Social Media Marketing

British-born philosopher and religious scholar Alan Watts once eloquently stated: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”

Change is an inescapable part of life, and while 2014 has brought many changes, one thing always stays the same: your social media pages are modified every year.

New headers, timelines, navigation bars, and more – it all can make your head spin if you’re going in blind.

These changes can be beneficial or frustrating, depending on your outlook. Frequent updates can be hard to keep up with, especially if you’ve grown accustomed to a certain layout.

On the other hand, updated social media pages present new and exciting opportunities for business owners to engage with potential customers and, ultimately, drive leads.

Staying on top of social media updates is not only important for large corporations with an international presence like Ford or Microsoft – it’s essential for your business, too. With so many potential customers engaging online, the importance of maintaining compelling social media profiles can’t be overstated.

In March and April of this year, Facebook and Twitter, two of the leading platforms for business-to-customer interaction have rolled out changes in their layouts for desktop users.

The goal behind each platform’s yearly update is straightforward: simplify the user experience and provide businesses with more opportunities for engagement and branding.

Love it or hate it, you need to know all about it. Here’s how your business pages have changed this year and how you can use those changes to engage with potential leads.

Twitter: More Vivid Images & Customization

If you have beautiful, high-resolution pictures of your products you’d like to display, or want your best content shown front-and-center on the page, then rejoice – you’ll love your new Twitter profile.

Differences from your old Twitter profile page include:

  • A much larger header image – in fact, the 1500 pixels stretch across the screen. The header gives you a golden opportunity to brand your business with a single eye-catching image.
  • A larger profile picture.

Take a look at the AFL’s new Twitter profile to see what we mean.

In addition to new visual content, Twitter’s profile pages change the way tweets are displayed. Some updates you can expect to see are:

  • Your most replied-to tweets or “Best Tweets” will display larger on the page. This way, your most popular content and promotions will be showcased automatically.
  • You can “pin” tweets to the top of your page, ensuring that visitors will see certain content first. This is a valuable opportunity to put tweets that best reflect the character of your business first.
  • You now have control over how others’ tweets are displayed in the timeline – tweets, tweets that include photos and videos, or tweets and replies are all options you can select from.

The best part is – the tweets on your page are live! Profile pages update automatically, and your followers won’t have to click on notifications to see new content. The new feed is ideal for businesses that tweet often.

Facebook: One-Column Design, Greater Page Control

Facebook’s new design for Pages on desktop offers a cleaner look, merging the former two columns into one. The left side of the page holds your core business information, while the right side displays your timeline.

Apps are displayed on the left side column or top navigation bar, and their order can be customized by the admin, while messages show up in the top left activity tab.

Facebook has provided an example of how all business Pages will look soon.

While the new design changes the way your Page looks, the key parts of the update that impact your business most are the changes in admin tools. These changes include:

  • The ability to track new messages, likes, information and changes in posted ads.
  • Direct access to your Ads Manager account.

Better control over your data, advertisements, and users’ experience doesn’t end there – admins are now able to access a new “Pages to Watch” feature through the Page Insights tool. “Pages to Watch” allows businesses to follow the Pages of companies they’re interested in – perhaps companies similar to their own.

Most importantly, “Pages to Watch” allows admins to see the updates, posts and stats of their competitors. You’ll be able to see what similar businesses do right and wrong and refine your content to appeal to your audience and generate more traffic - an extremely useful tool in any lead generation strategy.

Time to Begin

Leap ahead of your competition and take advantage of Facebook’s and Twitter’s new layouts now! In the dynamic world of social media, change is the only constant.

Embrace it, join the dance, and use your knowledge to drive more leads for your business in 2014.

How have Facebook’s and Twitter’s new layouts worked for your business? Share your experiences below in the comments section.

Need help implementing a successful social media strategy? Contact Spectrum today for a free demo!