If you manage a business Facebook page you’ve likely been getting several messages letting you know that Facebook is making page template changes. Now if you’re like many (most) small businesses you already have a mile long to-do list and it feels like Facebook is trying to add another thing to your already long list.
Here’s the good news. You don’t need to panic. Facebook will make the change for you. They will review your information and select the template that they think will work best for you. They are making this change in an effort to make the Facebook user experience better. Facebook wants visitors to your page to find information quickly. Which is not a bad thing from a business perspective.
At the very least, take a moment to review the information on your page. It sounds simple but we’ve seen many cases where the basics are incorrect. Double check your phone number, address, hours, website, and contact info.
If you’re page has been around for a while you may not have completed The Story section. Now is a good time to take a few minutes to do this. This is the place on your page to share information about your business. You may want to think of this as your 60 second commercial or your elevator pitch if those are phrases you’re familiar with. It literally is your story so tell it in a way that engages visitors and encourages them to follow your page. You can copy and paste info from the About Page of your website to save time but make sure you have completed the section.
If you want to take some more time to really get the most out of page keep these things in mind:
- The cover image dimensions are dimensions are 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall. If you are creating a graphic for the cover use these dimensions for best results. If your image is smaller Facebook will stretch it to make it fill the space and this can result in distortion. Your Facebook cover is like curb appeal, it makes a first impression, so making this attractive matters.
- Make sure this space is cohesive with your brand. Use your colors. Show your personality.
- While this space may feel like a blank canvas and you’ve got so much you want potential customers and visitors to know, don’t try to say it all here. Don’t do it. You know how we said to think of this in terms of curb appeal? Well imagine yourself driving by a house that is for sale, it is adorable, but the next door neighbor is in a Speedo smoking a cigar and blaring your least favorite music. You keep driving. It is just too much to take in. This is the same way. Make your page inviting. Provide just a taste of what they can expect. Be clear and concise. While Facebook did away with a rule about text covering more than 20% of your photo back in 2013 it still makes a lot of sense to stick to that.
- If you’re going to add text to your cover it typically looks best if you put it on the right side. This is for the simple fact that your profile pic and text are on the left. Caution: if you go too far right it may get cut off on mobile and since over half your visitors will be on mobile we need to pay attention to how that looks.
- There are some clever ways to put your cover to work in drawing attention to your call to action button located below the cover image. Keep that in mind as you update your covers. Notice in the photo above how the car’s direction directs your eye to the button.
- Another option, if you really want to stand out is to create a video for your Facebook cover.
- Now is also a good time to pin a post to the top of your timeline. Select a post that you feel really shows off who you are. It can be a post that got good interaction or a post that introduces your business. Simply click the three dots at the top of a post and select pin to top.
If all of this information makes you feel more overwhelmed than you were before contact us and we can spruce up your page for you. Facebook has undoubtedly become a more challenging place for businesses to market themselves but it is still so worth the effort.