Your presence on social media platforms should be just one element in your overall marketing plan. While it’s an incredibly valuable way to connect with a wider audience and steer potential customers toward your offerings, most businesses rely on their website to convert visitors into clients or customers.
Integrating social media into your website boosts your reach and makes the most of your efforts across all platforms. It can provide social proof of your value, contribute to an accessible, polished brand identity, and offers a connection or interaction to customers and prospects. Here are five creative, effective ways to integrate social media into your website today.
Embed user-generated content
User-generated content demonstrates that real people value and appreciate what you have to offer, and that social proof is a powerful incentive to prospects to choose you over your competitors. You can configure a social media widget to display the most recent or most popular content based on a hashtag of your choosing, or selectively embed the most compelling user-generated content on your site. That works best in conjunction with a campaign to encourage user-generated content around an event, new product, or story.
Feature your feed
Keep visitors on your website while making the most of the effort you’ve put into maintaining a current, engaging feed by featuring it on your site. Install a widget to display recent posts, tweets, or other content right on the page.
Use social logins
If you have a secure section of your website, using social logins is a customer-pleasing option that saves them having to remember a new password. It also means they’re logged in to that social network, and any social sharing from your site becomes seamless.
Configure shareable content
Visitors spontaneously sharing links to your website is free advertising. Make it easy for them (and control your brand and messaging) with pre-configured post content so they don’t have to come up with something to say. You can even highlight shareable quotes or graphics in the page, with a click-to-share button.
Add visible, accessible buttons
Don’t forget to install plugins for those sharing and follow buttons in visible, easy-access locations. Social media ‘follow’ icons are easy to find in a floating sidebar or pinned to the top or bottom of the page. Visitors generally expect to find sharing buttons at the top or bottom of content or floating in a sidebar. If they have to copy a link, switch tabs to a social media site, and craft a message, they are much less likely to go to the trouble.
If you’re not sure where to start, it’s worth investing in a relationship with a good web design contractor, who can help coach you through which implementation will be right for your business goals, and can handle any technical implementation challenges. For additional peace of mind when dealing with contractors, an umbrella company offers an extra layer of security and deals with all the paperwork. You can then offload the administrative headache of contracts, taxes, and contractor pay, and reduce risk.
The right social media integrations for your website can help you connect more effectively, gain higher visibility, and transition prospects to customers. Get started today with a plugin, widget, or an embed.
