more (legit) fans.

Please note that these tabs where designed for the old specs of the Facebook page (516px wide). With the timeline the tabs can be up to 810px wide, so expect an update of both tabs very soon.

If you are interested in building custom tabs for your Facebook page and you don’t know how or don’t have the time for it feel free to hit me up. I can built and host multiple Facebook tabs for you. Just email me at fred@fredvanschie.com and I’ll let you know how it would work.

Don’t forget to check out the Facebook post from last Wednesday with a step-by-step tutorial on how to switch over the the timeline, including all the specs for the cover photo and the profile image.

Questions or comments? Drop ‘em below!
Or shoot me an email at [email protected].

Also check out “Five Facebook Tips #7” from last week.

Timeline For Facebook Pages

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Always nice waking up to some shocking news. We all knew it was coming sooner or later, as Facebook introduced the timeline for the personal profiles a few months ago, but as of today the timeline is also available for Facebook (fan) pages. Without a warning in the last few days.

You don’t have to change it right away, as it won’t be final until March 30th 2012. So that gives you 4 weeks to get you shit together. I think you should do it today or tomorrow, as you want to show your fans that you lead the way, not follow like a sheep.

How does it work?
If you’re admin just go the fan page that you have access too. You will see this message on the top of the page.

If you have played around with the timeline on your personal profile, and you know how easy it is to upgrade, I suggest clicking “preview” right away.

You then get to this page.


Example: Epidemic skateshop Facebook page

Your fans won’t see your new timeline unless you click “publish”. Your profile picture is already set, but if you want you can change that. Just hoover your mouse over the photo and click “edit”. The specs for the profile image are 180px by 180px. The profile picture will also be the thumbnail that people will see of you in their newsfeed. (image will then be 32px by 32px).

The most important (and best) thing about the timeline is the cover photo. Click on “add a cover” on the right to upload a photo or image, or pick an image you already uploaded. If you pick an existing image make sure it’s big enough! The cover photo should be AT LEAST 851px by 315px. Bigger is not too much of a problem, since you can move the image around. But to prevent things from being cut out of the frame it’s best to size you cover photo correctly before uploading it.

Facebook has guidelines for the cover photo, make sure you read them first before uploading an image. Here are the key points you can’t have in the cover image:
– Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
– Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your page’s about section
– References to user interface elements, such as “Like” or “Share”, or any other Facebook site features
– Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

Once you have uploaded your timeline image click on “publish now” and your page will now show up to everyone. Yes, your cover photo is public, so anyone visiting your page will be able to see the image you choose.


Example: Garrett Hill Facebook page

Since you can now also “star” (and pin) certain photos and videos make sure the images are at least 851px wide, otherwise they could be blurry.

Specs Timeline:
Cover image: 851px by 315px
Profile image: 180px by 180px
Thumbnail of profile image: 32px by 32px

More on the timeline for pages this coming Friday.
Questions or comments? Drop ‘em below!
Or shoot me an email at [email protected].

Also check out “Five Facebook Tips #7” from last week.

You can educate yourself right now by watching some interactive tutorial videos on the Facebook About Pages site. Very useful!