With the roll out of the new Facebook Timeline for pages comes an opportunity to really engage online with your page fans.
Now that the default landing page tab functionality has gone (see my post here on all the changes and how they affect you), getting the attention of your fans when they first arrive on your page is more important than ever before.
No longer can you just set up a landing or “squeeze” tab on your Facebook fan page and direct all the traffic there.
You need to be proactive in connecting with your fans, and one way to achieve this is to create “mini” calls to action by using the image on your tab.
Whilst they have now moved on your fan page (from the left under your profile image, to the right under the cover image), they are still there. They are just wider, at 760px.
What size image can you use?
Facebook supports the file types of JPG, GIF, or PNG file for your fan page timeline tab image.
The image size to use is 111 x 74 pixels. If your image is larger than this, Facebook will resize it, so best to get the size right so that all your formating is displayed just as you designed it.
How to Customise a Fan Page Tab Image
You can’t change default tab images (such as Likes & Photos), but you can edit the ones that you’ve created.
To edit, hover over the drop down triangle located on the far right of all your tabs and click it with your mouse:
Click to enlarge image
Choose the image you wish to update. To the right of that image, click on the pencil icon:
Click to enlarge image
Click on edit settings:
Click to enlarge image
In the next window that loads, you then find the heading Custom Tab Image. Click on Change
Click image to enlarge
Just as you would add a file to an email as an attachment, click browse to add the image you wish to show for your tab
Click to enlarge image
Your image will then be added to the tab:
Click to enlarge image
Note: I did notice some bugs here – sometimes it adds a random image (one assumes from the default Facebook set of images). I just kept reloading my image until it showed in the right place.
Navigate back to your fan page (you may have to click OK on the Edit box) and the image for your tab should have updated:
Click to enlarge image
Viola! That’s how you can add custom calls to action for each of the tabs on your fan page, by using a custom designed image to encourage your fans to click and take a closer look.
Thoughts
How are you finding the new look Facebook Fan page with Timeline? Love it or loath it? Leave a comment below.
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By Wendy Moore
Copyright 2012 Savvy Web Women Pty Ltd
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Wendy Moore is the founder of www.savvywebwomen.com and creator of the Savvy Online Engagement Blog – the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to use online strategies to connect with key stakeholders, influence decision makers and be seen as a thought leader, all via the use of social media. To receive your FREE Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit www.wendymoore.net.
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Hi Wendy, I thought I would let you know I have only been using the new timeline since a couple of days ago and was thinking about my new image at the top and how I could use it to create more curiousity about what I do. Thank you, You have enlightened me and answered my question right here. Its amazing how the universe works. Awesome! Warmest Regards Shirley
Hi Shirley,
Thank you so much! So glad I was able to help you out with getting your Timeline looking fabulous.
Would you mind if I used your lovely words as a testimonial?
Wendy
Thank you Wendy! You are always at the head of the pack when it comes to changes in social media. It’s a relief to know that with every change that occurs I can count on your info to be clear, savvy & up to date.
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Thanks so much! With the rate of change of social media, it’s so important to keep up to date with it all, particularly in business.
Thanks so much for your kind words. 🙂
Wendy
Wow thanks for this follow up article Wendy. I followed all your advice yesterday or the day before and just could not get it to load my image – I wondered where it got that ugly looking orange box with some random text in it – now I know keep loading and loading and loading!
hello,
doesn’t work for me. at least for polish facebook. don’t know why, I click on edit settings and nothing happens.
regards
Hi Mat,
You can only edit the image for your custom app tabs. The default tabs (photos, likes, etc) cannot be edited. If you still can’t edit your own custom app tab, I’m not sure what the issue might be. You might have to contact Facebook.
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
what if i wanted to add a custom tab like a contact us page. how do i go about tht. i used to use FBML but i hear it won’t work…or at least they are phasing it out. i see that you explain how to edit the custom tab but how do you make it. i also see how you can add an app which places a tab up on the page but i just want to make my own pages so its like a website…which i see can be done by looking at some facebook pages.
Hi Brandon,
Yes, fbml is being phased out. The new language to use is Static iFrame. If you do a search on Facebook, in the search bar at the top of your Facebook profile, find Static iFrame and add that application to your chosen page. You can then enter the code that you want for your page into the Static iFrame box, and it will display on your page as a tab when you are ready to publish it.
Once you’ve added Static iFrame to your page, that, in effect, is a new tab. You then just add the code/information you want to show and publish the tab. With iFrames, you can make your tab look just like your own website.
Hope this helps.
Wendy
Hi Wendy!
Yup that did the trick! thanks so much. is there a way to change the order of buttons. can you put your custom tabs in front of your photos tab for example?
HI Brandon,
Great! You can reorder the tabs on the fan page Timeline, however the default of photos will always stay in the first position. That gives you 3 further prime tab positions to play with.
The move the tabs, click on the drop down triangle on the right hand site of all the tabs. Now, when you hover your mouse over any tab, in the top right hand corner, you will see a grey pencil. Click this pencil to edit the tab. One of the options will be “swap with” and it will list the tabs that you can swap with. For example, you might like to swap with Likes, and this will position the tab you’ve just edited into the place of the Likes tab, and the Likes tab will be repositioned to where the tab you just edited was sitting.
Hope this helps.
Wendy
Thanks Wendy for the information on the new FB timeline,
No more landing tabs but can the photos (views and apps) attached above can be used to send/direct customers to a website if you are have an ad running..
Keep chargin
Sherlock Worrell
Hi Sherlock,
Yes, absolutely. The most valuable “real estate” is now the three images on the tabs to the right of the Photos tab.
The tabs will still work as they did down the left hand side of the page. Now, the visitor needs to click the image of the tab for the tab content to load. There is absolutely no reason why you still can’t use the tabs as calls to action. They will work as previously.
Further, each tab has it’s own unique URL. You can use this URL in your marketing to direct traffic to a specific tab. You just can’t set a default landing tab like you used to be able to on Facebook.
Wendy
Wendy,
How can you email all your fans on the fan page with the new format?
Wini
Hi Wini,
With the new changes a fan can message a page (there’s a button on the top right, below the cover image) but a page cannot send a message to all fans, no.
You’d have to post to your wall (so they see it in the newsfeed) and perhaps pin it to the top so that people arriving on your page can see it.
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
This is my first visit here and I’m glad I found this informative article. The bug is kinda stressing because I can’t get it to upload the thumbnail I want for my tab 😛
Shafina
Hi Shafina,
Yes, it’s a little annoying. I tried many times the other day to get the right image to load and it would not.
What I ended up doing was Editing the page instead, going to Apps and editing the image that way (it’s just a different way of getting to the same window).
For some reason it worked. Weird.
Wendy
Too bad the custom tab image feature has been broken this entire week! Anyone else experiencing this? You can upload an image – but it’s never the one you upload – always some other in the system. This feature was very poorly designed and it’s a huge bug in my opinion!
Hi Lisa,
Yes, I agree. I kept loading, loading, loading and it kept adding random images!
As I said to Shafina above, what I ended up doing was Editing the page instead, going to Apps and editing the image that way (it’s just a different way of getting to the same window).
That worked in the end. 🙂
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
After trying 40 times last night I came across your page, tried going to the editing page and same problem……tried at least another 30 times! Fingers crossed they fix this really soon!
Hi Tessa,
Goodness, it must be really, really broken. I did try it in both Firefox and IE and it had the same issue. I can understand your frustration!
Wendy
Hi Wendymoore,
I was wondering on a similar note,, If you haven’t noticed already social media is everywhere. There are so many websites and tools to take advantage of but which one is going to give you the most for your precious time. The one tool that has been a success for me is the FaceBook Fan Page. FaceBook allows you to interact with your prospects or clients through Fan Pages.
Keep up the posts!
Hi Wendymoore,
Very interesting, Over half a billion people belong to Facebook, and many of them are, or could be, your customers. So how do you connect with them and encourage them to connect with you? Once you’ve captured their attention you can make them loyal brand ambassadors and reach them on a deeper, more trusting level.
Thanks
Hello Wendy,
I’ve been trying to upload app cover images but when I click on “edit settings” the only thing that shows in the profile is Tab. Custom Tab Image and Custom Tab Name do not appear as an option. I’ve read that you can change the image for all except the photos tab but from reading some of your prior posts, you indicated that “You can only edit the image for your custom app tabs. The default tabs (photos, likes, etc) cannot be edited.” We have an Events and Videos tab/app and it still won’t give me the option to change the image/name. Can you please help! Thank you.
Hi Tanya,
That’s correct. I’ve had a look at my fan page, where we have the Video tab and it does not give you the option to change the name nor change the image.
I think it is because it is not a third party app as such. Unfortunately, I don’t think you can change this.
Wendy
Hi there. Just switched my company’s page to timeline, and I cannot edit the careers section. There is no edit button that hovers like I have for the about tab. Do you know if this is a glitch? Tks
Can’t seem to change the image of the Notes app. Any idea how to do that?
Hi Jonathan,
The Notes tab is one of the standard default Facebook tabs. You cannot change the image.
Wendy
SUPER HELPFUL! thank you TONS!
Hi Haley,
You’re welcome!
Wendy
Thanks for the info on how to edit an existing tab image. It will be very helpful.
Is there a way to add a new tab image that isn’t a video, note or event? I’d like to just put an image there that links to a website, but I can’t find instructions anywhere on how to do that.
Hi SJ,
You can’t edit the tab image for the default Facebook tabs, which include Video, Events, Likes, Photos, Maps, etc. So if I understand your question correctly, you are asking if you can add an image to those default tabs (video, note, event)? If that is the question, then no, you cannot change that image. It is set by Facebook.
Wendy
hi Wendy Moore
i’m nobs on facebook timeline.
your post are very inspiring.
But i have a different experience , when i click the pencil icon there’s doesn’t seem your post. No Edit Setting and other tools appropriate with the favorite setting.
screen shoot :
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/nosettingonfavorite.png/
thanks
Hi Hasan,
You can’t edit the tab image for the default Facebook tabs, which include Video, Events, Likes, Photos, Maps, etc.
In your screen shot, it shows Events and Videos. These are not editable and you cannot set a custom tab image for them.
You can only edit tabs and add a custom image on third party apps, such as Static HTML iframe tabs.
I hope this helps.
Wendy
Thanks for the info. I can find a lot on what can be done with the new Facebook design, but very little on how to actually do anything, so I appreciate your help a lot.
CoverGirl’s page is basically what I’m being asked to do, but with fundraising opportunities (it’s for a local Humane Society) rather than products. So I have to create apps and then figure out how to get an image in there that links to those apps? Is that how it works? We used to use a custon landing page, and I halfway knew what I was doing on Facebook, but now I’m totally lost.
http://www.facebook.com/covergirl
Hi SJ,
Yes, your first step is to add a tab. This can be done via 3rd party apps, such as Lujure plus many others.
If you are comfortable doing so, you can also use something like Static iFrames to create your own tabs. This is fairly straight forward once you add it, you just need to populate it with content (code from a website, for example).
Once the tab is there, then you can change the name and upload your desired image. When the tab is then clicked, it will display the information that you have added to the tab.
I am writing an ebook on how to create custom tabs for your Facebook fan page, but it’s only in draft at the moment, so not ready to release. We’ve researched and list over a dozen different ways and apps to create tabs on your fan page. I’ll let you know when that is ready if you like.
Another option is to take a look at our DIY Social Media for Business.com site, that shows you step by step how to do this kind of thing.
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Thanks so much for your wonderful information! Question, I did a search in Facebook for “Static iFrame” and several apps popped up. Which one(s) are good to use? Are they “all” legit?
Thanks so much for your help!
Kathie
Hi Kathie,
The standard one called Static HTML: iframe tabs developed by Timothy Mensing and Jason Padvorac is fine to use.
Wendy
hi theres no esit setting
Hi Mohamd,
You’ll only see the Edit setting on tabs for pages where you are an administrator of the page, or on tabs that are not the Default Facebook tabs (such as Events, photos, etc).
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your post, some really handy tips. My question is, are you able to have your page automatically show all custom tabs or can it only show 4 at a time without hitting the pencil on the right? Does it show all of them for other people viewing on Facebook?
Cheers
Hi Troy,
Thanks so much! It’s a great question.
The answer is no. Facebook fan pages will only show the first 4 tabs/images. Position 1 is always Photos. Then, you can choose which tabs to show for your next 3.
You can’t automatically have a fan page auto-show all your tabs, which is a shames, as I suspect a lot of visitors don’t EVEN KNOW about the drop down triangle.
This is what makes those 3 tab positions so valuable. It’s here that you need to have very clear calls to action.
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
I have a FB Business Page and the top blue navigation bar is missing the search bar and some of the icons.
Have you any experience with how I can get these page elements to appear?
Here’s a thread I found that seems to acknowledge the problem but doesn’t offer a solution: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/advertising-promotion/internet-marketing/MAR_ADP_INM/689015-20203739
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Lee
Hi Wendy,
Is there any way to change the default page to a custom page instead the timeline?
Thanks,
AJ
Hi AJ,
I presume you’re asking is there any way for a fan to be sent to your custom tab on your fan page, rather than to the general default fan page timeline wall?
Then no, Facebook did away with default landing pages as part of the March 2012 changes. You are no longer able to set the tab on your page that is seen by a fan when they first arrive on your fan page, organically.
However, you can send a fan to your page using the unique URL for your custom tab.
Via this method, you can share the URL as part of your marketing and your fan is sent directly to your desired fan page tab, not just the timeline wall.
Here’s a link to my post on how to do that:
http://www.wendymoore.net/2012/03/facebook-fan-page-timeline-how-to-find-your-tab-app-unique-url/
Good luck!
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
It seems there is a way of changing the Events tab icon at least…
I did it the other day, almost by accident and then went to change it today and couldn’t see how to do it – hence I found this blog! After some prodding I’ve now sussed it out again and it’s really easy – just not at all obvious. And the Facebook ‘Help’ still says it can’t be done!
Click on your events tab and click on an event. If you don’t have an event entered yet, create one. Now, top left of the page, you should see the tab image. Hover over it and a link will flash up saying “Change Event Photo”. You can now click on this to upload a new image.
If you found this useful, do me a favour and ‘Like’ my pages at: https://www.facebook.com/colinwillsher.2bMedia
And follow me on Twitter: @2bMedia
Good luck!
Hi Colin,
Thanks for sharing this with us. That’s handy to know. 🙂
Wendy
I don’t seem to get the search bar on the facebook fan page. How do I activate it ? I’ve converted my profile to a fan page.
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