Now that Facebook Timeline has been around for 3 months it is becoming apparent that certain efforts are no longer as successful as they had been, specifically, Facebook tabs. With the release of Timeline the ability to set a landing tab was removed, also removing the ability for brands to control their user’s initial brand experience. According to PageLever, visits to custom tabs has decreased by 53%. Which poses the question – should I bother with secondary tabs?
Image via PageLever
The Landing Tab is Dead
Previously if you were using a landing tab to control user’s first engagement with your business (IE showing one tab to those who had not liked your page vs another tab to those who have liked you page) its time to shift efforts. With the release of Timeline the ability to direct users to a landing tab has been removed. Meaning, users see the timeline and not your landing tab, so use your time crafting engaging content, instead.
Of course you can still create custom tabs, craft the user experience on those tabs, and link users to them, but the point of the Facebook landing tab was to automatically redirect users. With Timeline now active it would require sharing links to those tabs and expending large amounts of energy marketing those tabs when it would better serve your business to create landing pages and experiences with your brand on your own website, a much more valuable real estate.
How does this change my FB strategy?
It signals a move from automated experiences to crafted content experiences. The most logical move is to shift efforts to creating engaging content and sharing posts that provide value to your business followers. Believe it or not, users are on social media to interact, so give them something to talk about.
- Create a debate
- Share something controversial
- Ask questions
All of these content tactics not only spurs engagement, but helps you to better understand your customer.
List building Tips in the Timeline Era
If you’re still looking to leverage Facebook to build your email list then use these tips:
- Use your about snippet to provide contact info
- Rearrange your tabs to put list building content in the top row
- Create a captivating descriptive cover image
