These days Facebook Pages (formerly called Fan Pages) look a lot more like a personal profile and I think they are more attractive, particularly for small business users who don't want to hire a programmer to customize their page.
The profile picture
The profile picture is the most important element on the Page. It's the one constant, so put some thought into it.
The image can be up to 540 pixels high by 180 pixels wide so it gives you some flexibility. You can use photos, your logo and text to create a compelling message that helps brand your page.
The Roxy Theatre in Owen Sound, has done a great job with theirs. They've used their logo, keywords and provided necessary contact information without looking too cluttered.
The National Gallery has gone another direction, choosing the iconic image of the exterior of the Gallery.
When you choose a larger image for your profile picture, it won't fit in your thumbnail photo. The thumbnail is the image that shows beside all the posts you make on your wall and on other page walls. It is vital that your thumbnail is instantly recognizable since many of your followers will only be seeing your posts from their news feeds, rather than actually visiting your page.
Odds are the thumbnail that Facebook creates from your profile photo won't be what you want so you need to edit it:
- Click on 'edit page' then choose 'profile picture'
- Underneath the profile picture is a 'edit thumbnail' button
- Click on it and move the image around until you have an image that suits.
The photo strip
This is the biggest change to the look of your page and I think it is one of the best features. Used well, it can really enhance the look of your page. Facebook pulls these photos at random from what you upload to your page so you can't use them to create a planned image or a logo. However, if you include the right images, it can look great.
Don't let the photo strip cause you to limit what you post to your wall however. If you've posted something to your wall that doesn't work in the photo strip, you can cover your mouse over that image and click the 'x' that appears in the upper right corner.
If you sell physical products, photos of those products are a natural choice. Upload close-ups of individual products like Meccano has done. Or include shots of your store like Gallery de Boer.
Other examples of people doing well with their Page photo strip are Dairy Queen, Royal Winter Fair and Bruce County Tourism.
If you find your photo strip is just repeating your Page photo, get the camera out and take some pictures. It will enhance the look of your page and make it more interesting.
