Looking for a quick and easy way to understanding Facebook’s
new “Timeline”? Well, in this 7 Minute
Crash Course, we’re going to walk you through all the basics: from terminology,
to administering your page for better success and even creating notifications
for better reach. Have you got 7
minutes? Great! Let’s get started with…
1.
Cover Photo
At the header of each Facebook Page
is the Cover Photo. Your Cover Photo spans the width of your entire profile. This
is likely to be the first thing people see on your profile so choosing your Cover
Photo is vital for setting a good first impression.
2.
Admin Panel
The new Admin Panel located on the top right of your page includes
all the tabs you’ll need to control your page. The ‘Manage’ tab lets you edit
your page, see your activity log, view banned users, and use the page as your
business. The ‘Build Your Audience’ tab lets you invite email contacts or
friends, share the page or create an advertisement. And of course, the ‘Help’
tab provides additional help for troubleshooting. You can also hide this big
admin panel from your page by clicking the "Hide" button.
3.
Notifications
The box you will probably be using the most on your Admin Panel is the Notifications box. This box gathers all of your page’s notifications into one place, so you don’t have to leave the page to see new Likes, comments, and posts. This will help you keep track of any discussions going on in your page and when new fans are joining in. You can also click “Unfollow” to stop receiving notifications on a certain post.
4. Messages
The Messages box is where you will
see private messages sent to your page so you can stay up to date on any issues
that users may be bringing up to you personally. Messaging makes you more
accessible and gives people another option to reach you rather than posting on
your wall for all to see.
5. New Likes
The New Likes box gives you a list of any new
users that Liked your page including how recently they liked it. You can also
click “See All” to see a more extended list the Facebook users that like page.
6. Insights
The Insights box provides a
graphical representation of how your content is affecting brand activity on
your page over time. The size of the dots represent how many posts you make
each day, the blue line reflects the amount of people talking about your post,
and the red line indicates how far your reach is in terms of how many people
can see your post on Facebook.
7. Pinning and Highlighting
Another
great feature of Facebook Timeline is the ability to ‘pin’ a post to the top of
your Timeline. When you pin a post, it will stay positioned at the top of the left
column for up to 7 days. This feature is great for displaying content like
promotions, events, or articles that you want to draw people’s attention to.
To
‘pin’ a post, hover your mouse over the top right hand corner and click on the
pencil icon that says ‘Edit or Remove.’ Select ‘Pin to Top’ from the drop down
menu.
Your
post is now pinned to the very top left of your page. A pinned post is indicated
with an orange flag that appears in the top right-hand corner.
If
you want to draw attention to a photo for only a short while, you also have the
option of highlighting it. Highlighting a post enlarges it to the full width of
your timeline across both columns. Click on the star icon to highlight a post.
Now that you have a better grasp
on how to control the look and layout of your Facebook Timeline, we encourage
you to try engaging with your Fans. Upload a photo of your favorite Ford
vehicle and highlight or pin it to the top. Track its progress on Insights and
check your Notifications every time someone Likes or comments on it. Be on the
lookout for our next blog post where we’ll show you how to compose the perfect
post.
