True to Facebook’s mission to help people and brands “tell their story” in a visual way, a few weeks ago they announced that brand pages will also be transitioning to the new eye-catching Timeline format. The new Facebook Timeline for brands will go live on March 30^th changing the way your fans view and interact with your page.

 In the coming weeks, I’ll be featuring a variety of posts specific to your new Timeline format, however in the meantime let’s take a look at the basic features you should know about before the transition happens at the end of March:

 1. Cover Photo

The cover photo is easily the most visually striking element of the new pages and now your salon can utilize the increased space to brand your salon, talk about your services and showcase great photos of your salon or recent styles.

 With the new guidelines, Facebook asks that you not include any purchase information, contact information or calls to action within your cover image – you can save that type of content for other areas of your page. The general rule is to keep it classy, but feel free to express the unique side of your salon!

 2. Profile Image

Layered above the cover photo, the profile image is the second most important part of your timeline. At Evoke Brands, we would suggest this being your salon logo, especially since this is the image users will see along your posts in the News Feed.

 3. About Section

Directly under the profile image is the about section of your page where you can share basic information about your salon, such as contact information, location, hours of operation and your tagline.

 4. Page Tabs

To the right of the about section are the app buttons, or tabs, which showcase your photos, likes, videos and any custom application you have created for your page. Only four tabs will be shown, the first is reserved for photos. If you’d like to rearrange their order, simply click the small arrow on the right near the tabs and you will be directed on how to customize their layout.

 5. Activity Timeline

Similar to your previous Facebook Wall, the blank box on the top left side of the timeline is your input box for typing a message, posting a photo, video or URL for your fans to see.

Note: In my next post, I’ll be walking you through how to ‘pin’ and ‘highlight’ your important posts within the Facebook Timeline.

 6. Admin Panel

One of the biggest changes you may see is your new administrator panel for you page, which you can access on the upper right side of the screen. To access, simply click ‘Admin Panel’ and your features will be displayed. Within this section, you can see your latest page notifications as well as messages from Facebook users (also a new feature). Additionally, there are enhanced features that appear as buttons titled ‘Manage’, ‘Build Audience’ and ‘Help’ where as an admin you can access options that are similar to the previous Facebook page.

 Remember, these changes are all good ones, allowing your salon to enhance your 1:1 communication with your Facebook fans! I know that adding a new look and feel can sometimes be confusing, so check back often for additional tips and how-to’s for your new Facebook Timeline page. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions at: kehlers@evokebrands.com and, be sure to check out our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/EvokeBrandStrategies.com.

As always, feel free to contact me at: kehlers@evokebrands.com with any questions or comments.

About www.StyleSync.me:

Style Sync is an on-line social media training, personal branding and business education platform designed specifically for salon owners and stylists to help them magnify their image and multiply their results.

Style Sync, a division of Evoke Brand Strategies, is an on-line, subscription based social media training, personal branding and business education platform designed to help individual stylists and salon owners turn social media prowess into more clients and more money for your salon.

About www.EvokeBrands.com:

At Evoke Brand Strategies we develop digital, social and mobile strategies for salon professional, beauty, hospitality and entertainment brands. As branding and public relations veterans, yet early adopters of all things digital, we understand the importance of creating measurable, buzz-worthy campaigns that generate bottom-line results.