With a new Facebook brand page, the focus will now shift to telling an authentic story that users can relate to for them to identify with the brand. The purpose of communication now will be to convey what is it that makes your product or business stand apart, and strike an emotional chord with your loyal fans through exclusive news, blooper videos, behind-the-scenes action photos, real-time mobile images and sound clips.

Apart from talking of the present, a brand can use the Timeline feature to link to the past events. This will help to build a strong nostalgia and pleasant memories that might be associated with it. As we have grasped in the previous post, the broader context and contour of brand-centric interactions are likely to undergo a change on the popular networking site. Experts feel that the benefits of changes to Timeline can be immense because,

• It will allow smaller brands hold their own. They can now tell a more engaging story. Quality and relevancy of information will matter that much more in the new design.
• The infinite scroll will give readers greater scope to engage and consume the information. This will inadvertently prolong the lifespan of all brand-related interactions
• Since the posts won’t get any more suppressed ‘below the fold’ of the Facebook wall, the emphasis will be on making them more meaningful over a longer period.

Currently, the Facebook brand page lets the profile picture alone (plus a fixed number of thumbnails) be customized, to hide photo albums as well as tagged images beneath the Wall. Compared to the present version, the new Timeline will unlock a greater scope to brand, and to raise awareness in more creative ways.

The ‘Cover’ image (849 by 312 pixel), which spans the top of a profile, can be conveniently modified and is suitable for a particular product shot or broader promotional push. Also, brands could possibly call out select photos on the Timeline with click on a star there on the post, which expands the image to widescreen.

The hidden ‘Info’ tab for now acts as a platform for all sundry bits of information in a ubiquitous text format. While making a decision on driving paid media to FB or a brand site, the dilemma of choosing between offering a better user experience elsewhere, or enhancing their Facebook community, is always there. Now, the scale tilts just a bit in favor of Facebook thanks to Timeline that will makes it more convenient for users to find relevant information by pushing the Info section, images, apps and map right to the top of the page in an easy-to-use navigation bar.

Prior to Timeline, a brand manager often would get confused as to exactly where and how the networking platform site fit into the strategy, paving the way for gimmicky apps or sampling incentive for users to ‘Like’. Now, Timeline can serve as an interactive blog, offering fans more engaging and useful updates.