Upload photo, company motto, some text here, text there, invite a few friends and fans. Boom, you’ve your brands’ facebook fan page, right? Wrong.
Enter, Timeline. The new FB platform has absorbed the interest of marketers since its debut, charming some brands while alienating others from fans. At first glance a total overhaul, Timeline is FB restructured to illustrate up-to-the-minute brand activity by linking posts, media, and other activity in chronological order. The format offers improved customization of graphics and encourages the integration of other social media platforms. To many marketers – and their target audiences – timeline is more than a simple facelift. It’s a new platform to campaign on: a new challenge and potential opportunity for some brands.“Well, okay, I’ll just click-and-drag, copy and paste, and set some new alerts on my SM dashboard. Boom, I migrated from FB to Timeline, Right?”
Wrong. Instead of treating Timeline simply as a new format to convert to, marketers are revamping their strategies as well. A new way of presenting your brand is a chance to dump your old clothes and look hot in something fresh. Besides, if you’re already on facebook you have to be at least kind of cool. Use Timeline to your advantage, and let your company’s history speak for itself.
And don’t be scared. Jasper Krog, of Edleman Digital and an AllFacebook guest writer, has got your back. His Checklist shows you just how to bring your Timeline to life. In a five-step process brands can weigh the advantages of upgrading, evaluate a dynamic strategy for their new fan page, set-up, learn to manage, and consider ad campaigns and integration with other SM platforms.
Krog’s checklist almost reads like something out of a marketing textbook, but it reinforces the point that new social media platforms require new thinking, rewarding the most creative advertisers. Long gone are the days of static webpages and one dimensional social media profiles. Marketers are forced to embrace each new layer, experiment with layouts, and adopt integrated features to keep their image as healthy as consumers’ appetites for an engaging, dynamic campaign.
Thomas Sitzer is a writing intern at Winstanley Associates. He is currently vying for a position on the company badminton team.