Take a closer look at Facebook’s image-driven format. Learn about the new “mission control” Timeline appearance and how to make the most of your updated community hospital fan page.

1. The Face of Your Brand ““ The Huge Cover Photo

We know that people are drawn to photos. With the huge cover photo layout and the larger photo wall posting, it’s likely that images will pack the punch of your community Facebook page. Check out these innovative ideas for formatting your cover photo.

Tip: Make your hospital logo your profile picture, and then find a large cover photo for a more creative representation of your hospital or a photo that drives a message to a hospital campaign. Use the two images to create a cohesive brand.

New Rules:

• No sales ““ The cover photo can’t offer information on discounts and prices.
• No calls to action ““ The cover photo can’t tell people to “like” or share your page.
• No contact information ““ The cover photo can’t include any contact information, such as website address, mailing address or phone number.

2. Top of the Page ““ No Default Landing Pages, Updated Tabs

The photo strip at the top of the page has been replaced by a more condensed overview of your photos, videos and applications. We loved making landing pages to boost “likes” for hospitals, but now those pages aren’t a possibility. Tabs are now displayed in these application “blocks” located just below your cover photo; you will no longer be able to set a tab as the default landing page.

• “About” is prominent: The “about” section now sits just below your profile image. This should be a one to two sentence blurb offering a quick overview of your hospital’s identity. This is one of the first items a visitor will see, so keep your “about” section up-to-date and engaging.
• Be intentional about tabs: The first four application blocks (your old tab bars) will display by default, but you can keep up to 12 visible to the public. Be intentional about prioritizing your content ““ keep your engaging photos, video applications or hospital resources visible at the top.

Tip: Be creative. What type of content will you share to introduce your page to new users? Is there a promotional contest you can run to grab “likes” and engage with new users? Can you think of interesting ways to cross-promote your Facebook page, such as on your blog, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest or your hospital website?

3. The Facebook Timeline – A Visual Story

Yes! I love this feature. “Stories” or posts will feed into the two-column timeline, alternating across either side of your page to fill the space. Photos are the focus ““ they really drive this new format.

See the tips below to learn how to highlight important stories in your Timeline. These “stories” humanize your hospital by showing your achievements and allowing your community to celebrate with you.

• Friend activity will now be featured in the top of the right column, customizing to each visitor to show his or her friends’ “likes” and interactions with your page.

Tips: 

• Starring: Highlight notable stories by starring them. This will make the story span the full, two-column width of the Timeline.
• Pinning: Pin important stories. When you “pin” a post, Facebook adds an orange flag to it and pulls it to the top of your Timeline for seven days. Showcase important events and information.
• Setting Milestones: Define key moments using Milestones. Facebook allows you to set key events or dates within your Timeline that mark history in the life of your hospital. Further your hospital’s story by setting milestones for changes in leadership, openings of various wards or developments in procedures and research.

For a more detailed breakdown of Facebook Timeline, check out Beth McCabe’s Facebook Timeline for brands.

4. Private Messages Between Brands and Users

Your hospital will now be able to send and receive private messages from visitors to your Facebook page. Use this as an opportunity to potentially move conversations and customer service complaints off your public wall. Do not ignore your messages.

Tip: Reserve time to check and respond to both positive and negative messages from your patients! I know from my seat, this is going to be a huge shift in how we interact with our Facebook community.

Keep your community hospital Facebook page ahead of the social media curve. Be intentional about your branding. Set your cover photo, update your “about” section and determine your featured tabs/applications.

Download Facebook’s short pages overview to see a quick breakdown of the updates.