The convergence of three major events; legalized online gaming in the U.S., the possibility of in-Facebook gambling, and Facebook’s new Timeline update are pushing social media to the forefront of the affiliate marketing world. These events are big opportunity for affiliates who know how to properly leverage social media, and that means getting on board with the Timeline upgrade as soon as possible.
Facebook Timeline Explained
At its simplest, Timeline is an upgrade designed to make a Facebook user’s entire account history easily accessible to other Facebook others. Users will now be able to stream a friend’s entire archive of Facebook activity with minimal effort. There are other cosmetic changes associated with the upgrade, but most of it centers on bringing existing content to the surface.
For affiliate marketers, the Timeline update offers up a great chance to clean up any existing Facebook content, while re-invigorating their overall social media strategy.
Out with the Old
Before Timeline is activated, Facebook users have a chance to go back through their entire Facebook history and remove any items that they don’t want to be presented to visitors and affiliates.
This is the time to remove links to affiliate programs you’re no longer associated with, and long-expired promotions. Webmasters should try to limit their older content to positive posts that have that evergreen quality that makes them readable year in and year out.
Expand Old Posts
One nice Timeline feature is that it allows Facebook users to expand and highlight old posts. For affiliates, this may mean going back and adding testimonials from customers who did well on specific promotions or it could mean adding graphics to older posts to help draw more attention to them.
Utilize the Activity Log
Accessing your past content is fairly easy if you’re utilizing the Activity Log feature. This content log allows users to see their entire account history in one easily accessible spot. Affiliates should regularly utilize this feature to insure that the Facebook face they’re presenting to the social media world is an accurate portrayal of their business.
Make it Look Good
The most noticeable Timeline change is going to be the new, expanded profile picture. Timeline profile pictures will cover the entire width of the Facebook page. This means that affiliates are going to need to pay a lot more attention to what kinds of graphics they’re using on their Facebook page and look for graphics that really pop.
Social Media Matters
In the coming months, your social media strategy is going to take on increased importance and getting ready for Timeline is going to be a big part of that strategy. When your entire Facebook history is readily accessible, potential customers are going to make snap judgments about what type of operation you’re running based on your past postings.
Don’t let this opportunity to reinvigorate your Facebook page pass you by.
What are you doing to prepare for the Timeline update? Let us know in our Online Gambling Newswire Forum.