- May 13, 2014
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Tips for Integrating Social Media on Your Website
Given the importance companies have placed on social media, it is often shocking when they ignore opportunities available on their websites to engage with their customers. From neglecting to add “follow” or “share” buttons to landing pages to outright burying the buttons out of sight of consumers, companies have plenty of avenues to integrating social media on their websites.
The percentage of Americans following any brand on a social network has gone up from 16 percent to 33 percent from 2010 to 2012, according to a study by Edison Research. This is a sharp increase, but shows that two-thirds of Americans using social networks have never followed a brand.
The ease to include social media buttons and widgets on your website makes it easy for people to follow your company. Also include a link to your website on every single social media platform with which you have an account. By directing people back to your website, you’ll be more in control to lead the customer from interest to sale.
Place Follow Plugins on Landing Pages
There are many options to choose from when it comes to social plugins to add to your website. Most websites choose to add the big five: Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter, depending on their mix of consumers.
A commonly used feature on websites today includes various social sharing buttons. These have become more common over the past few years due to the increased visibility and engagement a Facebook like button or a Twitter tweet button can help to generate traffic around a particular product page.
To add these plugins to your website, visit the plugins or social buttons section of each major social platform you’re interested in integrating. It’s recommended you only select a few social plugins to your product pages to not overload consumers.
Share User-Generated Social Content Onsite
Content about your business can be generated by consumers sharing tweets, posts, photos, and video updates about your products or service. One way to take advantage of the positive user-generated content about your brand is by highlighting it in an engaging way on your website.
The functionality helps customers get a sense of the popularity of certain items. Social media lets you scale the imagery created about your business to other customers to further assist in the buying process and the growth of your company.
If you have room for growth in connecting with customers and fans on social networks, try reading, “How Twitter Helps Small Businesses Connect with Customers.”
It’s important to integrate your social media strategy with your website; otherwise, it will lack a vital avenue to connect with customers. By embedding your strategy into your website strategy you can realize the full potential of social media.