Target audience: Nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, cause organizations, brands, businesses, Web publishers — anyone with a Facebook page.

Editor’s note: Facebook is switching over all nonprofit and business pages to the new Timeline format this Friday, March 30. Because so many organizations haven’t yet made the move, or are still figuring out the best approach, we’re devoting this week to help you get ready to make the transition smartly. Contact Socialbrite if you need help.

In this series:
• Monday: 7 tips & cheat sheets to help you implement the new Timeline
• Wednesday: Tips on maximizing the new Timeline
• Thursday: What story should you tell in Facebook Timeline?

Guest post by Nancy Schwartz
President, GettingAttention.org

There’s no stopping it. As of March 30, your organization’s Facebook page will be transitioned to the new timeline format, featuring an engaging cover photo (if you do it right) like the Surfrider Foundation, above.

This will happen whether you’re ready or not, so I urge you to prepare and use these remaining days as an opportunity to strengthen your organization’s Facebook presence. Here’s how to shape your new page around photos and images that engage and motivate your community:

Find photos that tell your story best

Photos have incredible power in their ability to draw us, almost subconsciously, into stories. Digesting visual content, rather than the narrative content we’re more used to, allows us to engage more freely and fully than usual.

The new Facebook template invites brands like yours to place a large “cover photo” at the top of the page, up to a size of 851 x 315 pixels. That’s about 50 percent of the screen on my huge iMac screen, which means it could cover up to 80 percent of the vertical space of the average laptop. That doesn’t leave much space to view other elements on the page, so you have to make it good.

Beyond the real estate, your cover photo is a vital hook in drawing your Facebook community (and visitors) into your organization’s story — now conveyed as a Timeline on Facebook — and drives them to learn more about the organization and take action.

Select a photo or collage of photos that conveys the core message of your organization’s impact in a way that’s relevant, specific and emotionally compelling. Before you choose a photo, join your colleagues to pinpoint what you’re trying to achieve, and then what strategies and results should be conveyed in the photo.

Search for, or take, an image that is strong enough to transport members of your network so they can experience what it’s like to step in another’s shoes. That’s what the best storytelling does, and what you can do with visual storytelling Facebook style:

Shape and use your cover photo well

Most photos and video are stronger when framed by some context. That’s why video starts with a title screen and generally finishes with a close, and why many photos and illustrations feature captions. The messaging has to be just enough: not too much to prevent the viewer from fully experiencing the photo, but not so little that the viewer is barred from entrance by confusion or frustration.

A succinct, targeted message that complements your photo provides credibility. Even more important, it frames the image to direct the viewer toward the action you want them to take, often leading directly to the “aha” moment.

But Facebook requires a soft sell — no calls to action

Facebook has always been big on rules, and this transition is no exception. Here are the rules for cover photos:

Cover images … may not contain:

• 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.”

Well, that wipes out the most vital messaging there is: your website — still your home base online — and your call to action. It’s ironic that this ban comes from the organization that turned “Like” into the biggest call to action ever.

But I hear that Facebook enforces the rules, and I advise you to play by them. Pages like the one below, featuring two banned messages, may be yanked:

How to use messaging that connects

I urge you to integrate messaging into your cover photo to frame the experience of your page for your Facebook network and occasional visitors. Here are some messaging approaches that work well:

Weave in your tagline, if it connects your organization’s results with what’s important to your target audiences, quickly and effectively in eight words or less. Make sure it is motivational, and easy to remember and repeat. And your tagline should relate clearly and easily to your cover image. (Learn how to shape that tagline here.)

This example from the International Rescue Committee is a fantastic example of powerful branding. I always knew what IRC did but this cover photo plus tagline clarifies its impact in a deep, emotional way.

2) Announce an event or campaign (but don’t try to sell tickets!)

3) Include messaging within the image itself

If you’re dead set on featuring a call to action, this is how I’d do it:

Mix and match

I recommend that you approach your cover image much as you do your website home page. Like your home page, your Facebook page is viewed by fans who return constantly, and by those who are learning about your organization for the first time. There’s no longer a welcome page option, so your cover page has to engage all groups.

Here’s how:

• Rotate your cover image, but ensure it conveys a consistent organizational brand. Otherwise, you’ll confuse visitors and fans alike.
• Use your four tabs to engage return visitors.
• “Highlight” and “pin” key updates.

Enlist your supporters to run your cover image

The quickest, cheapest and one of the most reliable ways to expand your reach is to ask your colleagues and supporters to serve as messengers, and show them how to be most effective.I urge you to jump on this opportunity to get your community involved by asking them to use your organization’s cover as their personal cover image. And these images can include your vital calls to action!

The Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano in California models this approach and provides a range of images for its supporters to choose from.

Here are several other models that provide a strong jumping off point for your own “spread the word” campaign.

How do you plan to use messaging, if at all, in your cover photo? What’s getting in your way of moving forward? Do you have another approach to suggest? Please share your experiences, recommendations and questions in the comments.

Related

• Make Facebook Timeline about your community

• How to create Facebook Timeline covers for your nonprofit’s supporters to use

• 11 ways Facebook Timeline changes your content strategy

The post How to shape your nonprofit’s message in Timeline appeared first on Socialbrite.

It’s time to leap into action — the switchover happens Friday

Target audience: Nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, cause organizations, brands, businesses, Web publishers, educators, journalists, general public.

Editor’s note: Facebook is switching over all nonprofit and business pages to the new Timeline format this Friday, March 30. Because so many organizations haven’t yet made the move, or are still figuring out the best approach, we’re devoting this week to help you get ready to make the transition smartly. Contact Socialbrite if you need help.

In this series:
• Tuesday: How to shape your nonprofit’s message in Timeline
• Wednesday: Tips on maximizing the new Timeline
• Thursday: What story should you tell in Facebook Timeline?

Also:
• Make Facebook Timeline about your community
• How to create Facebook Timeline covers for your nonprofit’s supporters to use
• 11 ways Facebook Timeline changes your content strategy

Guest post by Beth Kanter
bethkanter.org

If you are an administrator for your organization’s Facebook page, you’ve no doubt noticed the alert that invites you to preview the look of your new page with the option of publishing it for all the world to see. Between now and March 30, only page administrators can see the changes, if you haven’t set it live yet. On Friday, Facebook will flip the switch for everyone. Many large nonprofits and big brands already have.

Livestrong is one of the nonprofit early adopters that has published its brand page using the new format. Others are exploring and testing and fixing glitches or simply checking out the new features, like the administrator’s dashboard. Time is runnnig out, so you have a few days left to review the changes, figure out a strategy and implement the changes.

Recommendations on optimizing your new Timeline

Here are my suggestions:

1Strategy and work flow. Understand how the changes impact your editorial strategy and how you will administrator the page. I shared a couple of resources and tips that you can use to have a brief strategy discussion with your team. After you have identified how you will integrate your branding strategy, revise your editorial/content strategy, and administrative work flow, you’re ready to get into some nitty gritty.

2Take the tour. Block out an hour to sit down and take the tour and preview your page. I would print out a copy of this useful guide published by Facebook that summarizes the feature changes. Go through the tour and take notes. See if your old profile image works with the new format. You might also want to check out how some brands have already implemented the changes. Mashable has this post on preparing for your new page.

3Bye bye default landing tabs. You’ll also notice that the landing tabs have now disappeared. This is a change that some nonprofits do not like. But there is a new feature called “pinned posts,” which are posts that remain at the top of your Timeline. Think of these pinned posts as your old landing tab. A pinned post stays at the top for only seven days. So this is where you’ll have to figure what your weekly call to action is. Looks like the emphasis is squarely on engagement vs. getting new likes.

4Profile and cover images. Many nonprofits may not have the graphic designer resources and will needed to take a DIY approach, while others will need to provide their designers with nitty gritty information like image size for the cover image. Here’s a quick cheat sheet. Also keep in mind that there are some important rules around the cover image about what information you can or can’t include.

5Administrative dashboard. Facebook has given us a nice administrative dashboard that lets us see our metrics and fan activity in an easy-to-scan screen. If you aren’t measuring how your content is engaging and resonating with your fans as part of your content strategy decision-making, hop to it. Here are some tips and ideas to get you started. Remember, to get the best results you need both real-time and trend data.

6Private messaging to administrators. Your page administrators will be able to communicate privately with fans using the page identity. This will make it easier for a team approach to managing your fan page community. It will be good think through how you will handle and manage private communications with fans.

7Prepare for your launch. Plan out how you want to launch your brand to your fans. What are you going to say about it? How are you going to get the word out on your page and other channels. I put together a small pinboard of the resources in this post to help you plan for the change this week.

What’s your plan for switching to the new format?  Share in the comments below.

Related

• Facebook Welcome Pages are dead — say hello to Timeline (Socialbrite)

• What Facebook Timeline apps are really all about (Socialbrite)

• Why Timeline is a colossal blunder for Facebook (J.D. Lasica)

The post 7 tips & cheat sheets to help you implement the new Timeline appeared first on Socialbrite.

Make your Facebook page easier to scan with these simple steps

Target audience: Nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, cause organizations, brands, businesses, public figures — anyone with a Facebook Page.

If you have a Facebook page (rather than a simple profile), you should be preparing for the switchover to Facebook Timeline, which is coming to all pages on March 30.

Did you know you can fix up the look of your Timeline? Not the cover image at top, but the two rows of updates underneath. This 3-minute video shows you how to clean up your Facebook page Timeline by:

• Hiding posts
• Changing dates
• Creating full-width posts
• Repositioning photos

Do you have any other tips?

Related

• Make Facebook Timeline about your community (Socialbrite)

• 11 ways Facebook Timeline changes your content strategy (Socialbrite)

• What Facebook Timeline apps are really all about (Socialbrite)

The post How to clean up your Facebook Timeline appeared first on Socialbrite.

We’ll help you transition to Timeline, coming (like it or not) on March 30

Target audience: Everyone.

Facebook made the stunning announcement this week that, as of March 30, all nonprofits or businesses will no longer have a Welcome Page (if you had one). Instead, everyone who visits your page will see the new Timeline page with the big cover photo.

Everything you know about using and administrating your Facebook Page will change at the end of this month. So this article is devoted to sorting it all out for you.

Highlights and features of the new page layout

You can check out a preview of your page here to see all of the upcoming changes to pages. You can choose to push your page live before March 30 so that all users see your new page with the Timeline format.

The changes include:

• Cover photo – Pages include the ability to upload a cover photo that is similar to what many profiles have. The dimensions for the image should be 850 by 315 pixels.

When choosing a cover image, Facebook tells you (see below) that you are not supposed to use the cover for promotions, which is strange because Facebook Pages are a marketing tool for businesses.

• New profile pic dimensions – Your page avatar (profile photo) will now be 180 pixels square.

• Tabs with photos – Facebook page tabs will now be across the top, just below your cover image. You can have a maximum of 12 tabs, and they can be rearranged so that the four most important ones will be visible to people who visit your Page.

• Pinning – You can also “pin” (hello Pinterest!) posts to the top of your page, giving you more control over what’s displayed above the fold.

When you hover over an update and click on the pencil icon, you can pin it to the top of your page. You can also hide or delete it the update entirely.

Page messages – Pages will also include a messaging feature, which gives visitors the ability to send you private messages; this is optional and can be turned off.

New access to the admin area – The back end of your Facebook page has the same administration area. The only thing that will change is how you access the admin panel (see below).

How to convert your page to the new Timeline

At the top you’ll see a step-by-step guide on how to convert your Facebook Page over to the new Timeline format. I’ll walk you through the following items:

• Switch your page over to preview mode
• Add a cover image to your site
• Change your main avatar picture
• Rearrange tabs
• Change photos for custom tabs
• Deactivate (or not) messaging
• Cleaning up your Timeline

What do you think of Facebook’s change to all pages? Like it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments.

The post Facebook Welcome Pages are dead — say hello to Timeline appeared first on Socialbrite.