How to Maximize Facebook Timeline for Your Business Page

Ok, Ok, I know that Timeline looks a little bit like a scrap book your grandmother had in her spare bedroom. Filled with family photo's, recipes, and old letters (remember when we use to actually send those things). I also know that it's a little confusing and quite a bit different then the traditional Facebook Profile Lay-out. Many of us are lost trying to figuring out which post came before which video and so on. Not to mention that it has completely confused the Facebook Stalkers who only use the site to look at other people's photo's and videos!

So knowing all of this, why am I so Hyped and pumped that there will be more Timelines taking over Facebook? Let's break it down, from a business perspective.

First of all, we'll all laugh in a year from now (as our eyes have adjusted to viewing only Timeline pages) when we look back at what Facebook use to look like. I firmly believe that much of the resistance to Timeline is simply people resistance to embrace change, but the fact is that change is hard to live with and impossible to live without, we just have to accept it and adjust to it! So knowing this I'm not worried about the scrap book looking design, we'll all get use to it soon enough.

What excites me are two HUGE benefits to Timeline!! the cover image, and the story telling ability.

Let's start with the cover image. People pay big money for a banner image half the size of what Facebook is giving us with this banner image. This is prime real estate to display the products that you sell, your store front, your address and phone number, or a collage of images from your business. Business pages currently have 5 banner images, that are thumbnail size, and you have to constantly be managing your images every time you upload a new photo to your page (seriously, this is a pain in the A$$ if you upload a lot of photo's). Just from a maintenance point this change will be a relief and a major time saver! I love the cover image, it can also be interchangeable, so you can have 5 different ones made, and occasionally change your cover image to keep your page looking fresh!

Now, let's get down to the meat and potatoes, the story telling ability!!

One of the most powerful components to a successful brand is the creation story of the company. How Richard Branson started Virgin Airlines goes a little something like this:

His flight was delayed to mechanical issue with the plane. He was where none of us ever want to be, trapped in a small airport, with no word on how long the flight will be delayed, no alternate flights, no beds, Airport bars are closed, just stuck sitting in those uncomfortable chairs with his feet extended and rested on his carry-on luggage. this is where most of us would have camped and just let the airlines have their dominant way with us. But Richard is different, he is progressive, active, and entrepreneurial! Knowing that he had a long time until the plane would leave, he walked down the hallway, out of the doors and into a completely different section of the Airport. Back in those days many smaller airports had a separate wing for private planes. Richard poked around that hanger, looking for a pilot with a working plane. It didn't take long until he found a pilot with a larger plane designed for chartering flights. he got a price quote, thanked the man, said he would be back, and waked back into the terminal where his co-passengers had been grumbling about. With his entrepreneurial spirit at full strength he made a quick calculation of the number of seats and the price to charter the plane. Next he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote "Private chartered flight" with the price under it. Within 30 minutes he filled the private plane and was airborne!!!!

What an amazing story, and to know that at that moment the concept for Virgin Airlines was born!!!

Just hearing that story brings you closer to the brand of Virgin and how it makes you feel to fly with them. Now imagine if you could not only hear that story, but see images of a young Richard Branson holding up that sign. see status updates of the passengers flying in the plane. See who was tagged in the flight. Then see a video of the plane landing!!

Timeline can bring your businesses creation story to life with Video and photo!! Making it real time and personable!! You could then Chronicle the mishaps, journey, and success of your brand as it grows!!!

Don't think that this is only capable for a big brand like Virgin. Your businesses creation story is important too!! And you have a story, everyone has a story of how their business got created.

Timeline will also be great for the present, and the future. Start to be consistent in adding photo's of major events in your business. Tag customers and add photo's constantly, so your story is being told!!!

this is an amazing opportunity, Jump on board and embrace the change!!!!!

get a free eBook of the 5 Facebook Fan page Secrets, and schedule a free 20 minute Facebook strategy session webinar, and for more Facebook tips and just funny videos check out our page at http://www.facebook.com/jeffandvaden

Vaden Hoffman

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Facebook Fan Pages: Do I or Don't I?

Love it or leave it, Facebook marketing is now an integral part of all businesses marketing campaigns. Even if you don't personally spend a lot of time on Facebook your customers do (and not just the 18-34 year olds either!) It's an easy and not too expensive way to grab customers and even get them buying your product right from Facebook. However, it does take some time and planning in order to understand what will engage your customer the most, and in turn, convert them into customers, or encourage them to continue buying.

First things first: Personal page or Fan Page?

Personal Page: Used only for social interaction with your friends and family. If you are a business owner, you can ask your customers to "friend" you, and then converse with them through Facebook. However, they are now potentially exposed to any personal information you put up there (like your nephew's frat party.) If you are very careful about settings, you can limit who sees your "friend's" posts, but unless you are careful about who you friend on a personal basis, best to use this for friends and family only. Additionally, this page is limited to 5000 friends.

Fan Pages: This Facebook function is easy to create and was developed especially for business usage. Fan Pages can be very simple, or extraordinarily complex-almost to the point of replicating websites. Fan Pages can feature: Content, Contests/promotions/links to email signup/e-commerce and much more. Fan pages are also public and aid significantly to Search Engine Optimization. In fact, depending on the size of your website, users may actually find your fan page BEFORE they find your website with Google.

Time does need to be spent to figure out content and posting strategies, but the:30 minutes a day can be worth it. However, Fan Pages are usually not a case of "build it and they will come." Usually, advertising must accompany a fan page growth strategy-and frequently the only way to start getting fans is to offer a free giveaway in order for a user to "LIKE" your page. Driving traffic to your fan page is accomplished through creating an "ad campaign" on Facebook (which is easy to do) and with low level of expenditures. Depending on your promotion, fans cost from $1.00 to $3.00 per fan to acquire.

So now that you know the basics of Facebook, what next? Here are some tips for what to do once you set up your fan page:

1. Logo or Photo - Giving your fans something to quickly identify your brand is always a good idea. Whether we like to believe it or not, a book with a nice cover sells more copies. A logo or a photo will be the first thing that your fans will notice so make it count!

2. Create a landing page - This is a great opportunity for a call to action. It's a good idea to ask your customers to "Like" your page and if you plan on holding a sweepstakes or giveaway, a "Like" is the perfect requirement for them to enter.

3. Information - One of the main reasons that Facebook has been so successful is that it is one of the best information hubs on the internet. Creating engaging and interesting content is key to both getting people to your Facebook page and getting them to come back. An interesting post or link to a good article 2-3 times per day is perfect for staying in touch without saturating.

The ultimate question is whether or not a fan page is worth the time, money, and effort it takes to create one. It can be, but the decision needs to be balanced against company goals and strategies and the time and budget available to manage your page.

Facebook continues to prove itself to be a valuable tool for marketers trying to drive targeted leads to a site. It will help keep a brand relevant by consistently engaging with customers which is exactly what every company hopes to achieve. Don't put it off any longer - get your fan page up and running now.

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Show Off A Moment In Time With A Facebook Cover Photo

Facebook is once again attempting to blaze new frontiers by introducing some new display features for their users. One of them is Facebook cover photo. These covers present a new way for users can not only display their creativity and personality to their family, friends, and connections over a set period of activity time but is also allowing them their "five minutes of fame" in a kind of a photo clip for and about themselves. In other words, it is creating a very public (can't be made private) pictorial personality image that will appear just above the profile picture on the user's page that is the size of a large banner.

Now most people enjoy standing out from the crowd, which this cover photo will do, but the way it is being presented to its Facebook users, this is not an opt out feature for their page and will have a limited trial period to get use to what they have to work with the apps interface. And the reviews for this feature has so far have been far from rave.

As part of the new "feel" of the Facebook cover photo, users can upload images and photos from their own computer or from other sites to their page. The layouts of these graphics, which can be made compatible or interactive with the profile or other images in the upper quadrant of the page to give it that "wow" appearance that will be available to all viewers. For individual users, these covers would immortalize the events and human experiences of people's lives. So last year's family reunion and anniversary picture can help remember everyone remember the time of their lives.

For business users, Facebook cover photo of a community sponsoring or other company marketing campaigns creates that initial attention getter and potential branding, but as a clearly stated advertising or self-promotional piece as per terms of use with Facebook. Assuming that the campaign would be an ongoing or annual event or are using some other type of imaging that somewhat incorporate the company brand but not something that will quickly become dated can work since this photo is for the most part permanent.

Facebook cover photo users do need to keep in mind that not all photo formats may be compatible with the new interface. Since the photos are being re-sized to being longer and wider than what is normally accepted, the picture quality can be grainy at the very least or distorted at the most. Once you have a handle on the size of the covers, you can upload a Facebook cover photo that shows off a moment in life you're most proud of.

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Facebook Timeline and Its Most Appreciated Feature - Facebook Cover Photos

Facebook Timeline is the most recent item introduced on the social network and its most talked-about feature is Facebook Cover Photos, a tool meant to make a profile more attractive and personalized.

What is Facebook Timeline? Timeline is a section that is meant to substitute both the wall and the profile page, by merging them together, being thus some sort of a blending between an online scrapbook and a blog. It also makes navigation through posts much easier, as it shows your Facebook story in a reverse chronological order, listed by year on the right side of the page. The old Facebook wall as we all know it is structured chronologically, but searching for posts or updates older than a few months before is rather difficult.

What else is there to know about the Timeline? Besides the timeline embedded on the new type of profile that shows your Facebook activity history, people can now share "before Facebook" information as well, as everything added can be given a date. Therefore, if you went on Hawaii in 1991, for example, and you upload a photo and set that date, it will appear in the Timeline.

However, the most talked-about among the features of Timeline, seem to be Facebook Cover Photos - they are meant to individualize the web page. Because the profile pictures are just in a small format, most users choose something simple as their profile; Facebook Cover Photos, on the other hand, stretch across the width of the whole page, and users can use them to show something deeper, more personal, such as their family members, pets, favorite movie scenes or vacation spots. It is said that a carefully chosen image should not only adorn your profile, but should also let other people see a little bit of your personality.

One can choose to use as a cover one of their favorite photos (even one of those already on Facebook) or one can download a cover picture from the wide variety of photos that are to be found online. Another thing worth mentioning is that Facebook's staff also states that these customized timelines help them prevent spam and fake profiles, making thus the social network a more secure site.

Facebook is always changing and, with the recent Timeline introduced, it looks like Facebook Cover Photos will become the new trend in the future, even though not all users looks positively towards this change.

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The Benefits of Creating a Facebook Fan Page and a LinkedIn Group

Facebook Although Facebook was originally designed by college students to connect with one another and to socialize on the web, it didn't take long for businesses to catch on to the idea that they could also socialize and connect with other people and potential customers via the web. In the beginning, there wasn't such a thing as a Facebook Fan Page specifically for a business to promote their product or service, but now that there is, you probably should have one.

A fan page is one of the best ways for a business to connect with their current and future customers because almost everyone has Facebook and this connectivity allows for customers to rave about their experiences and to express their questions and concerns not only real-time, but in front of the eyes of everyone else connected to this page.

I remember one time in particular where I had a bad experience with a company's bad customer service. I wanted to maintain their service but wasn't able to because of the location I was moving to. I pleaded with multiple people to waive my early termination fee, but they wouldn't budge. I loved their service but I was livid and swore that I would never do business with them again in the future. To say the least, you bet I was on their fan page letting them have it. I finally gave up because I knew I couldn't win, but they lost a customer for life because they weren't a little flexible and didn't listen to the customer.

Another great way for a business to utilize a fan page is by reaching out to its followers to get customer feedback about a specific product or promotion. For example, let's say a toothpaste company just launched their latest and greatest toothpaste. This toothpaste makes claim that it will not only whiten your teeth beyond the leading competitors, but it will also guarantee that you will never have to go to the dentist again. First of all, WOW! Don't we all wish?! But, second of all, this would be such a fantastic opportunity to learn whether their claims are holding up in the eyes of the public.

After the first thirty days, the company decides to ask its followers via their fan page whether they feel and/or believe the product is living up to its hype. This can be done by posing an open-ended question or by conducting a poll, although the highest response rate will most likely come from creating a poll.

LinkedIn LinkedIn is another social media website which is for business owners and this is an area you should definitely focus as much time as is cost effective for you. In fact, all Fortune500 CEOs have LinkedIn accounts.

By creating your LinkedIn page you are creating a public and more formal profile whether it be used for potential clients or even possibly to get a job. You can post all the professional imagery on the site as you wish as well as writing the words to create your brand. I say formal because most people are on LinkedIn to network for business purposes rather than personal purposes. It tends to be a more formal atmosphere the way you would conduct yourself within your profile and when connecting with other people.

When you are looking for those connections via LinkedIn, you will also want to ensure only to befriend those who will provide value to you. Don't request people just to connect. There's nothing wrong with networking, but make sure to engage the other person in conversation and connecting with them as much as possible in a professional manner.

And lastly, LinkedIn can allow you to exponentially grow your business if you conduct the right behaviors. Always look to answer people's problems and questions, and pose your own questions, as well. Become known as the authoritative figure in your domain. Attract people rather than chase people. Always remember that.

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