Maybe you already post on Facebook three times a week. Maybe you already boost posts to promote your content. But are you missing out on a simple way to share your brand story using the visual web, on the most popular social media network in existence today?
Tom’s Shoes was founded in March 2006.
They hired their first employee in August 2006. His name was Jonathan and apparently he was really into mohawks.
Later that year, the founder, Blake travelled to Argentina to give away the first 10,000 shoes to children who inspired him to start the company. Marking the beginning of the “Shoes for Tomorrow” project.
In March of 2007, Blake pulled an Airstream trailer across America to promote TOMS One-For-One idea.
If you never heard of TOMS shoes, now you have an idea of what they’re about. If you already knew them well, now you have some new stories to tell your friends.
Someone at TOMS took some time to backfill their Facebook timeline with these (and other) tidbits, outlining the story of founding and growth of their brand. Leaving a few simple breadcrumbs for the fans and the curious to follow. Here’s how you can do the same for your organization.
It’s simple. If you already have a Facebook page, log in and backfill the story of your brand using “milestones”. Here’s a three step how-to (and a graphic guide):
- Go to your brand page and look for the status update box
- Click on the “Offer, event+” button
- Fill in the details (Year, Month, Story, Photo) and SAVE
If you don’t already have a Facebook page, check out this guide to create one.
Best Practices For Facebook Milestones
Here are a few ideas to think about as you backfill your Timeline:
- Consider your target market. Who will be reading through these? For example, first time visitors to your Facebook page and/or someone who wants to find out more about your organization before they donate.
- Tell a good story. If you compare TOMS to Moleskine, one brand spins a better yarn then the other. Make sure your stories are as interesting and engaging as they can be. You can also consider hiring a copywriter to help you create a few blurbs.
- Show me more. You have a limited amount of space for each milestone. Why not link to a blog post, video or a Flickr gallery that goes into much more detail. This creates an opportunity to engage the reader further and let them experience your brand through other touch points.
- Process the photos. You’ve heard about Visual Web – here’s your chance to stake your claim in that space. Put together some great, high quality photos for each of the milestones. TOMS edited their photos to suit brand milestones.
What Brand Milestones Should You Create?
Aside from the day of founding, here are some other milestone ideas to consider:
- First Employee / Volunteer / Donor / Major Client
- Major company events
- Major (and minor) press coverage
- Celebrity endorsement / Hiring of a Spokesperson
- Move to a new office / building
- Volunteer events (as organizer or participant)
- Introduction of a new product / service
- New CEO / leadership team
- New national / international office openings
Facebook Brand Storytelling Examples
Interestingly, it’s mostly big brands that have taken advantage of this idea. Have a look below for inspiration.
Source – [ErnestBarbaric]
