3 Ways To Utilize Facebook Timeline for Your Real Estate Business Page
Facebook has recently announced some new changes to the fan and business pages. The ability to send private messages to fans as a Facebook business page admin has just taken force. Along with private messaging, Facebook just announced the release of the Timeline design for fan pages. All fan pages will be required to switch over to the new format by March 30th, 2012. Don’t be intimidated by the switch to timeline! The best thing to do now is prepare yourself for the update and take advantage of Facebook Timeline for your real estate business.
Cover Photo: Right off the bat, this is the biggest change that comes with the timeline pages, and this photo will also be the very first thing your fans see as soon as they land on your page. The cover photo is much larger and will have a bigger impact than just your profile picture alone. This is a great space to showcase and add a little creativity to express your real estate business. A few ideas to incorporate this space into your real estate marketing plans may include:
Advertise “featured listing”
Promotions, special events, or exclusive deals
Collage of photos, or homes you’ve sold or clients you’ve worked with
Your office staff and members of your team
Photos from around your real estate market
Take note, the size of the timeline cover photo is 850?�315 pixels. It is a good idea to design or choose your cover photo in advance so it will be ready to launch by the time the timeline for fan pages officially changes over.
Emphasize Posts: Keep the important news most visible by pinning a post to the top of your timeline. The post will stay at the top of your page for up to 7 days. Page admins can also “highlight” any story, which will expand the post to the full width of your Facebook Timeline, giving your story more exposure. Tip: “highlight” or “pin to top” ongoing social media contests, real estate marketing flyers, or informational posts leading up to special events.
Add History: Users love to see businesses add a personal touch to their Facebook page. By adding milestones, timeline will give your fans insight into your real estate business, and show your growth over time. Mark milestones or important events that occurred before Facebook itself, like your company start up, new location, awards, when you added new staff, new brand or product release, etc. It’s best to have pictures of your milestones, so your fans can take a trip back in time to the beginning of your real estate business with you.
Do you think all the changes Facebook is making to fan pages will benefit your real estate business, or is it just a burden to have to keep up with all the new features? What other ways do you think the timeline feature can benefit real estate marketing?