Facebook launched a new profile layout called Timeline prompting mixed reviews from users, but left a huge marketing opportunity available to Los Angeles businesses that are looking to attract and bring new customers from around the world to their establishment.
Timeline was created as an online scrapbook for people to share their activity with family, friends and the world in reverse chronological order going as far back to when you first joined the social networking website.
Family, friends, and co–workers can view your social networking history on the site and it can seem like an invasion of privacy into your personal space, but it will work to your advantage if you’re using your Facebook page for business purposes.
Companies that are holding off from using the Timeline layout because they don’t like it will be in for a huge surprise soon. Facebook announced that all of its 800+ million users will be upgraded to Timeline, whether you want to upgrade or not, and the current layout will disappear permanently.
Many LA companies have created a Facebook page as a way to communicate, advertise and market their products or services to current and potential customers. Local businesses such as YourBestDeals.com, the L.A. Times Food section, LA Lakers, Examiner Los Angeles and Mattel all have a Facebook profile, but have yet to take advantage of Timeline and are missing out on a huge business opportunity.
Visit any Facebook profile that already has the Timeline layout in place and the first thing you will notice is the large cover photo space at the top, which is a prime advertising location for any company in business to make a profit.
Think of that space on the Timeline layout as an online banner ad that you don’t have to pay a fee, ever.
Facebook generously gave their users the opportunity to create and upload their own customized image into the space, and for companies, this is a great way to advertise your business online to 800+ million consumers around the world for free.
The image space is comprised of a whopping 850 x 320 pixels and provides plenty of room to showcase company photos, logos and advertising copy.
There are a variety of ways on how the image space can be utilized in the new layout.
Utilize the top space in the layout to:
- Promote your company
- Introduce a new product or service
- Offer a discount on a product or service
- Advertise a sale
- Run a limited time offer or promotion
- Showcase your work samples
- Post a client testimonial
Companies can also take advantage of the top image space in the Timeline layout by changing the advertising message daily, weekly, monthly or as often as it is necessary, without incurring a fee.
But before you just throw up any graphic into the space, consider the five W’s:
- Who is your target audience that the ad will be designed and marketed to?
- What will you feature in the ad?
- When will the ad run and for how long?
- Where can consumers get more information or buy now?
- Why is the ad relevant to your target audience?
- How is your company better or different than your competitors?
When you’ve decided what the 5 W’s and 1 H are for the ad, the next step is to hire a professional writer that can create compelling advertising copy to tell the story successfully.
Once the copy has been written, it’s ready to be handed over to a professional graphic designer to develop a design that will stand out from your competitors, but will also adhere to the company’s branding standards with colors, fonts and a style that compliments the current marketing materials. The designer will also be able to design the banner while considering how the overall layout will look after it's dropped into the layout and whether the small image in the layout will cover any important elements or advertising copy.
After your banner ad is complete, in the Timeline layout hover over the top image space until a small, pop–up box appears in the lower right corner with a drop down list giving your four options: Choose from Photos, Upload Photo, Reposition or Delete. Click the link the 'Upload Photo' and go find your ad. Once it’s uploaded, reposition it on how you want it to appear and then hit ‘Save Changes’.
Last, make sure you change your privacy settings for that image to ‘Everyone’ in order for other Facebook users to find your banner ad online.
Comments