The new Facebook Timeline layout for Pages explained on video

No doubt lots of people will be throwing their hands in the air this week when they see the impending changes to Facebook business pages; we'll probably see the usual complaints, predictions of their demise and, threats to leave the platform all together.  It'll be no different from every other time they've made significant changes and everyone will eventually embrace them.

The changes to Pages are certainly significant and, they will have a real impact on some businesses, particularly those using fangates or, the "refresh page" operation on a default Welcome page to issues some kind of promotion or discount code when the page reloads.  Why?  Because there are no default landing pages anymore and, the page no longer refreshes when you "Like" it so it can't redirect to a "Special Offer" or promotion page.

I think Facebook has used these changes to try and increase their own advertising revenue; the restrictions about what you can and can't put in the new header are a clear indication of this.  Who can blame them?  It's the cost we have to pay for using a "free" platform and, with an IPO round the corner,Facebook are under pressure to prove its ability to generate revenue.

The restrictions on advertising may achieve higher sales for Facebook but, there is another outcome to consider; when blatant advertising is not allowed, businesses will rely on better content and greater engagement to make their pages work for them and that's no bad thing.

We have put together a short video highlighting the main changes to the Pages, it is important that you watch this and be aware of how these changes will affect the way you currently use Facebook.  Every page will be switched to the new timeline layout by the 30th March so, you should start to think about it now.

Here are the main changes and some of the new functionality:

If fatBuzz can help you with the changes or, your Facebook/social media strategy please don't hesitate to call us, we're happy to have a coffee and a chat.

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