You don’t have to have to be a guru of online marketing to know that Facebook is a phenomenon. The site currently has over 850 million active users and those users spend an average of 20 minutes every time they visit the site. The most common question our team at Ads Next gets from our customers is how can Facebook help a dental practice? Well, if the majority of your patients and the people that you would want to be your patients statistically are on Facebook then this is a great place to promote your practice and yourself.

What you have to remember is Facebook is not like traditional advertising. As a rule, they do not want to use the site to advertise or sell services. They prefer you to stick to the spirit of Facebook and use it to promote yourself, connect with the people who “like” you and create a buzz around your practice. In the next week or two, Facebook will be altering the way your page looks. Timeline, which has received mixed reviews over the last couple of months will be automatically updated on all Facebook pages. While this is going to be a big change it will give businesses the opportunity to standout from their competition through branding and messaging.

Here are some helpful highlights from a recent article posted by Pam Moore from Social Media Today.
1. There are profile and banner images with specific size requirements to create your Facebook cover
2. Cover guidelines-

  • What you CAN do:
  • Brand the heck out of your company, book or personal brand. This include brand images, logos, photos and any other visual marks.
  • Inspire your audience with visually appealing graphics, colors and images.
  • Use simple language that will help you inspire and connect with your fans.
  • What you can NOT do: (Per Facebook cover guidelines)
  • Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
  • Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
  • References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
  • Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”

3. No More landing pages
4. Tabs are now Apps – each page can have up to 14 apps with custom thumbnails. Each tab can have a unique URL.
5. Fans can now send private messages
6. Milestones- You can set milestones for your business for current, or past dates. This is a great way to highlight key events such as grand opening, ribbon cuttings, launch of new products, new partnerships, business milestones and achievements. Milestone images are 843 x 403 pixels.

  • Click Milestone in the sharing bar at the top of your page
  • Add a headline, date, location and details
  • Choose to add a photo
  • Click Save

7. Pin and Highlight Posts

  • Highlighting enhances attention to your post by stretching it across both columns of your page
  • Pinning “pins” the post at the top of the page for 7 days

Pam Moore, 15 Must Know Tips to Rock Your New Facebook Timeline Business Page March 24, 2012 http://socialmediatoday.com/pammoore/476234/15-must-know-tips-rock-your-new-facebook-timeline-business-page?utm_source=smt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

If you have any questions about effectively using Facebook or other forms of social media to promote your business we can help. Please feel free to contact our team at Ads Next or like us on our Facebook page for frequent updates that will be helpful to you as you build the online presence of your practice.

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