Facebook changes all the time and it can be hard to keep up with all the changes. The big change I want to talk about are the cover photos.
Every business has a cover photo on their Facebook fan page. Hint, hint…if your fan page doesn’t have one, get one! The cover photo is the large image at the top of your page. The correct size is 851 pixels W x 315 pixels H. It’s the image that attracts customers. It’s the image that best represents your brand.
Facebook has developed rules and regulations of what should be on your cover photo. As of January 15, 2013, Facebook announced that cover photos should have less than 20% text and that includes your logo if it is text based. For example, if your logo is a font instead of an image that would be part of the 20% text.
Just a reminder that all cover photos are public. (Cover photos on your personal profile are also public) This means that anyone who visits your Page will be able to see your cover photo. Cover photos cannot be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover photo to their personal timelines.
· Cover photos may NOT include:
· Images with more than 20% text
· Price or purchase information, such as “40% off,” “Download it at our website,” or “Free Sunglasses All Summer Long”
· 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 other Facebook site features
· Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”
Do you need a visual of what 20% text looks like? I know I do. The following is a great example from Short Stack.
For a copy of the New 20% text guidelines, click here. This also provides great examples of what it looks like to have only 20% text in Facebook advertisements. Yes, I didn’t want to mention it, but no more than 20% text of an image applies to Page Post ads, Sponsored Stories and Promoted Posts.
What are your thoughts about Facebook’s cover photos?
