Facebook is still the number one social media platform by far, with 900 million members, and according to Facebook, more than eight million brands have Facebook pages. It’s one of the most effective ways businesses can connect with customers. And I stress connect because it’s a two-way communication system. Facebook isn’t a platform that your mHealth business can set up and walk away from. It’s going to need your attention to create the most return on investment (ROI ) for you and your business. And to help you get the most leverage out of your page, you’ll want to utilize the “Timeline” feature for your brand … if you haven’t already.
Is your mHealth business one of the millions of businesses that haven’t made this switch? If so, here are several tips, condensed from a Forbes article, to help you make the Timeline transition:
Take Time To Do It Right
There’s no easy way around it, but reformatting brand pages to this new layout is time consuming. Photos need to be resized and different images are required for different functionalities. Facebook has always operated on the premise that “you get out of it what you put in,” and this transition is no different.
Concentrate On Multimedia Content
Whereas the old format concentrated on the text-based news feed, the new Timeline prioritizes photos, videos, and pictures. This multimedia content doesn’t have to be expensive or professionally produced. AT&T, for instance, invites fans to submit photos to be featured on its cover page.
Quality Content Over Quantity
Now, brands are able to decide which content receives top billing, regardless of when it was originally posted. Starred posts showcase information with a star. And pinned content enables brands to anchor an article to the top of their page for up to seven days.
Increased Fan Engagement
Fans can now directly message customer service instead of posting a general message on the wall, and nearly all tools are designed to encourage feedback from fans in one way or another. While this one-on-one interaction is highly valued by brands, it also raises some concerns. For one, there’s no consensus on responding to fan inquiries. Chipotle Mexican Grill has one person responding to questions submitted by 675,000 fans, but an executive wonders at what point — one million fans? — does he need to hire another employee.
“Likes” Aren’t Everything, But They Still Matter
Facebook had become concerned that too many companies were misusing “likes,” including relying on “likes” as the sole metric for success and requiring users “like” a brand in order to enter a sweepstakes. Therefore, this new Timeline lessens the importance of “likes” by introducing several tools that monitor and measure engagement.
Take Inspiration From Major Brands
Facebook compiled several case studies from brands that have already made the switch that describes successful or creative tactics. A TurboTax case study demonstrates how using pinned posts can increase user comments. The social network is also featuring a megaphone tool that appears at the top of a brand’s Facebook homepage to direct users on how to receive additional information.
If you are investing your valuable marketing time and resources in Facebook, maximize your investment by integrating “Timeline” into your Facebook page.
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