Vacation Rental Owners Blog

Why Facebook Cover Photos Are Now A Lot More Useful

Posted: 24 Sep 2013 09:00 AM PDT

A lot of Facebook Page owners ignore the rules, but if you’ve been trying to keep your vacation rental Page on the straight and narrow, there’s good news: recent changes to Facebook’s Page guidelines have made this prime piece of screen real estate a lot more useful.

In the past, cover photos were rather restricted. For example, photos couldn’t include a lot of text or any promotional information (including contact details), references to Facebook features (such as the Like button), and calls to action were strictly verboten.

The rules have changed

There’s still one important rule when it comes to your Facebook cover photo: text must be limited to 20 percent of the image or less. But beyond that, you now have a lot more flexibility.

For example, you can now

Promote pricing information, like special deals you might be offering.
Add your contact information to the image, like your website address, email, mailing address or other information.
Add calls to action, such as "Like this page" or "Share our page with your friends".
Add arrows to point to elements like the "Like" button.

Creating a great cover photo

How should you use this new-found freedom?

The limited text still puts the emphasis on the key idea: use a captivating photo to share the experience your vacation rental has to offer.
Add a call to action. It’s a small detail but an important one; tell people what you want them to do next. Should they like your Page? Share it? Check out your latest video? People are more likely to take the next step when they know what it is.
Use your cover photo. Changing your cover photo doesn’t just refresh your Page visually; a notification will also go out to your network, reminding people that you’re there. You can also change your cover photo as often as your want, so take advantage of the opportunity: promote short-term deals, show off different parts of your home, celebrate changing seasons or upcoming holidays.

More information

Need help resizing an image to be your cover photo? Use this free tool from Autre Planète.
For a more detailed review of the changed guidelines, read this post from Simply Zesty.
Refresh your memory and review the Facebook Page Guidelines in full.

Have you designed a creative cover photo for your vacation rental Page? Share a link in the comments section below!

Saturday, September 28, 2013