With Facebook’s new Timeline, users are trying to figure out the best way to introduce themselves and showcase their lives. The Cover photo is the place to do this. The huge image at the top of your Timeline will be the first thing people see when they check out your page, so you want to make a good impression. The Cover also presents a daunting task: how do you sum up who you are in a single image? Hongkiat.com has a great list of really creative Timeline Covers to check out here.
The best Covers feature integration with the Profile picture. Whether you show only part of a bigger image in your profile, or your profile picture echoes the image on your Cover, it helps if you can make them fit together in some way rather than use two random images. Maybe your Profile image can show feet and the Cover photo reveals the feet are walking into your store. Or your face in your Profile picture is reacting to a larger image on your Cover. Use a few words (or a lot of words) to describe yourself or what you want people to know about you. While you can’t use advertising words, you can tell people the name of your blog or Twitter account so people can follow you there.
If you use Facebook for any professional contacts who are in touch with you, you really need to think about the image you want to use. Try to come up with something memorable, something that resonates with you and will get people to laugh or think or be inspired. An image is worth a thousand words, so make sure yours is saying what you want it to say.
