Does your business have a Facebook Page? If so, you need to read this article and take action right away (by March 30, 2012 at the very latest) to avoid disruptions to your current social media marketing efforts caused by Facebook’s site-wide switch to the new Timeline design. 

Note: Don’t panic! Stir is here to help. We can update your current custom page to Timeline and provide social media marketing services and consulting to help your team navigate the transition.

What is Timeline? 

"Your timeline is your collection of the photos, stories, and experiences that tell your story." In laymen’s terms, Timeline is the name for the new layout and design Facebook is making mandatory for all Facebook Page owners as of March 30, 2012.

Since its launch in 2011, Facebook’s "Timeline" was an optional feature for users -- a fancy alternative to a regular Facebook Profile. However, this month Timeline will become mandatory -- that is, all users' profile pages and business pages will be switched over and “old” profiles will become obsolete. 

As per Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: “Millions of people [800 million, in fact!] curate stories of their lives on Facebook every day and have no way to share them once they fall off your profile page...[Timeline is a] completely new way to express yourself... [It] has three pieces: all your stories, your apps and a new way to express who you are.”

You can learn more about Facebook’s Timeline features by taking a quick video tour at facebook.com/about/timeline 

• Add a cover
• Edit your basic info
• Jump to the past
• View your activity log
• See highlights from each month
• Star stories you want to highlight
• Add life events
• Update your status
• View and add photos
• Share your app activity

So, while there has been some controversy over the fact that the switch to timeline is mandatory, and some worry over privacy issues caused by the switch, at the end of the day, Facebook has become a crucial part of any forward-thinking company’s online marketing efforts, and in terms of features and layout, Facebook is The Boss. We recommend getting prepared, being proactive, and making the most of the features on offer.

Why do you need to change your business’ Facebook Page?

Here’s the problem: If you simply wait until Facebook switches your business page to the new Timeline on the 30th, you may lose a lot of the work you’ve done up until now, including disruption to or corruption of your custom pages, custom apps, custom tabs, and graphics, etc. 

Stir highly recommends exploring Timeline now and preparing for the switch. It would be such a shame to lose the hard work you’ve put into your Facebook identity, and to have your clients and customers visit (or stumble upon) a broken page.

Next steps...

1) Watch the video here: facebook.com/about/timeline  
2) Consider how you’ll incorporate your current Facebook Page components into your new Timeline 
3) Ensure those details/components are in-line with your business’ corporate image etc. 
5) Contact Stir now to get help migrating your Facebook Page to the new Timeline design

Custom Facebook Page Design, Facebook Landing Pages, Geotargeted Facebook PPC & Marketing Strategy

We can help with all of your Custom Facebook Page and Facebook marketing needs. Our social media marketing and Facebook page design experts can create custom Facebook pages, increase likes/fans, run Facebook advertising campaigns, provide business Facebook marketing strategy and consulting, and implement any Facebook apps you've seen on any Facebook page. Here's a list of our Facebook marketing & design services:

• Facebook Advertising Campaigns
• Facebook Analytics & Reporting
• Facebook Apps
• Facebook Cause Promotion
• Facebook Contact / Signup Forms
• Facebook Contests & Sweepstakes
• Facebook Custom Graphics
• Facebook Custom Landing Pages
• Facebook Discount Codes / Offers
• Facebook Donations
• Facebook Fan Offers for Like Building
• Facebook Landing Page Design & Programming
• Facebook Links and Widgets
• Facebook Maps Integration
• Facebook Newsletter / Email Signup
• Facebook Page Promotion
• Facebook PDF / Whitepapers Document Display
• Facebook Photo / Image Gallery
• Facebook Places Marketing
• Facebook PPC Keyword Marketing / Advertising
• Facebook Recruiting
• Facebook RSS Feed
• Facebook Marketing Strategic Planning & Consulting
• Facebook Sales / Buy Now Product Pages
• Facebook Signup Forms
• Facebook Social Media Links
• Facebook Social Media Monitoring
• Facebook Twitter Feed Integration
• Facebook Video & Music Player