Details on Facebook Timeline for Brand Pages (Part 2 of 2)

(You can view the first installment of this two-part post by clicking here)

Wall Posts, Highlighting Posts and “Pinning to Top”

Timeline also brings a number of changes to what users will see on your wall and how you promote your own wall posts.

On the top right of your wall, users will now see three things: how many of your friends like the brand, recent posts from your friends about the brand and recent posts by others about the brand. In other words, each page is personalized for the user, not the brand. This presents a distinct challenge: knowing what is being said about your brand and what your followers are seeing when they visit your brand page. Ensuring that your monitoring what is being said about your brand, and having a response plan in place so that you can actively respond to complaints or sensitive issues will be more important than ever. Check out GFM’s Online War Room for more thoughts on being prepared to respond to angry customers or sensitive issues.

There are also two new options for promoting your own wall posts. Both can be found by scrolling over the top right hand corner of the post:

· Highlight – the feature enlarges your post, spanning across the entire timeline rather than just one side of the page.

· Pin to Top – click the “edit or remove” button and one of the options is “Pin to Top,” which sticks that particular post at the top of your page for seven days.

Admin Panel and Competitive Information

If you are the administrator of a page, you’ll notice several changes including a variety of statistics and options at the top of the page.

· You’ll automatically see notifications, new likes and a brief Insights graph to provide a quick snapshot of current/recent activity on your page.

· When you click “Manage>Edit Page” at the top of your page, you’ll have several new and interesting options, particularly in the “Manage Permissions” section:

o Posting Ability – Allows you to limit who can post to your timeline

o Post Visibility – Allows you to remove “recent posts from others” from your timeline, although there are transparency issues and considerations related to removing those posts.

o Moderation Blocklist – This section allows you to add terms or keywords that you want automatically blocked from your wall. Your initial reaction, particularly if you’re experiencing a crisis situation or similar, might be to limit what people can say on your timeline, but keep in mind what that will say about your brand’s transparent and authentic nature on Facebook.

o Profanity Blocklist – This is a new Facebook filter that allows you to moderately or strongly filter profanity on your page.

One of the most interesting changes is being able to see select statistics on any brand page. When you visit a brand page and click their “Likes” box, Facebook now takes you to a page that highlights insights related to “likes and people talking about this.” Really interesting from a competitive standpoint…go check out a few of your competitors statistics and compare your own brand’s efforts!

Summary

All brand pages will be forced to use the Timeline layout at the end of March 2012. Embrace it! While it will take some time to get used to these changes, the updates actually put an emphasis on the authentic and engaging nature of social media: real conversations, useful content, and a place to go and truly learn more about and engage with companies and organizations.

Keep in mind that most Facebook users still rely on their own news feed for information rather than visiting each brand page individually. A majority of your brand’s content that users will see still connects directly to the wall posts, links and information you are putting out as a brand.

That said, look for opportunities to highlight your company’s history. What can you add to your Timeline that provides your customers and prospects a more intimate and authentic connection to your brand? Experiment with inspiring cover photos – what type of photos will best highlight your brand experience? And how can you use the information you get from “recent posts from others talking about your brand?”

As we continue to explore these new Facebook changes, we’re excited that, no matter how many bells and whistles there are, effective use of social media still boils down to authentic engagement and conversations with your key audiences.

~Jim Licko

Details on Facebook Timeline for Brand Pages (Part 1 of 2)

It’s no secret that last week’s changes to Facebook brand pages are significant. From layout and design, to app development and the various options your brand has for interacting with its community – Timeline has a lot of people frustrated, to say the least. We’ve spent some time exploring the GroundFloor Media Timeline page, and wanted share some of the details, functionalities, new features and even potential opportunities that will come from Timeline for brand pages.

Cover Photos & Company History

The first thing you’ll notice when you visit a Timeline brand page is the giant Cover Photo that spans the entire top of the page. You might also note that a company’s “history” is not just limited to when it joined Facebook. You have the option to add details as far back as the company’s founding. Here are a couple of notes on both of those items:

· The Cover Photo does not allow for user interaction, other than commenting and “liking” the photo. Similarly, Facebook no longer allows brands to automatically redirect users to an app or interactive page as the first landing page. Both of these changes lead us to believe Facebook wants a little more control over its own platform, and puts priority on authentic and organic wall conversations.

· So which photo do you use for your Cover? Are there better ways to depict your brand through Timeline in these ways? Mashable recently listed 20 Facebook Page Cover Photos to Inspire Your Brand. It’s a solid list of big brands that are experimenting in this area.

· We really like the Timeline history functionality and the opportunities it offers to provide historical photos and tidbits of information that can really help your audiences connect with your brand on an even deeper level. Harley-Davidson, Nike and even the band Coldplay are utilizing the timeline in interesting and creative ways.

I’d be personally remiss if I didn’t mention Keystone Mountain & Resort in this post. From cover photos that update the amount of new snowfall in the past 24 hours to trail maps from opening day in 1970, Keystone is exploring some really cool ways to engage through Timeline.

Check back tomorrow for Part Two of this post which outlines updates to your brand's wall, how you post and some handy new administrative offerings.

~ Jim Licko

Facebook Timelines Are Here!

As we estimated in yesterday’s blog post, Facebook has formally announced the arrival of Timelines for brand pages. Mashable posted a great overview of the Timeline functionality, including photo examples, on their site this morning, as did The Next Web, but below are some of the key highlights:

• Timeline is live and can be enacted by most pages now; the switch will officially flip on March 30, when Timeline will go live for all brand pages—so we suggest taking the time now to make changes and learn the new layouts so that you are not scrambling to fix things on March 30
• One of the biggest benefits is the visual aspect of Timeline, which allows brands to showcase unique stories and identities. You can also add content to the timeline to celebrate a brand’s milestones, even those that occurred before Facebook existed.
• There are some nifty new admin capabilities on the new pages – you’ll want to take the “tour” offered on your page to see how this works
• You have the ability to customize which of your tabs is highlighted on the page, and it’s easy to move them around to customize anytime
• The timeline itself offers some new functionality in terms of prioritizing or even hiding some stories from your page

We made initial updates to GFM’s Facebook page this morning and are already working with a number of clients to talk through strategies to update their pages, as well. Some other brands that have already implemented the new Timeline include Tiffany & Co., Old Spice and Coca-Cola, to name a few.

While the impulse to move quickly is hard to resist, our Senior Director of Digital Strategy, Stu Swineford, has some smart suggestions for the long term:

Q: When updating images on the new Timeline, what is more important, logos or lifestyle images?

A: In regard to using logos vs. lifestyle images, I think that a creative approach to graphics will produce the best effect. Sometimes using a simple logo with lots of white space might make this item stand out more within a sea of full-frame imagery. Embedding brand elements in a full-frame graphic might be ideal in other situations.

Q. There are some obvious visual benefits to the Timeline, but from a content perspective, what should brands be focused on?

A. It appears that interactions on a brand page can now become part of a user’s timeline, which then makes the interaction more apt to trickle out to other areas within the Facebook interface. Brands need to really ENGAGE audiences with creative calls to action will help their brands to spill out to other areas within Facebook and extend their virtual reach.

As always, we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for any new developments – and learnings along the way – and share them here when we have them.

- Carissa McCabe

Mark Your Calendars: New Facebook Timeline for Brands to Launch Wednesday (We Think)

PR Daily is reporting that tomorrow, March 1, is the likely launch date for Facebook’s Timeline for brand pages. 

Love it or hate it, the Facebook Timeline is the new reality of our interactions on the social media behemoth. While we don’t have all the answers as to what this launch means for brands, it seems safe to assume that marketers’ number one priority will be determining how the timeline layout impacts the look and feel of a page. From there, social media teams should plan to act quickly to create an aesthetic that capitalizes on the personal emotions that are supposed to be evoked by the layout of the timeline—talk about a huge amount of branding real estate to capitalize on!

PR Daily, Mashable and other reports also indicate that new “Gestures” could be launched to take interactions one (or many) steps beyond “liking” something online. From a social media metrics standpoint, this would expand how marketers can/need to think about customer engagement strategies—similar to how we all needed to graduate beyond fan and follower numbers several years ago as the true measure of social media program value evolved.

If I were you, I’d block some time on your calendar to coordinate with your social media team or PR agency to review all of Facebook’s brand announcements later this week in order to be as proactive as you can. We’ll be eagerly awaiting official details here at GFM, and we’ll post updates as we receive them!

~Alexis Anderson

The New Voice of Television

By now, it’s well known that the Internet has wrought a widespread revolution in the news and entertainment industries. Old and young, early adopter or Luddite, the Web is central to, and consistently changing, the way we gather and share information.

In the face of these changes, you often heard critiques that the industry “didn’t adjust quickly enough” or that they “dismissed the Internet as a passing fad” – blame didn’t fall far from the industry itself.

But finally, traditional media is fighting back, supported in part by the iPad, courting the publishing industry and America’s addiction to reality TV.

However, one show currently stands out – NBC’s The Voice. The Voice not only gets that primetime television can no longer live in a vacuum, but the show has also taken the next step by redefining the relationship between television and the Internet.

The Voice is actively engaging audiences via the website, social media and popular entertainment outlets, rather than using the Internet as a central hub for online audiences to view past episodes, vote for their favorite participants or read the latest scuttlebutt about the cast.

Specifically, The Voice is joining a new rank of social media savvy TV shows, such as Glee, The Colbert Report and Tosh.O. The Voice live tweets during each episode of the show and promotes its Twitter feed and hashtag #TheVoice in banner updates across the bottom of the television screen. Taking a page from American Idol, The Voice also encourages fans to download special single releases on iTunes.

During the first week of the show, The Voice hit the top 100 chart on iTunes – Javier Colon's version of the classic Cyndi Lauper tune "Time After Time" shot to #57 only hours after its release. And now that America is voting for The Voice, iTunes is an early barometer of which contestant will make the next round.

Such immediate and direct opportunities to connect with judges and contestants are making The Voice a whole new experience on television. I’ll admit, I enjoy the banter between judges Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine, but more than anything, I watch The Voice as a fan of the media industry. It offers a positive example of traditional and new media working together to create new forms of entertainment.

Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that television remains an effective advertising tool. By 2016, television advertising will capture 38 percent market share while online advertising will continue to increase steadily to 22 percent. Michael Zuna, chief marketing office at Aflac comments, “video is still an unbelievable medium that combines sight, sound and motion in a way that print and other static mediums do not.”

The Voice adds social networking and a new level of interaction to that list. The show is good for television, good for the Internet and good for audiences worldwide.

Keep Your Foot on the Gas

Last week, my inbox alert chimed not once, but twice, with a forwarded message about the recent TED talk by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook. Yes, a woman is the number two behind Mark Zuckerberg – wow! I think many assume another youngish, Ivy League, tech-savvy male works side-by-side with the Time Magazine 2010 Person of the Year, when in fact it’s Sandberg, mother of two.

So, how does she do it – juggling the demands of one of the highest profile and fastest growing companies in the world with the responsibilities of family life?

This is precisely the reason why she was speaking as part of TEDWomen, which took place this past December in Washington, D.C. The event showcased an amazing number of accomplished women including Deborah Rhodes, who developed a new tool for breast cancer detection, and Beverly Joubert, who lived in the bush with her husband to capture stunning images and footage of lions and leopards in their natural habitat. One more time – WOW!

Sandberg mentions up front that she does not have all the answers, not even for herself, but she does offer up some startling statistics and follows up with three pieces of advice for women who wish to continue advancing their careers.

To begin, a statistic that we’ve often heard and hope isn’t correct – success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively for women. The “witchy” executive woman stereotype is proven time and again in studies. Ugg! Also, only 15 percent of C-suite and board of director positions are held by woman, and the numbers have remained flat since 2003. Double ugg!

So how do we begin to move the needle in the right direction? Sandberg shared three recommendations. While she’s doubtful that the current generation of women will experience a significant shift in attitudes and advancement in the workplace, she’s hopeful that the next generation – including the new little girl who was born into the GroundFloor Media family earlier this month – will benefit from all of us thinking and acting a bit differently about our careers.

• First, she recommends that women “sit at the table.” All to often, we are comfortable taking a seat on the sidelines and that’s just not helpful for us to be regarded as the leaders and thoughtful contributors that we are.
• Second, she suggests, “make your partner a real partner,” referring to the need for women and men to share equally in the responsibilities at home. How can a woman with a full-time job be truly successful in her career if she’s doing more of the housework, childcare, etc.
• Third, Sandberg encourages women not to “leave before you leave.” All too often, she has experienced women who are opting out of promotions or big projects as they prepare for maternity leave or a transition out of the work place. She suggests keeping your “foot on the gas” up until the moment when you make the decision to take another path.

Sandberg shared a lot more detail along with these recommendations during her talk, and the importance of her points cannot be overstated. Personally, beginning the New Year and looking to my one-year anniversary with GFM, I feel both grateful and proud to have the opportunity to work and continue to grow in an organization that is bucking national statistics and making a comfortable place for all of us – both male and female – to be successful.

Next month, GFM is looking forward to TED2011: The Rediscovery of Wonder. The agency has planned to participate as a video member of the four-day event, Feb. 28 – Mar. 4, 2011, and we will be sharing highlights and lessons learned through viewing parties and blog entries.