If you are a Facebook brand page administrator, you are probably well aware that Facebook will be switching all business pages to the new Timeline feature on March 30th- whether you like it or not. The new brand pages are a complete overhaul from the previous versions, and like all Facebook redesigns, there are pros, cons, and entirely new features, functions, and design elements that administrators must learn.

Facebook Design

• Avatar You may have previously used tall rectangular avatar images to hold all of your companies contact information, promotions, logos and even arrows pointing downward towards your custom HTML apps and business information. Not anymore. Business page avatars once measured at 200×600 pixels, but are now being resized to 180×180 pixels (scaled down to 125×125 pixels).
• Cover Photo Making up for the smaller size of the avatar, Facebook has created the cover photo. This is a very large image prominently displayed at the top of your business page, and soon, all profiles. Brands are finding creative ways to utilize the space by featuring their products and incorporating their avatar into the overall design. The dimensions for the Facebook cover photo are 851×315 pixels.

Design Tip Your brand page avatar overlaps the cover photo. Keep this in mind when designing your images to avoid hiding valuable information. As I mentioned earlier, since they overlap, it does provide a chance to incorporate both images into one design.

• HTML Apps Often used as Welcome Tabs, these customizable apps have new dimensions as well previously 520 pixels wide, they are now 810 pixels wide. This may be cause for some major redesigns by administrators.

Where Timeline is Good

Photos are seeing a higher priority everywhere in newsfeeds, timelines (profiles), and cover photos. They are the most shared, liked and discussed items on Facebook.

The timeline feature allows you to seamlessly travel back in time (on Facebook, of course). It is very easy to view your Facebook history, and add important events and dates into your timeline to share with your fans.

The new Admin Panel makes it easy to view notifications, insights, and tips for your page. Previously, in my opinion, it was a headache to navigate through all of this information with past versions.

Where Timeline is Bad

HTML apps really got the short end of the stick. Companies that once had 4 or 5 different HTML tabs for contests, welcome pages, featured products, and interactive opportunities, will be upset to see that their tabs are hidden away under the right side of the cover photo. Users must click a dropdown box to view more tabs. Also important to note, the default landing tab option no longer exists.

There are more cons, but in the end we are all in the same boat. We have to adapt and find new and creative ways to market products and brands. Start preparing your brand pages now before the deadline on March 30th, and if you need professional social media management, Fulcrum Marketing Group can help.