50+ thinkers and planners within MSLGROUP share and discuss inspiring projects on corporate citizenship, crowdsourcing and storytelling on the MSLGROUP Insights Network. Every week, we pick up one project and do a deep dive into conversations around it -- on the MSLGROUP Insights Network itself but also on the broader social web -- to distill insights and foresights. We share these insights and foresights with you on our People’s Insights blog and compile the best insights from the network and the blog in the iPad-friendly People’s Lab Quarterly Magazine, as a showcase of our capabilities. This week, our topic is Facebook Timeline for Pages. For more, see:http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com

1. crowdsourcing | storytelling | citizenship
People’s Insights: Volume 1, Issue 10
Facebook
Timeline for
Pages

2. Facebook Timeline for pages
After profiles and apps, Facebook has taken Timeline to pages. It will go
live on March 31, 2012. Content will be presented by date, month and
year in a more aesthetic, user-friendly way.
Source : http://www.location3.com/facebook-timeline/, http://www.facebook.com/about/pages

3. New features
Focus on visual storytelling through new features that include cover
photo, updated look and feel, pins, messages, highlights, no landing
page, friend activity, milestones and admin panel.
Source : http://mashable.com/2012/02/29/facebook-brand-timelines-changes-marketing/ ,
http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/facebook-timeline-brands-guide/#5121519-Getting-to-know-you

4. Focus on aesthetics & milestones to improve
EdgeRank
The new interface encourages multimedia content, improves aesthetic
appeal. Milestones are favoured by the EdgeRank algorithm to standard
posts, increasing visibility of pages on the newsfeed.
Source : http://www.slideshare.net/jackmortonWW/marketers-guide-to-facebook-timeline-tips-for-
brands-and-marketers-for-the-2012-changes-to-pages-11812395 ,
http://www.one1onemarketing.com.au/blog/facebook-brand-pages-go-to-timeline/

5. Brands can tell a story better
Timeline gives brands an identity, allowing them to tell more engaging
stories by sharing content as per different phases. It helps customers
see the evolution of a brand.
Source : http://www.likeable.com/2012/03/3-ways-to-tell-your-brand-story-using-facebook-timeline/ ,
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-07/news/31131000_1_brands-vampires-ad

6. Engagement, not promotion
Milestones, cover photos discouraging promotion, and a shift from static
landing pages to stories highlight Facebook's efforts in encouraging
brand-building rather than sales.
Source: https://www.arkovi.com/2012/03/building-your-business-online-brand-a-facebook-timeline-redesign-by-
arkovi/ , http://www.techjournalsouth.com/2012/03/facebook-timeline-offers-marketers-room-to-build-engagement/

7. Not about 'likes' and 'fan-gating'
Asking fans to like a page in exchange for something is tougher now.
Users will only 'like' pages to follow a brand's story rather than for a
single activity, which makes brands focus on quality engagement.
Source : http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/29/death-of-the-facebook-default-landing-tab/ ,
http://facebook.com

8. What users see first
Without landing tabs, it becomes tougher to determine what a user sees
first. Facebook ads driving traffic to an app, featured tabs, pinned posts
and friend activity now determine what a user sees first.
Source: http://www.pagemodo.com/blog/drive-more-traffic-to-custom-timeline-tabs/ ,
http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/29/how-to-use-timeline-for-pages/

9. Better for customer service
Timeline allows users to send private messages to brands, reducing
negatives on the wall. The format of posting by date will help marketers
keep track of the wall, making listening and responding easy.
Source: http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com ,
http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/29/how-to-use-timeline-for-pages/

10. Users are happy, marketers aren't
The changes have sparked intense debates, with most of brand and
marketer sentiment being negative due to the stifling of direct promotion.
Customers like it for its aesthetics, discouragement of spam.
Source : http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/facebook-timeline-brands-guide/#5121519-Getting-to-know-you ,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/SocialMedia-Updates/Facebook-timeline-for-brands-The-good-bad-
and-ugly/SP-Article1-819701.aspx

11. More about users than brand marketing
Users will not be tricked into 'liking' a page to view content. The first
thing users see is organic content and what friends are saying in the
'Friend Activity' box. The new format discourages spam.
Source : http://venturebeat.com/2012/03/03/why-marketers-should-embrace-facebooks-new-timeline-for-brands/,
http://mashable.com/2012/03/01/facebook-timeline-brands-guide/#5121519-Getting-to-know-you

12. The future
Brands should have a to-do list in place. Brands like Red Bull & Captain
Morgan have already made the switch. Just like Timeline for Profiles,
'pages' received early criticism but will eventually get users' vote.
Source : http://mashable.com/2012/03/09/facebook-timeline-brands-examples/#530695-Captain-Morgan

13. More People’s Insights Weekly reports
Every week, we dive into one topic for discussion on the MSLGROUP
Insight’s Network and discuss insights and foresights, in three key
areas: crowdsourcing, storytelling and citizenship.
Crowdsourcing Storytelling: Citizenship
Mahindra Spark the Rise @MarsCuriosity #Kony2012
For more reports, visit: peopleslab.mslgroup.com/peoplesinsights/

14. Read People’s Lab insights and foresights
The People’s Lab team shares the insights and foresights from the
MSLGROUP Insights Network on the People’s Insights weekly blog and
the People’s Insights Quarterly magazine.
MSLGROUP Insights People’s Insights People’s Insights
Network weekly blog Quarterly magazine
50+ MSLGROUP planners We deep dive into Every quarter, we will compile
share and discuss inspiring conversations around one the best insights from the
projects on corporate project -- on the MSLGROUP network and the blog in the
citizenship, crowdsourcing and Insights Network itself but also iPad-friendly magazine, as a
storytelling. on the broader social web -- to showcase of our capabilities.
distill insights and foresights.
For more, visit http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com

15. Coming soon: People’s Insights Annual
Report
In early January 2013 we will publish the People’s Insights Annual
Report, in which we synthesize our insights from throughout 2012 and
provide foresights for business leaders and change-makers for 2013.

16. People’s Lab: Crowdsourcing Insights &
Innovation
People’s Lab is MSLGROUP’s proprietary crowdsourcing platform and
approach that helps organizations tap into people’s insight for
innovation, storytelling and change.
For more, visit http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com

17. For People’s Lab
solutions, contact
pascal.beucler@mslgroup.com