With Facebook’s recent adaption of the Timeline page layout
for brand pages, many Facebook marketers have shifted their focus to improving
the look of their brand page. While a
shiny new layout is always exciting (“koodos” to Telus for the most creative
use of the new layout I have seen to date), it is
important not to forget that Facebook is primarily a conduit to connections. For well over a decade, online marketing has
focused on websites, to which marketers have attempted to drive traffic. For many brands on Facebook the biggest
challenge is shifting their thinking away from their Facebook page as a
destination, and embracing their page as a broadcast tool. The danger of a change to Facebook’s layout
of brand pages, with Timeline being the most significant to date, is that
marketers revert back to treating their Facebook page like a destination.
Initial reports on the change to page layout point to
increased levels of interaction (link). Which is no surprise, given that Zuckerberg
has an incredible knack for overcoming internal and external resistance to
change, to ultimately produce an offering that strikes a balance between
usefulness, simplicity and engagement.
The fact remains however, that the easiest way to develop a connection
with a consumer at scale is through Facebook advertising, and the best way to
foster that connection is through a sound publishing strategy. At no point in a “relationship” between a
brand and their fan base is a visit to a brand’s Facebook page a critical step;
and even in cases where a visit to a brand page occurs, the ongoing interaction
after the fact is generally going to happen in a user’s Newsfeed.
