Facebook announced a massive overhaul of its Pages for business today, and here's the most surprising part: It's awesome.
Don't listen to the angry mobs complaining about change. Today's shift is overwhelmingly positive and creates much-needed options for Page admins.
That said, you've got some work to do if you want to make the most if it. We've compiled 10 simple steps that will get you started on the right foot:
1. Turn on the new Page format.
Yes, it's opt-in. And permanent. But come on. Live a little. Plus, the rest of this post won't do you much good if you don't click that "Upgrade" button on your Page.
Tip: If you admin lots of pages, but only want to upgrade one or two for now, the upgrade system is wonky. After clicking "Upgrade," scroll through the subsequent list of your pages to find the one you wanted, then click "Upgrade" again. You can also "Upgrade All" if you're feeling gutsy.
Don't want to switch? Sorry, Facebook says you'll be dragged into the new format on March 1.
2. Set your Page's category and subcategory.
Here's the first cause for celebration. It used to be that once you selected a category for your Facebook page, it was locked in for life. Now you can not only set any category, but you can also select a more specific subcategory, which will change what kind of info is included in your Page's description.
Tip: First thing, click "Edit Page," then "Basic Inforrmation" to select your category and subcategory. Your page has probably been defaulted to the first subcategory in an alphabetic list, like "Appliances."
3. Check your e-mail notification settings for fan comments.
Facebook seems to be defaulting all upgraded pages to a setting that e-mails you when a fan comments. If you have multiple pages with multiple admins (I have dozens), this is probably a bad idea.
Thankfully, the setting seems to default to "off" if the Page is large (I'd guess the threshold is around 10,000+ Likes). But be sure to check your settings for all your Pages. To do so, go to "Edit Page," then "Your Settings." You'll see options for E-mail Notifications (uncheck it if you don't want comment notifications via e-mail), and a link to edit all your e-mail settings.
Tip: Be sure to follow that link, then click to "Change email settings for individual Pages." Strange that this option is so well hidden, but it's important.
4. Set your wall preference: Fans too or just you?
As you probably know, Facebook Page administrators have long had the option to keep fan comments off the "front page" of the wall. I generally prefer this setting, because it keeps "official" Page updates from getting lost in a fray of spam and typos.
Upgrading your page appears to force it back to the "Everyone" setting for the wall, which means you might want to re-select the option for "Posts by Page Only" in the "Manage Permissions" tab. I should note that Facebook has improved the "Everyone" setting by allowing it to sort popular posts to the top, but I'm still going to wait before handing over control of larger pages to the masses.
5. Want to occasionally post as yourself on Pages you admin?
Well now you can. in "Your Settings" in the "Edit Page" screen, you can select whether to "Always comment and post on your page as (PAGE NAME) even when using Facebook as (YOUR NAME)."
You can then select to log in as the Page itself, letting you jump between being a human with a name or just a brand. This is a nice new feature for small business owners and others who want audiences to know them by name.
6. Set your moderation and profanity blocklists.
This much-needed feature launched just before the new Page format did, so this is as good a time as any to set your preferences. Both settings can be found under "Manage Permissions."
The obscenity filter is automated, but you can select from three options: None, Medium or Strong. Facebook uses its collection of "reported" words to build these filters.
Moderation blocklists allow you to set specific words you don't want mentioned on your Page. Maybe a competitor, maybe a scandalous nickname for your product...the list is totally up to you.
7. Check out your Page's tabs.
They've moved! Instead of being up top, they're suddenly on the left side rail. And chances are, they don't look good. That's because Static FBML, the most common tab application, doesn't have a customizeable icon image. It's just that weird <-> symbol.
Sorry, I don't know a fix for that. BUT....
Tip: The switch to left-side navigation means you're no longer limited to brief titles for your apps. Instead of one or two words, you can now give your Page's apps pretty thorough titles.
To change your tab titles, click "Edit Page," then "Apps," then "Go to App" and you'll be able to change the name.
8. Select which photos should be featured up top.
Just like the User Profile design that debuted recently, the new Page look includes a gallery of your images across the top of the page. Now's a good time to select the ones that look best by "hiding" the ones that don't. You can salvage the hidden photos later if you need to.
And yes, now's the time to do something crazy like this, although the order seems to be randomized each time you view the Page.
UPDATE: Just confirmed from one of our Facebook reps: "At the moment the photostrip of images at the top of the Page are completely randomized and there's no way for Page admins to edit this setting."
9. Pick your "Featured Likes."
You've long been able to add "Favorite Pages" to your Page, but it hasn't really meant much. Now the system is moving to "Featured Likes," which showcase other Pages that your Page has "Liked." The gallery of Featured Likes has to first be activated in the "Featured" tab of your Page settings.
This ability to Like as a Page fixes one longtime problem for Facebook Page admins: You had to personally Like a Page before you could tag it in a status update. Now, your Page can do the Liking, so that you won't personally have clutter up your personal news feed.
10. Want some credit? Add "Featured Page Owners."
Facebook's Page changes include an interesting addition that many will find appealing (and many others won't): a public list of admins. The good news is that admins get to pick which of their team members (if any) are listed.
Personally, I have a pretty firm wall between my personal Facebook account and pages I administer, even my blogs. But for those who want to gain more Facebook connections for themselves through Pages they run, this will be a welcome change.
Have you been playing around with the new Page design and functionality? We'd love it if you would share what you've learned in the comments.
David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.
