Facebook Page cover photo data capture hack

Posted on by Marie Page

Facebook Cover Photo Email address data capture

Looking for a way of collecting email addresses for Facebook fans without using lead gen ads?

You can use your Facebook Page cover photo as a data capture device.

But I didn’t realise Facebook cover photos were clickable?

All photos on Facebook are clickable and when clicked users get to see whatever text information (and clickable links) you like about the picture.

So create your irresistible offer (you know – the thing you will give away as a thank you for the email address) and create a new cover photo.

We’d recommend creating your cover image 1920px x 1080px (note this is a lot deeper than the traditional letterbox size). We’ve an extensive article on Facebook cover photo size specifications if you want to know more.

Make sure that any text is within the safe area as shown below. This means that it won’t get cropped out of the photo on desktop or tablet (this size image will render in full on a smartphone).

Facebook Cover image as a data capture tool

Get your data capture form set up on your website (Mailchimp, Infusionsoft – etc etc) along with a nice description of your freebie and paste that url along with a description into the Edit field of the new cover photo when you upload it to Facebook.

Edit Facebook Cover Photo to include a link

You might also put the url of your freebie into the Call To Action button (I’ve highlighted this ‘Learn More’ button in the first screen grab at the top of this blogpost).

We call the freebie a “Lead Magnet”. I’ve written about funnel marketing previously so do have a look at that if you would like more info.

The idea is that once you have the email address you then send a sequence of relevant and targeted messages to the recipient that are congruent with the freebie they signed up for. So in the case of our Digiterati Academy course on Facebook Groups we would be sending more information and offers about our other Facebook courses and resources.

How to datacapture for free using your Facebook cover photo. Great hack idea here.

Click To Tweet

Here’s how the same cover photo looks on mobile/smartphone:

Facebook Cover Photo on Mobile

If you click on the picture what then surfaces is the text you have associated with the photo, and, crucially, the clickable link.

 

Digiterati freebies to help you create Facebook cover photos the right size

Facebook_Cover_Photo_Size_Guide

Enter your email address in the form at the top of this page and we’ll whizz over to you, totally free:

  • Our free Facebook Cover Image Photoshop Template with marked-up layers for Pages, Groups and Profile photos
  • The Digiterati Facebook Cover Image Size Guide (November 2017) with recommended sizes and screen grabs for you to use when creating your image on other software or briefing your designer
Marie Page

About Marie Page

Marie Page is one of the UK’s leading Facebook marketing experts. She is a founding partner of digital marketing consultancy The Digiterati and the Digiterati Academy e-learning portal for marketers and entrepreneurs. Her award-winning Master's Dissertation was the culmination of three years' academic research into Facebook that resulted in a book (and companion online course) 'Winning at Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget' that became an Amazon bestseller. Marie's work on the Facebook News Feed algorithm was featured in The Huffington Post. A recognised thought leader on social media, Marie is often approached by journalists for comment in articles such as this Telegraph article. She was also interviewed for ITV's Tonight show on Facebook privacy issues in relation to advertising. Marie is a regular guest on digital marketing blogs and podcasts including Social Media Examiner and Smart Insights. In 2018 she is speaking at Brighton SEO, Europe's biggest search and marketing conference. Marie is also author of two Smart Insights books: 'Smarter Guide to Facebook Marketing', now in its fourth edition, and 'Facebook Ads Guide', both edited by Dr Dave Chaffey. Marie is also a part time yoga teacher.

Comments