Tips and Tricks for the Facebook Timeline

By now, everyone who uses Facebook has experienced the new way for displaying profiles and pages: Facebook Timeline. Earlier this year, Facebook mandated that all “Fan Pages” switch over from the original profile design to the Timeline. If you’re still trying to figure how to make your page stand-out with the new format, check out these tips and tricks for getting the most from your Timeline

Facebook Timeline Focuses Much More on Photos and Graphics

Time line is built for displaying way more images than the old profile layout. The biggest new feature that adds a large-sized image to your page is the Cover photo, a photo banner that is at the top of every new timeline page. The Cover photo is a great way to give your page some extra personality and draw in visitors, and if you haven’t added one, your page will stand out for the wrong reasons.  For best results in Cover photos and all the other photos on your new profile, make sure you’re sticking to these image sizes.

• Cover photo: 851px wide x 315px high
• Profile picture: 180 px wide x 180 px high
• Thumbnail image for apps: 111 px wide x 74 px high
• Highlighted & milestone images: 843 px wide x 403 px high.

Custom Tabs are now Custom Apps

The Facebook Timeline layout moves your old custom tabs, now called custom apps, from the left side of the page to the top of the page under the cover photo. Facebook is set to show only three apps by default, but you can change which ones you choose to display. Pick the apps that you think will make the biggest impact for your business or organization.

Also, Facebook has increased page space for the apps from 520 pixels to 810 pixels. Make the most of the new space by maximizing the amount of content you feature in your apps.

Custom icons for tabs allow page owners to have complete control over the graphic display for their custom apps. Use attention-grabbing icons to ensure visitors are clicking your apps and interacting with your page.

Pinning Puts the Most Important Posts First

One of the best ways to draw attention to custom apps or other content on your page is through pinning posts. Pinning a post keeps it at the top of the Timeline for seven days. Only posts made by you can be pinned to the timeline.

Tell Your Story – Past and Present.

The Facebook Timeline feature allows page owners to tell their business or organization’s whole story. From the new about us sections that expands your page description to 140 characters to milestones that allow you to show major events and milestones in your history, Facebook’s Timeline is all about telling a visual history of your business or organization. Maximize your impact in milestones by adding photos, sized best at 843 px by 403 px. Check out Spotify’s Facebook Page for a great example of how this works. Spotify has added milestones of music history dating all the way back to the year 1001!