Facebook announced back in March that it was changing the design of Brand Pages, once again. You may have had the option to update your brand page to the new look over the past few weeks. However, all pages will be forced to make the switch on
June 13. Here are a few things you should know about the new layout.
Visually: A New Streamlined Look
- For users, the new look will help them find brand information they want more quickly.
- All of the posts will be aligned on the right side of the page, similar to users’ personal profiles.
- All of the information about the business will be aligned on the left side of the page: People, About, Apps, Photos, Reviews, Posts To Page. (Brands can organize these in the order they prefer, aside from People and About taking the first two slots.)
- For brands, access to admin tools on the page just got easier.
- No matter where you are on the page, you will always be able to access the top tool bar: “Page, Activity, Insights, Settings, Build Audience and Help”.
- You can also see how many new pages likes have occurred that week, post reach and new notifications and messages.
Functionality: Custom Tabs Are No Longer
- All of the apps that were displayed below the Cover Image are now simple text boxes.
- The first two boxes are “Timeline” and “About” and these can not be changed.
Expert Tip: Choose the second two boxes wisely – select the ones most important for your audience to see.
So What Does This Mean For Your Brand Page?
All of these changes mean taking a bit of a different approach for managing your page and its content. In other words, a little more thought and strategy will need to go into the placement of tabs or promoting contests. So, what should you do?
- Order the left hand side of the page in the way you wish to present your brand and information.
- Order the Facebook Text Boxes in the order of most important for engaging your audience.
- Even though custom tabs are no longer on the top of the page, your apps will still show on the left-hand side. Ensure you have custom images for these apps that capture the audience’s attention. Image size for a these tabs is 111 x 74 pixels.
- Since you can no longer see apps at the top of the page, be sure to include links to important ones, like contests, in your content strategy. Promoting your campaigns via posts and Facebook Ads will become even more important.
As always, some strategies transcend any updates Facebook pages to its brand pages. So, always make sure you're incorporating the below updates in your community management strategies.
- Keep your About section up-to-date with the correct contact information, links, etc. It's easy to forget about these.
- As a best practice, you should update your cover image frequently to keep the look of your page fresh and engaging, so make sure you continue to do this. Not only may you need to adjust your image to work with the new text buttons, but the cover image will also remain at the top of the page when users click through to the buttons. As a reminder, the Cover Photo image size is 851 x 315 pixels.
So, do you love or hate the new layout? Share your thoughts. - Kristina (@
kzelisko)