Seriously?.. Facebook Page Layouts Just Changed AGAIN?? (Here’s the Skinny)

Are you having trouble keeping up with the constant changes to Facebook? You aren't alone.

Zuckerberg and his crew are at it again. Yep, Facebook page layouts just changed on our business Pages!

Plus, they've made some pretty significant improvements to messaging.

If you've been around Facebook marketing for as many years as I have, you've seen all the changes -- and none of them ruined your life.

So don't panic!

We got ya covered!

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Seriously?.. Facebook Page Layouts Just Changed AGAIN?? (Here's the Skinny)

The majority of the new updates will be cosmetic and not affect most of you -- but you creative types will have to make some changes.

As of the time I'm writing this post, I still don't have the changes.

I can't see the changes on anyone's pages, but luckily our good friend Mari Smith provided this screenshot on a recent Facebook post:

Here are the notable changes:

• Page name and category are smaller and less bold
• Profile picture is much smaller and doesn't hang over the cover photo
• The Page "tabs" or "apps" are now under the cover photo further to the left instead of being centered and to the right of the profile image that hung over the cover photo
• Like button is below the cover photo now
• Share button is below the cover photo now also
• The "see more" button is below the cover photo
• The Call to Action (CTA) button is now blue and much wider 
• Message button will be below the cover photo also

Most of these changes have no real affect on you luckily -- it's just moving around these buttons a bit.

But if your page got creative like Coca-Cola (with an image that "embedded" the profile photo into the cover for example) -- you're gonna have to do some editing. 

If you're one of those pages -- sorry, but you're gonna have to make some changes so things don't look out of place. 

Other than that, the layout updates shouldn't cause any alarm for Page owners.

In fact, I think most of these changes are good since they take all the cluttered buttons off your cover photo, which frees up that space to show off the image you've uploaded. 

Also if you have added any arrows on the cover photo image pointing to the Like, Share or Message buttons, you'll need to make some adjustments to your cover photo as well. 

So don't panic -- but be aware that you may need to upload a new cover photo.

No word on how or if this affects the appearance of pages on mobile devices. 

Facebook Page Message Improvements

The Message feature on Pages is a great tool for Page admins -- especially small business owners.

You may recall in a previous post that we at Post Planner decided to turn messages off on our page, read to find out why.

But I gotta admit some of the recent changes to the Message feature have me tempted to turn it back on -- but I probably won't!

Saved Replies

Saved Replies is incredibly powerful in helping Page owners quickly reply to questions they get asked all the time. 

The 2 Saved Replies you see were created by Facebook, not me or our page (which is really cool for those who are struggling with creating a saved reply).

Also notice that it personalized the message and included the user's first name -- this is Customer Service 101.

Clicking "Create new reply" shows you the image below, which allows you to give the reply a title and write out a message. 

Notice you can add an image to the reply and personalize it. 

For my small business, the image will be a huge help! I can create a reply for each product I have, include pricing, where to purchase and include an image of it! And not have to type it out again!

Clicking Personalize lets you add even more personalization to the message, even including the admin's name!

Basically you could use this as your support desk, sales emails, follow ups, etc. 

These are amazing tools for a small business that doesn't have the budget or need for an expensive support system or email automation platform. 

Private Messages from Pages

Sometimes people comment on your posts, and it's best to reply to them privately.

Maybe they are angry and a public conversation wouldn't be practical. Or, maybe the reply would contain personal information so a private reply would be best. 

In the past, you had to ask (beg) people to send you a private message. 

That requires another action out of the user (customer) and most won't do it. 

Now Facebook is rolling out the ability to send a private message from your Page once someone leaves a reply on a post. 

This will be super helpful when private situations arise. 

Facebook will include a link to the customer's comment for reference purposes also. 

It hasn't rolled out to everyone yet -- I haven't seen it -- but I'm really looking forward to this on my small business Page!

Being Responsive Pays Off

Facebook will now start rewarding Pages that reply quickly to Messages with a "badge" on their page.

If you have responded to at least 90% of your messages (and those replies were within 5 minutes) -- your Page will get the "Very responsive" tag added to it. 

It will be pretty hard for most to achieve this, but it is a great way to show your followers that they are important and you reply quickly. 

Changes to Facebook Pages Have Me Excited!

Unlike so many Page admins, I get super excited when Facebook makes a change to our Pages.

Why?

Because it means Facebook is paying attention to feedback and making it easier for us to run our businesses inside Facebook. 

And don't think Facebook is done improving and changing Pages either!

Even Mari hinted that some major changes to Facebook Pages are coming in the Fall of 2015.. So stay tuned!

Sure they can be a headache at times, but embracing these changes only makes you that much further ahead of your competition!

So have fun with these new layout changes and improvements to Messages -- and go kick some ass!