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Manager Monday: Does Your Business Have Facebook Covered?

Patty Ryan, March 25, 2013

Does Your Business Have Facebook Covered?

The Facebook Cover Photo –prime real estate for you to visually represent what your company is all about.  Are you adhering to the latest guidelines?  Is your cover photo compelling enough to draw user engagement?

Facebook has proven to a valuable asset for many businesses over the last several years and has helped many companies expand their online presence considerably.  From “mom-and-pop shops” to some of the world’s largest and most recognizable brands, Facebook has been targeted as one of the top marketing and advertising platforms on the Web.

In fact, Facebook is second only to Google in terms of unique visitors per month and this nearly unparalleled visibility gives the network a considerable audience (currently over 1 billion active users worldwide) and provides businesses an opportunity to have their products and services showcased around the world.

However, like all marketing and advertising zones, Facebook maintains guidelines which all of its users, including businesses, must adhere to.  Following Facebook’s gradual deployment of the controversial Timeline feature last year, many companies attempted to capitalize on new functionality such as the Cover Photo.  The large banner which spans the upper third of all Facebook profiles and business pages is, ostensibly, prime real estate for advertisers and marketers.  Facebook understood this and created a set of guidelines strictly pertaining to the new Timeline layout.

The latest and arguably most important revision to these guidelines: Cover photos must now be primarily imagery and only as much as 20% of the photo itself can be composed of text.

This update is aimed at businesses which utilize the cover photo as an advertising tool rather than a branding resource.  With imagery now playing a larger role than ever before, Facebook marketers and advertisers will need to utilize more captivating and engaging photos to gain exposure and increase brand awareness.

Going “Under Cover”
Facebook cover photos are still an integral part of the network and businesses should continue to recognize them as such, but while these photos are expected to be lighter on text in the months ahead, there are still several areas where text content is essential to create an effective Facebook marketing strategy.  Profile/About fields, Timeline posts and image captions are more than just informational – they’re valuable!

WebiMax Facebook

These should be used to include links back to your site and critical information about your business, as they each represent possible conversion opportunities and can provide more relevant site traffic.

Optimal Imagery
Like Search Engine Optimization & Marketing, Social Media Marketing requires a balance of skill, research, knowledge and data collection.  Over the next several months, many businesses will undoubtedly unveil new Facebook cover photos in order to abide by the new guidelines and a new form of “Visual Social Marketing” will emerge as brands try to create more effective imagery.  With popular networks such as YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr at the forefront of an online “image revolution,” businesses will need to adapt in order to provide a more visually-enhanced user experience to remain successful in the highly competitive social media marketplace.

What images visually represent your company’s mission and values?

Need an Expert Contributor?

Ken Wisnefski is a seasoned web entrepreneur and a frequent contributor to news outlets and business publications. Ken’s vast knowledge of how to make online businesses succeed has made him a sought after consultant from businesses wishing to improve their online initiatives. Contact pr@webimax.com to collaborate!

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