Whenever we have new social media recruit joins us and is assigned to a Facebook fan page of a client, the first question they ask is how can the large profile picture on the home page and the small 75px * 75px image for status updates be different when only 1 image can be uploaded?

For most Facebook experts the answer is very simple and takes no more than a few minutes to accomplish. But then everyone is not born an expert right? So here is how easy to get this done.

Step 1. Create an image for you profile such that it looks good as a large profile image but also has a clear square area that can be selected from a part of it. So lets look at this image for Tata DOCOMO’s Facebook page during the IPL Nights party

Now this image has two clear graphic areas – The party with IPL Stars (which is the by line for communication) and the Tata DOCOMO Logo

Step 2. Upload an image like this as your profile image and then once you are logged into your fan page hover your mouse over the profile image. You will see the option below

Step 3. Now click on the Change picture option and click on the option ‘Edit Thumbnail” – typically the 4th option of the drop down

Step 4. Now you will see a modal pop up window with the image you have uploaded. You can drag the image around to choose a square area of the image to show as the profile image for status updates. See how we left enough clearance around the main message to help create a slug for the promotion that looks very different from the full profile image. That’s it – give your creativity a go and the results can be amazing! Do share them here for others to see.