Whether or not Facebook announces a beta test of timeline for pages at the first ever marketing [conference in New York][3], here are four things that brands can do to anticipate the changes.
# Prepare Your Business Chronology
Think about adding fun dates like the day you opened your company. Here are some more points you might want to add:
* When did you launch your first big partnership?
* When did you make your first sale?
* When did you open a second location?
* When did you form a new division of your company?
All of these dates in a businesses history give you an opportunity to craft the story your brand is made of. This will enable you to connect at a richer level with your brand advocates.
# Start Thinking About New Ways To Engage
With the release of timelines on both personal profiles and fan pages, you're going to want to start thinking about how your company can leverage [Facebook's open graph][4].
In short, the open graph allows your brand to auto-post to users personal timelines when they are engaging with your brand. Examples include: "Listening on Spotify" or "Watching on Hulu."
Think about how you can leverage action verbs into your Facebook engagement strategy.
![][5]
# Create A Cover Image
One feature sure to be present when timelines come to fan pages is the cover image. Use this space to heighten the brand experience on your page. Take the time now to design a 850 pixel by 315 pixel fan page timeline cover image.
Try and get creative. This space will be the first chance you have to impact the minds of new viewers.
We're hoping that, because fan pages are commonly used for commercial purposes, Facebook allows brands to feature products and offerings in this timeline photo.
Because of the large size, this image has potential to work as an effective call to action for brands leveraging the new layout.
# Plan A First Update
To get a leg up when timeline is released, think through what your first update will be.
The goal with current status updates is always to get engagement. At this time, we're not sure if timeline on pages will have an effect on EdgeRank and how status updates appear in people's news feed.
However, leaked documents relating to [Facebook ads][3] suggest that engagement will still be a predominant factor.
Think through an update that has a historical twist that will invite engagement. For instance, ask: "Can you guess what year our company was created?"
Readers, what differences and similarities do you expect to see between timeline for pages versus profiles?
_Guest writer Nathan Latka is the chief community builder for fan page builder [Lujure][6]. _
_Screenshot courtesy of [Mari Smith][7]._
[![][8]][9]
[![][10]][11]
[![][12]][13] [![][14]][15] [![][16]][17]
![][18]
[1]: http://www.allfacebook.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/timeline.jpg (timeline)
[2]: http://www.allfacebook.com/fmc-agenda-2012-02
[3]: http://www.allfacebook.com/premium-ads-facebook-2012-02
[4]: http://www.allfacebook.com/open-graph-checklist-2012-02
[5]: http://www.allfacebook.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/early-bird.jpg (early-bird)
[6]: http://www.lujure.com
[7]: http://www.marismith.com
[8]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UKgK2RYvkK7s6qxk_FvP8ZATcds/0/di
[9]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UKgK2RYvkK7s6qxk_FvP8ZATcds/0/da
[10]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UKgK2RYvkK7s6qxk_FvP8ZATcds/1/di
[11]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/UKgK2RYvkK7s6qxk_FvP8ZATcds/1/da
[12]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/allfacebook?d=pnQdOprp5To
[13]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/allfacebook?a=l3uuPWQxLd8:7Okljxd0dgs:pnQdOprp5To
[14]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/allfacebook?d=qj6IDK7rITs
[15]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/allfacebook?a=l3uuPWQxLd8:7Okljxd0dgs:qj6IDK7rITs
[16]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/allfacebook?i=l3uuPWQxLd8:7Okljxd0dgs:gIN9vFwOqvQ
[17]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/allfacebook?a=l3uuPWQxLd8:7Okljxd0dgs:gIN9vFwOqvQ
[18]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/allfacebook/~4/l3uuPWQxLd8
URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allfacebook/~3/l3uuPWQxLd8/facebook-timeline-pages-early-2012-02
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