Since the new Facebook timeline for pages rolled out, we’ve found an interesting trend on our own page and the pages of some of our clients. When a photo was placed “above the fold” by utilizing the “Pin to Top” option on your Facebook page - conversion rates on Sponsored Stories were significantly higher. With the upward trend in social photo content, it’s no surprise that the “like” rate is higher with featured visual content.
What content should be used?
Let your fans make the decision for you. Choose a recent photo that was popular, with plenty of likes and/or comments—or an image that effectively captures your company culture. Images and creative photography are the rule these days for highly sharable content, whether it’s an infographic, a cartoon or a photo of members of your team. For us at Kuno, our staff photos are typically the most “liked."
Here’s how to feature a post.
- First determine the post you want to pin to the top of your timeline (you must be an Admin to do this). Choose something that educates or entertains your fans. Above all, choose something that will interest THEM, not just what YOU want to be in the spotlight. Only “posts” can be pinned to the top, so don’t bother digging through your photos. Simply scroll through your timeline and find a recent post with an image.
- Hover over the upper right-hand corner of the post. Two icons will show up. Hover over the pencil icon saying “Edit or Remove.” Click on the icon and a drop-down menu will appear. Click on the top link “Pin to Top.”
- Now your post will be featured at the top of your timeline. It will be marked with a small yellow ribbon in the upper right-hand corner, indicating it as a pinned or featured post.
What’s the value of doing this?
- Quick Conversion. It’s an excellent opportunity to feature content that interests your current fans, and would likely be of interest to potential fans that are considering giving your page a “like.” Photos better-feature your visual content, rather than a link. In addition, visual content gives your potential fans a quick snapshot of who you are, rather than a link that they have to click on yet again to read. One of our favorite takeaways from IMS 2011 was “It better work in 2 clicks.”
- Personalization. For photos, particularly, it proves that your team is not a room full of robots or a one-man band. A common pet peeve of digitally minded and socially savvy people is the lack of any real personality on your website, or in this case, on your Facebook page. People want to do business with people they like. So, step out from behind the curtain and show your current and potential clients who you ARE.
- Increased Return on Sponsored Stories. Make the money you’re spending on Facebook ads work for you with a better response rate.
What Facebook tips do you have to get higher conversion rates? Let us know in the comments below.
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