In Part 1 of this series you learned how to set up your Facebook page’s timeline cover photo.
In Part 2 you learned how to customize the apps boxes that display directly below the cover photo.
In today’s tutorial, we’ll focus on the third major element of what I call the “cover module”: the “About” area.
Let’s start with brand pages categorized as a “local business,” because the information that displays in the “About” area is different for local businesses than for other brands.
In this example from Texas Trash and Treasures, we learn that the business is an art gallery/gift shop located in Carmine, TX. Their phone number and business hours are also displayed.

Here’s another local business, the famous Hotel del Coronado, near San Diego, CA. The “About” area identifies 1) type of business; 2) physical address; 3) phone and 4) business hours.

How to display your website address, if you’re a local business
Sadly, Facebook doesn’t provide local businesses with a means to include a link to your website in this area. But there is a workaround. Two, in fact. You can either delete your business address or your business phone number.
I’m not so sure that deleting your business address is a wise idea, as the whole purpose of categorizing yourself a a local business is so people will visit your store. Deleting your phone number is the best choice, IF the main way people contact you is via your website.
To delete your phone number:
- Go to your Basic Information section.
- Click the dropdown next to your phone number and select “No Phone.”
- In the “Website” field, insert your full URL (with the http://). A link to your website will then replace the phone number.
No physical location? Here’s how to write your “About” description
I’m flabbergasted by how many of the “big brands” devote little or no attention to their “About” description, when they could (and should) be using real estate to make a powerful statement about their brand.
Apple, for example, writes:
Welcome to our Apple facebook page. Get to see all the latest information,products and more right here.

Apple did a sloppy job of writing and proofing their “About” text. They didn’t capitalize the F in Facebook, and they didn’t put a space between “information” and “products.”
My rating: *
Lip Smacker doesn’t do much better.
While their cover photo smacks of the Lip Smacker brand (sorry, I couldn’t resist), their copy reads:
A subsidiary of ASPIRE Brands, Lip Smacker offers a wide variety beauty products for young women.

Talk about a buzz kill! What “young women” (or even an old woman like me who still uses Lip Smacker) cares that Lip Smacker is a subsidiary of ASPIRE Brands? Maybe Lip Smacker has to include that information in all their marketing materials, but couldn’t they have placed it later on the About page?
My rating: * ½
Their cover photo pops, and the apps boxes below the cover are carefully planned.
Then we glance at the copy. The official Facebook page for DIRECTV. Don’t Just Watch TV. DIRECTV. http://www.directv.com/

Yawn. It’s better than the previous two examples, but not by much. They included their tagline, “Don’t just watch TV. DIRECTV,” which is fine, considering that’s the message they want to hammer home into our television-warped brains. And I’ll give them points for including a link to their website. But overall, the message doesn’t move me to rush out and sign up for DIRECTV.
Rating: **
So, what text can you put in this space that will enhance your brand?
Several suggestions (and please add your own in the Comments):
- Brief description of your key services or products
- Mission statement (if it’s powerful)
- Statement about your company’s history (if it has a history)
- And my favorite: a call-to-action
Here’s the challenging part: While I’ve heard that the About description can include 255 characters, only about 178 characters, or three lines of text, is visible on the front page of your Timeline.
So get your Twitter brain in gear and compose something short and punchy.
My first attempt opened with a call-to-action and followed up with a brief description of Blogging Bistro’s key services:
Like us and get a daily social media tip. Blogging Bistro helps business professionals improve your online presence. We develop websites, write content, do social media coaching.
I forgot to include our website URL, so I took my description to the chopping block. Here’s attempt #2:
Like us and get a daily social media tip. Blogging Bistro’s menu (http://www.bloggingbistro.com/) includes custom website creation, content writing, social media coaching.
How to edit your “About” page
When you click the “About” link that’s located directly below the “About” text on your Timeline, you can edit each section of your “About” page.
An alternative way to edit your page is to go to your page’s Admin Panel.
- Under the “Manage” tab, click “Edit Page.”
- In the lefthand sidebar, click “Basic Information” and edit the form fields.
My company is listed in the “Companies & Organizations” category, so, in addition to the “About” form field (the one that displays 178 characters), I also get form fields called:
- Description (for more detailed info about your company, or info about your services & products)
- Mission (if you have a mission statement)
- Awards (ditto)
- Products (I substituted links to several of our social networking accounts in this field)
- Phone
- Email
- Website (include your full URL, with the http://)
As I edited each area of my About page, I saved frequently and then clicked “View Page” (top righthand corner) so I could see exactly how the page would look to visitors. Click this link to see how my About page looks: https://www.facebook.com/bloggingbistro/info
Need ideas? Here are examples of About descriptions
During one of my visits to Social Media Examiner’s Networking Clubs, I discovered a forum in which people were sharing links to Facebook page timelines. Here are screenshots of several of them, with my commentary and rating of each. (Click the title to go directly to each Facebook page.)
About text: To engage the hearts, hands and minds of the community to help animals.

I made an instant emotional connection with the cover image. The apps boxes are ho-hum, but the text succinctly delivers their mission statement. They have room to add a link to their website.
Rating: ***
About text: Helping You Bring The Power Of WordPress To Your Facebook Fanpage. Like Us And Get Started Today For FREE. http://on.fb.me/IframesMadeEZ

Cover definitely caught my attention. Although it’s a bit cluttered for my taste, it does capture the essence of what this company does. Creative use of custom apps box images… I may just have to borrow this idea! Text lets the visitor know “what’s in it for me.” It also includes a call-to-action and a link to their site. The only thing I would change is to write the text sentence style, capitalizing only the first word in the sentence.
Rating: ****
About text: Gap was founded in 1969 with a single store in San Francisco. We are committed to bringing you accessible style.

I didn’t know about Gap’s history, so that first sentence grabbed my attention. But things went downhill after that. Similar to Lip Smacker, Gap followed up with a bland statement that absolutely kills the impact of the kicky picture above it. They need to customize their apps boxes, too.
Rating: ** (because a major brand with a whole team of social media experts can do better!)
One thing Gap does that I appreciate, though. If you click the “About” link and visit their full “About” page, you’ll notice their commenting policy. This element is missing from most Facebook brand pages (including mine – oops!), but is an excellent way to set boundaries with your fans, particularly if your page gets a lot of fan comments.
About text: Fueling athletic achievement for over 40 years.

Short. To the point. Complements the text on the cover picture. I like.
Rating: ****
About text: http://www.tjformal.com/ TJ Formal is the largest online Bridal, Prom, and Formal Wear store. We carry a large selection of designer bridal and prom dresses, shoes, accessories & more. 508 N. Range Line Rd., Suite A, Joplin, Missouri 64801

They started with a hyperlink to their website. Good. They let us know what they specialize in. Good. They even told us how to find them. Excellent. I would not capitalize bridal, prom, and formal wear because they aren’t proper nouns. Also, they repeated the same information in both sentences.
Rating: ***
About text: DesignModo is one of the most popular Design and Web Development blogs in the world. It covers tutorials, design trends, coding, tips, freebies as well as inspirational posts.

Designers and developers don’t like wasted words. These guys get right to the point. They likely have room to include a link to their blog in the description.
Rating ***1/2
About text: The Agents of Change Digital Marketing Conference is on 9.14.12 in Portland, Maine and online! Register for your free pass at http://www.agentsofchangecon.com/

Tells me everything I need to know about the conference at-a-glance. Fun cover photo and coordinating apps box images. Sign me up!
Rating: *****
About text: Featuring the watercolors of Renée (Ré) St. Peter (pronounced “ray”). See more at www.paintedhillstudio.com!

Wonderful example of the artist’s work. Lets me know how to pronounce his (or her?) name. Axe the exclamation point after the web address.
Rating: ****1/2
About text: A Chocolatier samples chocolate. People smile. They savor, smile some more. www.dove-chocolate-discoveries.com/sites/dcddiva

I love chocolate. Enough said!
Rating: *****
Limited-time Offer:
Get a custom-designed Cover for $99
You need a professional-looking cover for your brand page’s timeline. Why not do it right?
We are offering an extra-special deal for the first 10 people who sign up for a custom cover design. Your cover will be designed by our extraordinarily talented graphic designer who has 30 years of experience creating marketing materials and websites.
For $99, you get:
- A custom-designed cover photo. We recommend something that coordinates with the look, feel, and brand messaging of your current website.
- 1 revision to your cover photo (revision might include repositioning images or text, changing a font or colors).
- Your profile photo (which you supply) cropped to the correct size.
- We’ll even help you edit the “About” copy that shows on your Timeline if you ask nicely!
What we need from you:
- A description and/or rough sketch of what you’re looking for (the more specifics you provide, the better).
- Do you want one large picture on the cover?
- A series of smaller images? If so, how do you want the images laid out?
- Will your cover include your logo? A photo of you and/or your staff? Your products?
- Attach the photo you will you be using for your profile picture (the 180x180px picture that’s overlaid in the lower lefthand area of the cover). Think about how that photo will complement (or clash with) your cover photo.
- What is the exact text you will display on your cover (text is not required). Where do you want the text to appear?
- What colors do you want (for text, or overall color scheme)
- Please attach all image files you wish to include in your cover. If you do not own the copyright to the image, explain who owns the copyright, and include the necessary permissions for you to use the photo. If you are using stock photos, include a link to the exact web page from which you purchased the photo, or to the creative commons page from which you downloaded the photo.
E-mail the above information to info@bloggingbistro.com and we will add you to our production calendar.
Payment Details
We accept checks in USD or pay with credit or debit card via PayPal (you do not have to be a PayPal member to use their shopping cart).
All orders are paid in advance.
Click the button below to pay with PayPal:
Checks for $99 USD should be made out to Blogging Bistro and mailed to:
Blogging Bistro
PO Box 1254
Snohomish, WA 98291
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