• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, May 15, 2012

WhenFacebook introduced Timeline for brands in March it also did away with one of the favored tools for marketers: the default landing tab on fan pages for driving likes and engagement. That’s put more pressure on brands to generate interaction through organic content and paid advertising formats like Sponsored Stories. “It’s been tough for a lot of clients and advertisers because everyone was used to the model of buying ads and driving to the default tab to like your page,” said Patrick Chen, manager, social product strategy and marketing operations at Clickable, speaking on a panel at OMMA Social.

Julie Fajgenbaum, who leads brand social efforts at American Express OPEN, said the company uses tools like Fill in the Blank Fridays, allowing small business to respond to simple questions and polls, like “Is the customer always right?” “The easier you make it for people to participate, the more people you get,” she said.